![]() The most common form combinations are with Atum (his human form), Khepri (the scarab beetle) and Horus (the falcon). Since the people regarded Ra as a principal god, creator of the universe and the source of life, he had a strong influence on them, which led to him being one of the most worshiped of all the Egyptian gods and even considered King of the Gods.Īt an early period in Egyptian history his influence spread throughout the whole country, bringing multiple representations in form and in name. The creator of the universe and the giver of life, the sun or Ra represented life, warmth and growth. Because of the life-giving qualities of the sun the Egyptians worshiped the sun as a god. The sun is the giver of life, controlling the ripening of crops that were worked by man. He was said to travel across the sky in his falcon-headed form on the Mandjet Barque through the hours of the day, and then switch to the Mesektet Barque in his ram-headed form to descend into the underworld for the hours of the night. After defeating the snake, Ra would leave the underworld, returning emerging at dawn, lighting the day again. Every night Apophis attempted to attack Ra and stop the sun-boat's journey. On the course of the underworld journey, he transformed into his Ram headed form. There he would have to sail on the subterrestrial Nile and cross through the twelve gates and regions. At times the horizon is described as a gate or door that leads to the Duat. But when the sun set and twilight came he and his vessel passes through the akhet, the horizon, in the west, and travel to the underworld. As the sun god one of his duties was to carry the sun cross the sky on his solar barque to light the day. Ra on the solar barque on his daily voyage across the sky (□), adored with the sun-diskĪccording to Egyptian myth, when Ra became too old and weary to reign on earth he relinquishes and goes to the skies. In the myth of the Celestial Cow, it is recounted how mankind plotted against Ra and how he sent his eye as the goddess Sekhmet to punish them. In some accounts, humans were created from Ra's tears and sweat, hence the Egyptians call themselves the "Cattle of Ra". The cult of the Mnevis bull, an embodiment of Ra, had its center in Heliopolis and there was a formal burial ground for the sacrificed bulls north of the city.Īll forms of life were believed to have been created by Ra. In the New Kingdom, when the god Amun rose to prominence he was fused with Ra as Amun-Ra. At times the two deities were merged as Ra-Horakhty, " Ra, who is Horus of the Two Horizons". Ra was portrayed as a falcon and shared characteristics with the sky-god Horus. He was the god of the sun, order, kings and the sky. Ra ruled in all parts of the created world: the sky, the earth, and the underworld. By the Fifth Dynasty, in the 25th and 24th centuries BC, he had become one of the most important gods in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the noon-day sun. Ra ( / r ɑː/ Ancient Egyptian: rꜥ also transliterated rꜥw /ˈɾiːʕuw/ cuneiform: □□ ri-a or □□ ri-ia Phoenician: □□, romanized: rʿ) or Re ( / r eɪ/ Coptic: ⲣⲏ, romanized: Rē) was the ancient Egyptian deity of the sun. Shu, Tefnut, Hathor, Sekhmet, Mafdet, Bastet, Satet, Anhur, Ma'at, Mut Hathor, Sekhmet, Bastet and sometimes Satet Hathor (In the cycle of rebirth) Mehet-Weret (some accounts)Īpep, Sobek and Serket (as son of Khnum and Neith) In one of his many forms, Ra, god of the sun, has the head of a falcon and the sun-disk inside a cobra resting on his head. ![]()
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