Egyptian Mythology: Gods & Goddesses

Egyptian Mythology: Creation We will now go back in time to examine the magic of Ancient Egypt. Before we delve into the mythology and magical practices, it is important to distinguish the structure between these two ancient civilizations. The Greek Civilization was separated into several self-sufficient city-states. The most prominent of these were Athens, Sparta, Rhodes, Corinth, Thebes, and Argos. Though there is some controversy as to the extent, as slavery was permitted in Ancient Greece and women were not permitted to vote, each city-state was democratic in the sense that the citizens held referendums to resolve an issue. On the other hand, Ancient Egypt was in essence the land of the Pharaohs. In 3100 B.C., Menes united Upper Egypt, containing the Nile Delta, Alexandria, and Memphis, with Lower Egypt containing Thebes. From there on, the first born male in the line of Menes was known as the Pharaoh, messenger of the gods and supreme ruler of the land. Additionally, the history of Ancient Egypt is not linear, but is separated into three distinct periods. The Old Kingdom existed between 2686-2181 B.C., but came to a halt with internal dissent leading to civil war. After order was established, the Middle Kingdom lasted between 1991-1786 B.C until invaders from the East overtook the land. Finally, the New Kingdom ended in 1085 B.C., still before the Greek Civilization emerged, when Libya overtook the land and the Pharaoh’s power ceased. The significance in establishing the difference between these two great civilizations is to note where the foundation of their paganism emerged. In the Greek democratic city-states, there was a general tolerance of religion. While some were designated as oracles and prophets, the Greek mythology that we come across today is a compilation of the ideas of many individuals. In contrast, the Egyptian Civilization was one run by the Pharaoh, with the priests and other holy men working for the state. Therefore, what we know about Ancient Egyptian practices does not represent the masses so much as it does those in power. Also, as the different epochs are described above, Egyptian religious practices twice came to a halt, and then began again with significant differences. Now! We begin with the Ancient Egyptian interpretation of Creation. It began with Nun, the dark waters of Chaos. A hill then rose up from within Nun, spawned from Nun itself. This hill was known as Ben-Ben. Then, the first god Atum (sometimes Amon – this sounds familiar, though it is spelled differently than most of us know it) walked up Ben-Ben to stand upon the top. Atum’s first action as the singular god was a cough. From this cough came Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the goddess of moisture. Shu and Tefnut fell in love and gave birth to two children. These were Nut, the goddess of the sky, and Geb, the god of the earth. To protect Geb, Nut made herself into a canopy that covered him. Nut and Geb had four children named Osiris, Isis, Seth (Set) and Nephthys. We will discuss these four and from there forth next week, but now you know much like the Titans of Ancient Greece, how the Ancient Egyptians came up with means to describe the creation of the universe.    Ben-Ben emerged from Nun, the dark water of Chaos.  Then Atum walked upon Ben-Ben and coughed up Shu, the god of air and Tefnut, the goddess of water.  Shu and Tefnut gave birth to Geb, the god of the air and Nut, the goddess of the sky who provided a canopy for Geb.  Geb and Nut then gave birth to four children Seth (sometimes Set), Isis, Osiris, and Nephthys.   As we reach this point, we transcend from the gods responsible for origins of the universe to those who presided over earth.  As the elder, Osiris was designated Ruler of Earth, and was a very good king from the initial creation of our planet.  Isis was his queen, and they ruled together for many years in peace and harmony.  The two had a son named Horus together and everything was roses and sunshine, until…   Osiris’ brother Seth became absorbed with envy and rage over his brother’s power and felt that the only solution was to kill him – which he accomplished successfully.  Osiris then went to the Underworld, and Seth claimed the throne of earth as his own while Horus was still young.  When Horus grew up, he battled against Seth to reclaim the throne and became the new King of Earth while his father Osiris became King of the Underworld.   With Seth and Osiris established as the Kings of the Earth and Underworld, respectively, we now know the Egyptian gods associated with creation.  However, like the Titans, these gods though very important, only constitute a small portion of all of the Egyptian gods and goddesses, which were intended to provided a basis for relating to the creation of the world.  Nonetheless, there were gods who brought the flood and others who brought protection or caused harm.  There were local gods, and there were even gods who represented a specific plant or animal.  The Egyptian people found it very important to worship each god and goddess as each is significant in its own right.  Below is a short list of some of the Egyptian gods and goddesses, their roles and appearance: Ra – Originally called Amon or Atum as we discussed – initially the god of Thebes, then the supreme god Hathor – Goddess of joy and beauty in all expressions.  Daughter of Ra. Thoth – Magician and Inventor of speech and hieroglyphics.  Teacher of the arts.  Represented as an ibis or dog-headed baboon. Ptah – High god of Memphis.  Later became a judge of the dead.  Represented as a mummy. Nephthys – Sister of Isis, Seth, and Osiris.  Funerary goddess who befriended dead mortals at judgment. Anubis – God of embalming.  Supervisor of souls at judgment.  Represented with jackal’s head. Isis – Goddess of fertility.  Founder of marriage.  Teacher of agriculture, spinning, and weaving. Source: http://www.arcanelibrary.com