| Celestial Ferryman | |||||||||||||
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 drawing of the Celestial Ferryman based from thePapyrus of Ani | |||||||||||||
| Other names | Hraf-haf, Ma-haf | ||||||||||||
| Name inhieroglyphs |
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TheCelestial Ferryman is the modern name of anAncient Egyptian god. the god has multiple names, all with similar meanings, the two most common of which beingHraf-haf andMa-haf which roughly translates toHe whose face is behind him andHe who sees behind him respectively.[1]
The Celestial Ferryman plays the role of aPsychopomp who helped guide souls through the waters ofthe underworld into theField of Reeds and was said to be rude and ill-tempered.[2] The Celestial Ferryman was also one of theAssessors of Maat where was said to come from the "Cavern of wrong" and judged the sin ofcopulating with a boy.[3]
The first known mention of the Celestial Ferryman is in thePyramid Texts of theOld Kingdom where he is called Ma-haf and a guard of Osiris, he later Appears in theCoffin Texts of theMiddle Kingdom where he is once again called Ma-haf and guards Osiris.[1]
The Celestial Ferryman is first physically depicted in theBook of the Dead ofAni, here he is drawn as a man sitting in a boat with his head facing backward, in accordant with his descriptive name[4]
