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{{Short description|Paradise in ancient Egyptian mythology}}
{{redirect|Reed fields|the natural habitat|Reed bed|the use of reeds to filter wastewater|Constructed wetland|the 2005 Indian Tamil-language film|Aaru (film)}}
[[File:27.1 Iaru.tif|thumb|Depiction of Aaru within a work of [[Art of ancient Egypt|ancient Egyptian art]], from [[Deir el-Medina|Dayr al-Madīnah]]]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=January 2023}}
'''Aaru''' ({{IPAc-en|ɑː|ˈ|r|uː}}; {{langx|egy|[[wikt:jꜣrw|jꜣrw]]}}, {{Literal translation|reeds}}), or the '''Field of Reeds''' ({{langx|egy|[[wikt:sḫt-jꜣrw|sḫt-jꜣrw]]|label=none}},  ''sekhet-aaru''), is the name for heavenly paradise in [[Egyptian mythology]]. Ruled over by [[Osiris]], an [[Ancient Egyptian deities|Egyptian god]], the location has been described as the {{Transliteration|egy|[[Ancient Egyptian conception of the soul#Ka (vital essence)|ka]]}} of the [[Nile Delta]].
Ancient Egyptians believed that the soul resided in the heart, and that each individual would therefore undergo a "[[Ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs|Weighing of the Heart]]" in the afterlife; each human heart is weighed on a giant scale against an ostrich feather, which represents the concept of the goddess [[Maat]]. All souls that successfully balance the scales will be allowed to start a long and perilous journey to Aaru, where they will exist in peace and pleasure for eternity. Conversely, hearts that are heavy with evil will tumble from the scale pan and fall into the crocodilian jaws of the goddess [[Ammit]]. Any souls that are subject to Ammit's "second death" are doomed to restlessness in the [[Duat]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Fadl|first=Ayman|title=Egyptian Heaven|url=http://www.aldokkan.com/religion/field.htm|work=Article|publisher=Aldokkan|access-date=2012-03-15}}</ref>[[File:Maler_der_Grabkammer_des_Sennudem_001.jpg|left|thumb|Sennedjem plows his fields with a pair of oxen, used as beasts of burden and a source of food, a depiction of Aaru from [[Deir el-Medina|Dayr al-Madīnah]].]][[File:BD Field of Hotep.jpg|thumb|Depiction of the "Field of Reeds" within the [[Papyrus of Ani]], currently at the [[British Museum]]]]Qualifying souls undergo a long journey and face many perils before finally reaching Aaru. Once they arrive, they enter through a series of gates—the exact number of gates varies across sources, with given figures alternating between 15 gates and 21 gates. They are uniformly described as being guarded by [[Gate deities of the underworld|deities and evil demons]], and if the deceased passed through these final gates, they would be rowed across the water to the shores of the Field of Reeds.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Mark |first=Joshua J. |title=Field of Reeds (Aaru) |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Field_of_Reeds/ |access-date=2023-03-20 |website=World History Encyclopedia |language=en}}</ref>
Aaru was usually placed in the east, where the [[Sun]] rises, and has been described as comprising boundless reed fields, like those of the Nile Delta. Consequently, this ideal hunting and farming ground enabled qualified souls to live for eternity; more precisely, Aaru was envisaged as a series of islands covered in fields of reeds. The part where Osiris later dwelt is sometimes known as the "field of offerings" ({{langx|egy|sḫt-ḥtpt|label=none}}).
== Resident deities ==
{{CSS image crop|Image=The gods of the Egyptians - or, Studies in Egyptian mythology (1904) (14577694737).jpg|bSize=400|cWidth=240|cHeight=120|oTop=30|oLeft=80|Description=Ani making an offering before [[hare]], [[snake]] and [[bull]] headed deities. Behind him stand his wife Thuthu.<ref>{{cite web|last=Budge|first=E. A. Wallis|title=Egyptian Ideas of the Future Life|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/11277/11277-h/11277-h.htm#i7|work=Book|publisher=Project Gutenberg|access-date=2024-07-23}}</ref>}}Aaru was also a residence for various deities worshiped by the deceased. Therefore, the deceased live eternally in the presence and amongst the gods,<ref name=":0" /> ruled over by the resident god, Osiris. As a result, the deceased ate and drank the same delicacies devoured by their gods.[[File:Bookofthedead-144145.jpg|thumb|Two 'gate spells'. On the top register, Ani and his wife face the 'seven gates of the House of Osiris'. Below, they encounter ten of the 21 'mysterious portals of the House of Osiris in the Field of Reeds'. All are guarded by unpleasant protectors.<ref>Taylor 2010, p.143</ref>]]
=== Deities of the Twenty-One Secret Portals Of The Mansion Of Osiris In The Field Of Reeds ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Portal
!Name of Portal as Goddess
!Guardian God
|-
|1
|"Mistress Of Trembling"
|"Dreadful"
|-
|2
|"Mistress Of The Sky"
|"Born Of The Hindquarters"
|-
|3
|"Mistress Of The Altar"
|"Cleanser"
|-
|4
|"Powerful Of Knives"
|"Long-Horned Bull"
|-
|5
|"Fiery One"
|"Killer Of Opponents"
|-
|6
|"Mistress Of Darkness"
|"Destroyer"
|-
|7
|"Veiler Of The Weary One (''Osiris'')"
|"''Ikenti''"
|-
|8
|"Lighter Of Flames – Extinguisher Of Heat"
|"Protector Of His Body"
|-
|9
|"Foremost"
|"Fowler"
|-
|10
|"Piercing Of Voice" ''or'' "High Of Double Doors"
|"Great Embracer"
|-
|11
|"Ceaseless In Knifing – Scorcher Of Rebels"
|"Cook Of His Braziers"
|-
|12
|"Invoked By Her [[Upper and Lower Egypt|Two Lands]]"
|"Cat"
|-
|13
|"She Above Whom Osiris (''or:'' [[Isis]], [[Ennead]]) Stretches His Arms"
|"Destroyer Of The Robber"
|-
|14
|"Mistress Of Anger – Dancing On Blood"
|"Screecher"
|-
|15
|"Great Of Valour"
|"Vigilant Of Face"
|-
|16
|"Dread"
|"Clever In Bowing"
|-
|17
|"Great On The [[Aker (deity)|Horizon]]"
|"Spirit"
|-
|18
|"Lover Of Heat"
|"Anointed"
|-
|19
|"She Who Foretells Mornings Throughout Her Lifespan –
Possessor Of The Writings of [[Thoth]]"
|''nameless''
|-
|20
|"Dweller Within the Cavern Of Her Lord"
|''nameless''
|-
|21
|"Sharpener Of Flint To Speak For Her"
|"Giraffe" ("''Memy''")
|}
==See also==
* [[Ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs]]
* [[Ashihara no Nakatsukuni]], heavenly afterlife location in Japanese mythology
* [[Elysium]], heavenly afterlife location in Greek mythology
* [[Valhalla]] and [[Fólkvangr]], heavenly afterlife locations in Norse mythology
* [[Nirvana]], concept of rebirth liberation in the Indian religions
** [[Nirvana (Buddhism)]]
* [[Neorxnawang]], old Anglo-Saxon term for "heavenly meadow" in the afterlife
== In popular culture ==
* Aaru makes an appearance in the episode "[[Asylum (Moon Knight)|Asylum]]" of the [[Disney+]] series ''[[Moon Knight (miniseries)|Moon Knight]]'' (2022) where [[Taweret (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Taweret]] weighs the hearts of [[Marc Spector (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Marc Spector]] and his alter [[Steven Grant (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Steven Grant]] on the [[Weighing of the Heart|Scales of Justice]] to determine if they would be allowed to enter the Field of Reeds, which Marc manages to reach.
* In ''[[Assassin's Creed Origins]]'', Aaru is a heavenly aspect of the game.
==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}
===Bibliography===
*{{Cite book|title=The Egyptian Heaven and Hell |url=https://archive.org/details/egyptianheavena00budggoog|last=Budge |first=Ernest Alfred Wallis |author-link=E. A. Wallis Budge  |year=1906 |publisher=Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., Ltd. |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/egyptianheavena00budggoog/page/n61 37] |access-date=2009-06-06}}
*Jobes, Gertrude. ''Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore, and Stymbols'', Part 1. New York:The Scarecrow Press, 1962.
{{Ancient Egyptian religion footer|collapsed}}
{{Heaven}}
[[Category:Book of the Dead]]
[[Category:Conceptions of heaven]]
[[Category:Locations in Egyptian mythology]]
[[Category:Osiris]]
[[Category:Nile Delta]]