- "Duat? The Egyptian underworld."
- âSteven Grant to Marc Spector[src]
The Duat is an astral dimension that serves as the Egyptian underworld.
Overview[]
- "Because the Duat's true nature is impossible for the human mind to comprehend..."
"Right."
"...You may perceive this realm as something more easily recognizable to you." - âTaweret and Steven Grant[src]
The Duat is an astral dimension and one of several parallel afterlife planes in existence, alongside the Ancestral Plane[1] and Valhalla.[2] The Duat is a vast Egyptian-style land that is sheeted with an ocean of sand. The skies and clouds have a purple color scheme, with peaks of yellow light shining through. The desert acts as an actual ocean for Taweret's Boat, as the ship sails across it as if it were water. There are other landscapes available within the realm, such as the heavenly paradise known as Aaru and the Gates of Osiris that lead back to the realm of the living.
Since the true nature of the realm cannot be comprehended by humans, when their soul arrives inside Taweret's boat upon passing away, the interior of the ship will appear as a place more recognizable and suitable for them. It can also manifest as a representation of the soul's mind, for example, when Marc Spector died, the boat appeared as Putnam Psychiatric Hospital, due to him having a fractured mind and a mental illness.[3] Furthermore, people with dissociative identity disorder become separated from their alters, who are initially transported inside a sarcophagus.[4]
On the boat, they are welcomed by the Ennead Taweret, who has notes of the lines she says to the souls. She then removes their heart and places it on the Scales of Justice to measure with the Feather of Truth. If the scales are balanced, the soul will pass on to Aaru, where they will spend the rest of eternity in peace.[3] However, the soul is able to exit Aaru and arrive back in the desert, but they are unable to return.[5] If the scale are unbalanced, the soul will either be cast or dragged down by zombified unbalanced souls into the desert and will be frozen in sand for all eternity[3], unless they earn a balanced heart or if the Gates of Osiris opens up for them.[5]
The Duat also reshapes the boat's interior to contain all of a life's memories, allowing souls to revisit their past. Other than that, manifestations of the soul's past, such as Spector having a room filled with his victims, or an illusion of his brother Randall Spector. What is more abnormal is how souls can be suddenly teleported from one place to another, with Spector occasionally finding himself in Arthur Harrow's office to discuss his mental state. During their time at the therapist's office, Spector and Steven Grant were made to believe that their experiences as Khonshu's Avatars were all a fantasy and delusion, and that supposedly they were composed of aspects in the hospital, such as its residents and items.[4][3] Even when the soul returns to life, they would have a visit to their illusionary reality one night during their sleep. If they manage to realize that their experiences were real, portions of the true reality seep into the illusion, for example, Dr. Harrow having bleeding feet, a reference to how Arthur Harrow put glass in his shoes.[5]
History[]
To be added
Appearances[]
References[]
External Links[]
Duat on Wikipedia
Duat on Marvel Database