Funeral Service Practice Exam

Who was the Egyptian god known as the judge of the dead?

1. Horus

2. Osiris

3. Anubis

4. Ra

The correct answer is: Osiris

Osiris was known as the judge of the dead in ancient Egyptian mythology. He was associated with the afterlife and resurrection, serving as a symbol of rebirth and the fertility of the land. When a person died, their soul was believed to be judged by Osiris in the Hall of Maat, where the heart of the deceased was weighed against the feather of Maat, representing truth and justice. If the heart was found to be lighter than the feather, indicating a life lived with honesty and virtue, the soul would be granted eternal life. Osiris's role as the ruler of the underworld and the judge of the dead made him a central figure in Egyptian beliefs about death and the afterlife. The other options represent different deities with distinct roles: Horus was associated with the sky and kingship, Anubis was primarily the god of mummification and the guardian of graves, and Ra was the sun god central to creation and vigor in Egyptian mythology, but he was not a judge of the dead.