Few indeed were rich enough to enjoy this
inestimable privilege; for, apart from the cost of a tomb in the
sacred city, the mere transport of mummies from great distances was
both difficult and expensive. Yet so eager were many to absorb in
death the blessed influence which radiated from the holy sepulchre
that they caused their surviving friends to convey their mortal
remains to Abydos, there to tarry for a short time, and then to be
brought back by river and interred in the tombs which had been made
ready for them in their native land. Others had cenotaphs built or
memorial tablets erected for themselves near the tomb of their dead
and risen Lord, that they might share with him the bliss of a joyful
resurrection.
XXXIX. The Ritual of Osiris
1. The Popular Rites
A USEFUL clue to the original nature of a god or goddess is often
furnished by the season at which his or her festival is celebrated.
Thus, if the festival falls at the new or the full moon, there is a
certain presumption that the deity thus honoured either is the moon
or at least has lunar affinities.
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