Nameless and Faceless

A ghost story Princess Yongtai was a young Tang dynasty princess and granddaughter of the powerful Empress Wu Zetian who died under suspicious circumstances in 701 CE, possibly after becoming entangled in dangerous court politics. After her death she was buried with great honor near the imperial Qianling Mausoleum in a richly decorated tomb filled with murals depicting elegant court ladies, servants, and officials accompanying her into the afterlife. What makes the tomb famous today is that many of the painted figures have had their faces deliberately damaged or erased. Scholars are unsure whether this was the work of tomb robbers, later vandals, political enemies, or some other cause, but the result is haunting: a magnificent royal court preserved for over a thousand years, populated by faceless attendants whose identities seem to have been intentionally erased from history. In Egyptian belief, erasing a person’s name and destroying their image was far worse than simply killing them—it was an attempt to destroy them forever. The name (ren) and likeness were considered essential parts of a person’s existence, allowing their soul to be remembered, receive offerings, and continue living in the afterlife. A tomb whose inscriptions were chiseled away and whose painted faces were erased would leave its occupants spiritually severed from eternity, unable to be properly recognized by the gods or the living. To an Egyptian, this was a kind of “second death”: not physical death, but the annihilation of memory, identity, and the hope of everlasting life. For a ghost story, such a fate might leave the dead trapped between existence and oblivion, remembered enough to suffer, but not enough to find peace. You have been warned [Verse 1] Once beloved Once adored Child of Pharaohs Wings that soared Father's Princess High esteem Nations bowed Before my dream [Chorus] Nameless I wander! Through the night Nameless linger! In the night Can't move onward To the light Lost and nameless In the night I've lost my name [Verse 2] father left me hardly grown abandoned All alone Father's Princess Left alone Left to dangle Before the throne [Chorus] Nameless I wander Through the cold Nameless linger Tale untold Faceless, hungry Nameless blight Searching for warmth In the night I've lost my name [Verse 3] My uncle laid me In cold stone My ladies with me Death enthroned My Pharaoh uncle Feared my tale Feared my witness At the scale [Chorus] Hungry I wander Through the dark Dreadful I circle You're my mark Faceless and hungry I feel your flame Searching for warmth I'll take your name I'll steal your name [Bridge] In dark they came To my tomb Chisel and hammer Brought my doom From carven stone Erased my name From carven stone Erased my face [Chorus] [Chorus] Hungry I wander Through the dark Dreadful I circle You're my mark Faceless and hungry I feel your flame Searching for warmth I'll take your name I'll steal your name [Chorus] Hungry I wander Through the dark Dreadful I circle You're my mark Faceless and hungry I feel your flame Searching for warmth I'll take your name I feel your flame Searching for warmth I'll take your name I'll steal your name