The soul was usually accompanied by the =Khaibit= 𓋼𓐰𓏤𓐱𓏏, or =shadow=, which may be compared with the σκία of the Greeks, and the _umbra_ of the Romans. It had an independent existence, and was able to separate itself from the body at will, but hostile fiends might attack it, and therefore the deceased prays in the Book of the Dead (Chapter XCII): “Let not be shut in my soul, let not be fettered my shadow, let a way be opened for my soul and for my shadow, and let them see the Great God.” It is very difficult to know where the functions of each of these parts of a man began and ended, for even the Egyptians became confused in dealing with them, and the texts often contradict each other. The main facts are, however, quite clear. The Egyptians believed in the existence of body, double, spirit, soul, and shadow, at all periods, and the views which they held about each are best understood by reference to the religious beliefs which exist at the present time among the A-Zandê, or Nyam-Nyam, the Bantu, the Mañbattu, and cognate tribes in Central Africa. Under the influence of foreigners the primitive views became modified as time went on, but in all essentials the Egyptians who served under the Romans believed what their ancestors believed 5,000 years before. CHAPTER VIII. EMBALMING. THE EGYPTIAN TOMB. =Mummy= is the name given to the body of a human being, or creature, which has been preserved from decay by means of spices, gums, natron, bitumen, etc.; strictly speaking it should only be given to the body preserved by _bitumen_, for “mummy” is derived from a word which appears in Arabic under the form _mûmîâ_, and means “bitumen.” The oldest preserved bodies known were prepared with salt and soda, and bitumen was certainly not used on a large scale for embalming purposes before the XXIInd dynasty, about B.C. 900. The embalmed body, swathed in linen, was called by the Egyptians _qes_ 𓈎𓐰𓊃𓀾, 𓈎𓐰𓊃𓌟𓍱, or _qesȧu_ 𓈎𓐰𓊃𓇋𓅱𓀿𓑀𓐰𓍱, which has passed into Coptic under the form _kôs_. The word “mummy” is not of Egyptian origin.