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Scales of Anubis – The Feather
of Truth
“In the Duat, the
Egyptian underworld, the hearts
of the dead were said to be weighed against her single "Feather of
Ma'at", symbolically representing the concept of Maat, in the Hall of
Two Truths. This is why hearts were left in Egyptian mummies while their
other organs were removed, as the heart (called "ib") was seen as
part of the Egyptian soul. If the
heart was found to be lighter or equal in weight to the feather of Maat, the
deceased had led a virtuous life and would go on to Aaru. Osiris came to be
seen as the guardian of the gates of Aaru after he became part of the Egyptian
pantheon and displaced Anubis in the Ogdoad tradition. A
heart which was unworthy was devoured by the goddess Ammit and its
owner condemned to remain in the Duat.[26]
The weighing of the heart, pictured on papyrus in the Book
of the Dead typically, or in tomb scenes, shows Anubis overseeing
the weighing and the lioness Ammit seated
awaiting the results so she could consume those who failed. The image would be
the vertical heart on one flat surface of the balance scale and the
vertical Shu-feather standing on the other balance scale surface. Other
traditions hold that Anubis brought the soul before the
posthumous Osiris who
performed the weighing. While the heart was weighed the deceased recited the 42
Negative Confessions as the Assessors of Maat looked on.[26]”
The Feather of Truth (or Maat) is one of the parts of the
scales of Anubis – coupled with the vessel of the heart these two components
create the balancing scales.
In the Scales of Anubis campaign the Feather was thought to
be lost to history but the various global agencies intent on finding the scales
have put even more efforts into identifying their lost resting places.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING IS A FICTICIOUS ACCOUNT.
Prologue:
In 1819 William John Bankes, the
former aide de camp in Wellington’s peninsular army, visited the temple of Abu
Simbel in Egypt. Fascinated by this ancient civilisation Bankes created one of
the largest private collections of ancient Egyptian artefacts in Great Britain.
This was housed in the ancestral home of Kingston Lacy, Dorset.
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| William John Bankes |
The centrepiece of this
collection was the Philae Obelisk, transported at great cost to the British
Isles this now stands in the ornamental gardens of Kingston Lacy. Inscribed
with both Egyptian and Greek characters this monument was in itself as
important as the Rosetta stone. The foundation stone of the Obelisk was laid by
none other than the Duke of Wellington in the 1820’s.
Bankes continued to add to his
collection right through to his death in 1855. The family title and estate passed
to his nephew Walter Ralph Bankes.
 |
| The Philae Obelisk outside Kingston Lacy |
The
Kingston Lacy estate bordered that of Cranbourne Chase belonging to Augustus
Henry Lane-Fox Pitt Rivers (1827 – 1900) , Pitt Rivers will ever be a
prominent landmark in the history of the progress of archaeology and ethnology. Indeed he went on to found the Pitt River
museum in Oxford University.
Like Bankes, Pitt Rivers enjoyed a long career in the army
and fought at the battle of Alma in the Crimean campaign.
 |
| Augustus Pitt Rivers |
In my alternative history It is not unreasonable to
assume that Pitt Rivers was aware of his neighbour’s illustrious career and
perhaps this sparked his fascination in archaeology. My ‘alternative history goes
on..
William John Bankes did indeed decipher the obelisks
runes and uncovered passages relating to the scales of Anubis, specifically
referring to the Feather of Maat (more on this shortly).
With no immediate heir to his estate Bankes bequeathed
his coded diaries onto Pitt Rivers (knowing that this young inquisitive man
might be able to make sense of this long lost artefact. It is not known what
Pitt Rivers would have made of this gift but we do know that correspondance between
the two families ceased until the 1880’s.
Correspondence (held by the Pitt Rivers museum reveals
that letters were exchanged between Ralph Bankes and Pitt Rivers. Pitt Rivers
asking for permission to excavate the old iron age settlement at Badbury Rings
on the Kingston Lacy estate. Permission was denied.
(article in question – box B1 /4)
 |
| Badbury Rings |
Had Pitts Rivers been able to decipher the coded diaries.
Was there a connection between the the Philae Obelisk and the Badley Rings?
It is now November 1936 – both Pitts Rivers and Ralph Bankes
have passed on.
The Kingston Lacy estate is now owned and run by Ralph’s
son – Henry John Ralph Bankes, a young wealthy socialite.
Pitt Rivers was succeeded by his son – George Pitt Rivers
– a known Nazi sympathiser and cousing to Winston Churchill's wife.
 |
| George Pitt Rivers |
Its is probably worth noting that by November 1936 Great
Britain had been plunged into a constitutional crisis. The King Edward VIII
determined to marry the American divorcee was facing a showdown with parliament.
In November Edward, still king visited Dorset and whilst
there was invited to stay overnight with Pitts Rivers (ficticious) at Cranborne
Chase.
 |
| Edward VIII visiting Dorset |
It was at dinner The King was introduced to members of
Ahnerbe and was informed of the legend of the Scales of Anubis. Could it be that
one of the missing pieces of the Scales of Anubis lay a few miles away? The
King and his trusted advisors saw the opportunity of cementing the relationship
between Nazi Germany and the British Empire through cooperation and the
procurement of the various components of the Scales.
An elite unit of Fallschirmjager have parachuted into
Dorset to retrieve the next piece.
Fortunately for the allies, the head of Egyptology at
Oxford (and head of PITH) Battiscombe Gunn has also been on this trail. Alerted
by his friend Churchill that George Pitt Rivers was known to have affiliations
with the Nazi party of Germany and that a meet was taking place in Cranbourne
Chase in November a PITH agent infiltrated the country estate. This agent has
learned of the impending raid and measures to secure the artefact before the
Ahnerbe have been put into action.
But where is the Feather of Truth – could clues of its
existence lie inside the collection at Kingston Lacy? Could the runes on the
obelisk reveal more ? What is the secret of Badley Rings? Why is the King’s
presence important?
More will be revealed soon…
The game is scheduled for this coming Monday...
