Mumiani ni maiti ya binadamu au mnyama ambaye ngozi na viungo vyake vimehifadhiwa kwa kutiwa dawa ya kutoozesha. Mumiani hufungwa kwa bendeji kutoka kichwani hadi vidole vya miguu na kuwekwa kwenye majeneza ya jiwe hekaluni au piramidi. Kama ni mafarao, kabla ya kuzikwa, wao hufungwa kwa uchawi na mganga mkuu ili kuondoa au kulaani yeyote anayemsumbua farao katika usingizi wake wa milele. Wakati kaburi la farao ambalo limepovurugwa (mara nyingi na wanaakiolojia na wezi wa makaburi) linaweza kuamsha mumiani ambayo haiwezi kupumzishwa mpaka laana ivunjwe, kwa kawaida kwa kusoma maandishi yaliyochongwa upande wa jeneza la jiwe au kuta za kaburi, au hata hati ya kukunja yaliyo na kivunja-laana. Wasiposimamishwa, mumiani watatembea Duniani milele, wakiweka laana kwa yeyote ambaye apitie njia yao, na kuwageuza kuwa wanasesere wa vuudu au vifaa vingine vidogo.
A mummy is a human or animal corpse, whose skin and
organs have been preserved by embalming. Mummies are wrapped in bandages from
head to toe and are kept in sarcophagi either in temples or pyramids. In the
case of pharaohs, before their entombment, they are usually sealed with a hex by
the head magician to ward off or curse anyone who may disturb the pharaoh’s
eternal slumber. When a pharaoh’s tomb has been disturbed (most often by
archaeologists and grave-robbers), it can awaken the mummy that cannot be put
to rest until the curse is broken, generally by reading an inscription carved
on the side of the sarcophagus or the tomb’s walls, or even a scroll that
contains the counter-spell. If not stopped, mummies will forever walk the
Earth, putting curses on anyone who crosses their path, turning them into
voodoo dolls or other small artifacts.
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