The Neshmet bark was a boat belonging to the god Nun

Naunet

In Egyptian mythology, Nu or Nun is the deification of the primordial watery abyss. In the Ogdoad cosmogony, the name nu means "abyss"....

 in which the ancient Egyptian god Osiris

Osiris

Osiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...

 was transported on the river Nile

Nile

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...

 during the Osiris festival at Abydos

Abydos, Egypt

Abydos is one of the most ancient cities of Upper Egypt, and also of the eight Upper Nome, of which it was the capital city. It is located about 11 kilometres west of the Nile at latitude 26° 10' N, near the modern Egyptian towns of el-'Araba el Madfuna and al-Balyana...

. The god's departure from his temple, journey to his tomb and triumphant return were enacted and drew many spectators who participated in the public parts of the mysteries.

In myth

The myth of the death and resurrection of Osiris kindled hope for eternal life in the hearts of the believers, and since the 6th dynasty they often preferred to be buried near their god at Abydos. Their mummies were taken to Abydos in decorated funerary boats reminiscent of Osiris' Neshmet bark. Involvement in building a Neshmet bark was an event of some importance and duly recorded among the good deeds in a person's 'autobiographical' mortuary inscriptions. Tomb depictions show the deceased in Neshmet barks, thus Rekhmire's statue is shown in a shrine on the bark with a priest making libations.

Other divine barks

There were other divine barks including the Hennu

Hennu

In Egyptian mythology, the hennu boat was a symbol of the god Seker of Memphis. Depending on the era or the prevailing dynasty of Egypt, the hennu boat sailed toward either dawn or dusk....

 bark of Seker

Seker

Seker or Sokar is a falcon god of the Memphite necropolis. Although the meaning of his name remains uncertain the Egyptians themselves in the Pyramid Texts linked his name to the anguished cry of Osiris to Isis 'Sy-k-ri' , in the underworld. Seker is strongly linked with two other gods, Ptah the...

 and the sun barks of Re

Ra

Ra is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun...

, which included the morning bark, mandjet, and the evening bark, mesktet.