In the ancient Egyptian mortuary texts, the deceased takes the shape of different entities (animals, plants and other natural elements, also gods) to prevail over dangers in the Netherworld. In the Coffin Texts spells 49, the deceased adopts the surprising shape of a flea.
Today, we know only six copies of this spell on coffins from Dayr al-Barsha, the necropolis of ancient Hermopolis (Egyptian Khemenu). Keeping in mind how complex these texts are to understand, the Coffin Texts spell 49 seems to indicate that the deceased, identified with Osiris, takes the shape of a flea to escape from some enemies that attack them during the night.
Read the full article (in Spanish) on Revista Digital de los Mundos Antiguos.
OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Carlos Gracia Zamacona (June 21, 2022). How to become a flea, and what for? Coffin Texts spell 49. Inside Ancient Egyptian Graphemics. Retrieved July 26, 2026 from https://doi.org/10.58079/o4yy