>The Book of the Dead, known in ancient Egyptian as “Rituals of Coming Forth by Day,” is one of the most significant texts from ancient Egypt. This collection of spells was intended to guide the deceased through the afterlife, ensuring safe passage and eternal life.

Is Frieren based on the Book of the Dead and the concept of ´hk´?

The Egyptian BD provides us an insight into grimoires. As perhaps one of the earliest proto-grimoire, it contains multiple spells or "utterances" to guide the soul in the afterlife. There are spells to fend off monsters, for example.

>"In the realm of Egyptian magic, actions did not necessarily speak louder than words – they were often one and the same thing. Thought, deed, image, and power are theoretically united in the concept of Heka."

The concept of magic in Ancient Egypt included knowledge of magical names, medicine and speech. Thoth, the god of scribes, is therefore proficient in magic.

Magic or ´hk´ is part of the cosmos and not outside natural law. Distinction of nature (e.g. the work of medicine) and magic is troublesome. Agrippa would later coin the concept of ´natural magic´.

There was not a demarcation of Priestly or un-Priestly magic as that came later and BD involved the image of the godform Osiris. In Frieren, Priestly magic comes from a deity and the power of the image turned into "visualization".

The idea of gathering grimoires, ie. books that contain "spells", likely dates to this era. Similarly, the notion of afterlife is prominent in Ancient Egypt. That said, such things can be found in many cultures.

Notably, BD is a book on funerary rites. The kanji for this is ´葬送´ (sousou). Frieren is not set in Egypt. However, the passage of time is a common theme of the work.

Therefore, when Frieren searches for grimoires in a tomb or "dungeon", it's as if funerary rites are being performed twice or thrice over.

Thus, the anime is cleverly called "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End".