Many myths in Egyptian mythology were designed to explain the regular processes which go on in the natural world. Eventually, Horus either became the sole ruler of Egypt, or he received Lower Egypt while Set received Upper Egypt (depending on the version). Osiris was murdered by his brother Set, who then engaged in many battles against Isis (the sister and consort of Osiris) and Horus (the son of Osiris and Isis). Osiris is another god who was said to have ruled as a king on earth in a kind of golden age. The most famous myth about the activities of the gods was the tale about Osiris and Horus. In another story, his own eye, the Eye of Ra, acts independently of him in the form of a goddess and rebels against him.Īnother story tells of humans rebelling against Ra’s rule, which leads to him destroying almost all of them and then withdrawing into the sky. He faces a rebellion from some of the other gods in one story. His reign was viewed as a golden age of stability, which Egyptians strived to regain.ĭespite being fundamentally a golden age, the stories about Ra’s reign feature him battling various forces to maintain this peace (a concept known as Maat in Egyptian mythology). He lived on earth as the first ruler of humans, and he was also the king of the gods. One of these myths is the story of the reign of Ra, the sun god. We could consider these ‘adventures’ of a sort. Other myths were focused on the activities of the gods. Another myth presents humans as being moulded from clay by the god Khnum.

One version presents humans as coming from the tears of Ra. The origin of humans is not commonly discussed in the Egyptian creation myths, but it does appear sometimes. And the land and the sky themselves are the gods Geb and Nut, children of Shu. For example, Shu is the personification of air, dividing the land from the sky.

These gods all play a key role in the functioning of the world. He then went on to create the gods Shu and Tefnut, who then in turn produced more gods. He is presented as a creator god who created himself from the primeval waters. Other versions focus on the role of Atum, a sun god. These gods bring forth the sun from a mound of dry land (which was, along with the primeval water, another common feature of these creation myths). One version presents the primeval water as being represented by eight gods, known as the Ogdoad. One common feature to most of them is that they describe the world emerging from the primeval waters of chaos. The most common and fundamental origin myth was the creation myth, describing how the world as a whole came to be. The Egyptians had various myths explaining the origin of some part of their world. These categories help us to understand better the mythology as a whole. TYPES OF EGYPTIAN MYTHSĪlthough complex, it is possible to divide Egyptian mythology into at least four main categories. Various details changed with time.įor this reason, when a record is found from ancient Egypt that records a myth about the gods, it is very dangerous to assume that this myth was present for most of Egypt’s history (especially in all the details). A few stories (though not many) concern human-like divinities who became immortal gods after death.Īs noted before, Egyptian mythology was not always consistent throughout the long history of Egypt. The activities of the gods were often confined entirely to the divine realm, although many stories do show the gods interacting in human affairs. Nor did they have many stories about adventures. Unlike some other cultures – like the Greeks and the Romans – the Egyptians did not have many stories about human or semi-divine heroes. Most of the stories they had were about the activities or nature of the gods. The divinities were undoubtedly the most important and prevalent part of their mythology. So when archaeologists uncover Egyptian ruins or artefacts, references to the gods are very common. Even the pharaoh himself was viewed as a god. Worship was a constant part of their lives. The Egyptians were extremely religious people. Egyptian mythology refers to the myths and legends held by the ancient Egyptians.

Age of mythology egyptian