Mahaf

The Ferryman of the Egyptian Afterlife

Mahaf was a divine ferryman mentioned in ancient Egyptian funerary writings. His name can also be written Ma-haf, and much less survives about him than famous gods such as Ra, Isis or Anubis. In the Pyramid Texts, which were placed inside royal tombs during the Old Kingdom, the dead king needs help crossing the waterways of the sky and the world of the dead. Mahaf is connected with the boat used for this difficult journey and with Aken, another underworld boatman. Reaching the far bank was part of the king’s journey towards a new divine existence.

Egyptian texts did not describe the afterlife as one simple road. It contained gates, lakes, canals and guarded regions that had to be crossed correctly. Knowing the right names and words could be as important as having a boat. Mahaf therefore belonged to a much larger system of spells, gods and helpers protecting the dead person’s passage. Some accounts describe him as guarding Osiris, the ruler of the dead, while the ferryman texts involve waking or calling the boatman and proving that the traveller deserves to cross.

Mahaf is sometimes compared with Charon, the ferryman from Greek mythology, but the two should not be treated as the same character. Charon normally carries shades across a river in return for payment. Mahaf belongs to Egyptian beliefs about celestial travel, rebirth and gaining access to the gods. I find him interesting because his task sounds quiet but is absolutely essential. A mighty king could possess treasure, spells and a splendid tomb, yet still needed someone who knew the waters and could take the sacred boat safely onwards.