Ancient Egyptian
Egyptian creation stories tell of several variations of how the
world was composed. According to one variation, the ocean was the only thing
in existence. Then the sun, Ra, came out of an egg (or a flower in some
versions) that appeared on the surface of the water. Ra created four
children. They were the gods Shu and Geb and the goddesses Tefnut and Nut.
Shu and Tefnut became the air, who stood on Geb, the earth, and held up Nut,
who became the sky. Ra ruled over all.
It was not uncommon for siblings to have children in ancient Egypt,
and Geb and Nut had two sons, Set and Osiris, and two daughters, Isis and
Nephthys. Osiris succeeded Ra as the king of the earth, helped by Isis.
However, ...
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Geb and Nut, who held the same positions as the above version.
Yet another version tells that Ra became the god of the afterlife, but was
still supreme.
GODS
The ancient Egyptian theology dealt with hundreds of deities. These gods
changed during the different dynasties and their importance depended on the
views of the rulers of the kingdom.
The Egyptians worshipped their gods at temples, and each was dedicated to a
particular god. A statue of the god stood in the center of these temples.
Every day, priests would clean and dress the statue and offer it meals
before the worshipping ceremonies took place.
Ra
Ra means "creator." He is or was for a time, in nearly all accounts of
Egyptian mythology, the supreme god. He was "the father of the gods, the
fashioner of men, the creator of cattle, the lord of all being". He is the
god of the sun in most of these accounts and is shown as a man with a
falcon's head. He carries a staff and the symbol for ...
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supreme god, Ra was a rival. To satisfy the claims
of supremacy made by Amon and Ra, the two deities merged to form the god
Amon-Ra or Amon-Re. This new god was worshipped as king of the gods, creator
of the universe, and the father of the pharaohs.
Amon-Ra was said to have guided the pharaohs in the battlefield. During the
battle of Kadesh, 1286 BC, Amon-Ra is supposed to have comforted the pharaoh
by saying, "Forward! Your father is with you! My powerful hand will slay a
hundred thousand men."
Osiris
Osiris was said to be the king and judge of the dead. Because the
importance of the afterlife was so immense in the Egyptians, Osiris was a
very important figure in ...
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"Ancient Egyptian." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 20 May. 2008. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Ancient-Egyptian/83967>
"Ancient Egyptian." Essayworld.com. May 20, 2008. Accessed April 19, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Ancient-Egyptian/83967.
"Ancient Egyptian." Essayworld.com. May 20, 2008. Accessed April 19, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Ancient-Egyptian/83967.
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