Egyptian Mythology

Egyptian Mythology is based on the various gods of ancient Egypt. These gods formed the religion of the era and the myths that helped explain the world and the reasons many things occur.
 
Most of the Egyptian Mythology comes from:
  • The religious writings,
  • Arts,
  • Short stories,
  • Myths,
  • Temple decorations
  • Other texts discovered over the years.
 
Most of the myths and stories recovered were incomplete or in fragments.
 

Origin

 
Egyptian mythology originated from the natural order of things such as:
  • The rising and setting of the sun,
  • The flooding of the Nile River
  • The later renewal of fertility to the lands near the river.
 
This natural order could be disrupted by enemies or even nature with low rainfall reducing the river flow and so forth.
 
This brought about a religion or mythology based on chaos, order and renewal.
Various rituals also form part of the mythology.
 
Creation Story
 
Many of the Egyptian myths focus on origin. From the origin of the world, natural phenomena and even some of the human institutions.
Even kingship originated with the gods and it is then passed on to the human Pharaohs.
Warfare originated when the sun god Ra withdrew in to the sky, then the humans began to fight among each other. Maat refers to order and is believed to have been established at the creation of the world from the chaos.
Maat also refers to the normal patterns and behavior of natural phenomena as well as that of humans. When maat exists, life and happiness becomes possible.
Egyptian gods govern all the forces of nature as per the myths. And thus are responsible for life and the correct functioning of everything in existence.
The human responsible for maat among the people is the Pharaoh. And in the myths, pharaoh is the son of various gods and represents them on earth.
He is also responsible in seeing to the rituals necessary to keep the gods happy.
 
 

Egyptian Myths

 
As in most myths, the Egyptian mythology myths focuses around traditions, daily life as well as the big questions such as the fate of the universe.
Egyptian gods relate to physical objects such as the sun and the earth as well as more abstract forces such as creativity and knowledge.
The Egyptians believed that their gods were the power behind all forces and elements.
The myths are often incomplete or even only partial narratives, and tend to be quite flexible.
Some of the myths even seem to contradict each other. But this could also be due to varied religious ideas and practices in different regions of Egypt at the time.
Many areas based their religion around a patron god and adapted the myths to suit their cults.
The Egyptians also combined and adapted many myths and combined old myths with new ones. So they made their tales and deities very complicated.
 
Some of the fundamental myths focus on the shape of the world. In this case a flat piece of land (personified as the god Geb), over which is the sky (the goddess Nut).
Sky and earth as separated by air (Shu). And the sun (Ra) travels across the sky and then disappears in to the Duat. The duat is an area on the border of the formless water that earth was brought from (personified by the god Nun)).
Egypt was seen as the center of the world and most myths are told of the gods being in Egypt, very seldom in a foreign setting. Creation myths are many and some are similar while others are not but most have a few elements in common.
Most myths agree that the world came from the waters of chaos (Nu). And that a pyramid (benben) was the first thing to arise from the waters.
The sun arise from this first mound either directly or a lotus flower and originally in the form of a child, a falcon, a scarab beetle or a heron.  
The origin of humans is not as well documented in the myths except for the myths which say humans came from the tears of Ra-Atum or Eye of Ra or molded from clay by Khnum.
Most myths are around creationism from chaos rather than human beginnings.
 

Gods and goddesses

 
The sun god Ra, was leader of earth and all the gods after creation. There are various myths surrounding his rule and conflicts with some of the other gods and later humanity. as well until he leaves earth and lives in the sky, traveling through the heavens daily. Osiris is associated with kingship and fertility and certain myths tell of him being killed and dismembered by his brother Set. Set then takes over ruling the world. His parts are scattered all over Egypt but his wife Isis (who is also his sister) recovers all the parts and with the help of Anubis and Nephthys restores his body to completeness. He is then revived for enough time to impregnate Isis with a son, Horus.  Isis raises Horus out of sight of Set and when he is grown, he challenges Set for the throne.
 
There are many parts to the myths of their conflict, including one in which Set pulls out Horus’s eyes, which are restored by Hathor or Thoth.
The “eye of Horus”is a very powerful symbol in ancient Egyptian life. There are two endings to the myth, one in which Horus rules and another where they divide the kingdom between them.
 
Royal children such as the first human kings are said to descend from the joining of a god with a human woman. In some of the myths the god is Ra and in others it is Amun. This was one way of stating that the human ruler was there due to deliberate intervention by a god or gods.
Although not described in any detail, many of the recovered texts indicated a belief that the world is destined to end along with everything else besides the gods Atum and Osiris.
This also indicated that the world will then be reformed anew as these gods represent renewal and creation.
 
In this section are descriptions of Egyptian Mythologies and mythological beings described in the encyclopedia, gods and goddesses.

Apis

Apis, an Egyptian bull god, was the personification of the creator god Ptah in Memphis. He is an intermediary between the supreme god and human beings. His mother Isis could … Read more

Thoth

Thoth (also Toth) , scribe of the Egyptian gods, was the chief deity of Khmun, or Hermopolis. He was conceived as either having the head of an ibis or of … Read more

Tefnut

Tefnut, primordial Egyptian goddess of moisture, is one of the first nine deities in the Heliopolitan Theological System. According to the genealogy of the priests of Heliopolis, she was created from … Read more

Seth

Seth (or Set) was among the first nine deities in the Heliopolitan Theological System, probably originating from Libya, whose followers appeared to have worshipped him under crocodile and hippopotamus fetishes. At first … Read more

Seshat

Seshat, a very ancient goddess who was believed to be the sister and more commonly the wife of Thoth, was the deity of writing and measurement until such functions were ascribed … Read more

Sefkhet-Abwy

Sefkhet-Abwy, in egyptian mythology also known as she who has seven horns, was the Egyptian goddess of libraries and writing. Probably a form of Seshat. She was depicted in human … Read more

Re

Ra (or Re or Phra), the personification of the sun, was the ancient Egyptian sun god. His name meant the sun, and he represented its strength. Earlier he was identified … Read more

Ptah

Ptah was an Egyptian creator god and god of craftsmen. His reign was from 3000 BCE, possibly earlier, to the end of ancient Egyptian history, about fourth century CE, with … Read more

Osiris

Osiris was an ancient corn-deity who followers, who came probably from Syria, identified their god with a pastoral deity called Andjeti and established themselves in his Delta city in predynastic times. … Read more

Nut

Nut was the Egyptian sky goddess usually portrayed as a giant naked lady with her back arched over the earth. Su supported her so only Nut’s fingertips and toes touched the earth. Though … Read more

Nun

Nun (or Nu) was chaos or the primeval waters from which all life immanent, and was guarded by four androgynous frogs and serpent-headed deities. Atum, father of all gods, rose from … Read more

Nephthys

Nephthys, the second daughter of Nut and born on the fifth intercalary day, was the consort of Seth, her brother, but her loyalties were with Osiris. Her name means “Lady of the House” and … Read more

Neith

Neith is a goddess of Lower Egypt particularly associated with Sais but soon incorporated into the national pantheon with a sanctuary at Memphis. According to legend Neith emerged from the … Read more

Min

Min, Egyptian fertility god, was the most important deity in the Egyptian pantheon in respect to sexual virility. He was worshipped from about 3000 BC until Christianization, ca. 400 AD. … Read more

Maat

Maat was the Egyptian goddess of cosmic order and truth. She was a minor deity recognized from the middle of the third millennium, perhaps earlier, closely associated with the creator … Read more

Keket

Keket (or Kauket) in egyptian mythology was a primordial goddess, one of eight Egyptian deities composing the ogdoad in the Hermopolitan Theological System who represented chaos. Her consort was Kek. She is … Read more

Isis

Isis is the Egyptian great Mother Goddess, prototype of the faithful wife and fertility, and protective mother in egyptian mythology. She is associated with Sirius, the dog star, the rising of which … Read more

Horus Behdety

Horus Behdety was the form of Horus the Elder worshipped in the western delta at Behdet. When his worshippers spread to Upper Egypt and established their cult center at Edfu, … Read more

Horus

Horus is one of the most universally important gods of the Egyptian pantheon, which is attested to by the earliest records. According to legend he was born at Khemmis in the … Read more

hehet

Hehet (or Hauhet) was a primordial goddess, one of eight Egyptian deities composing the ogdoad in the Hermopolitan Theological System who represented chaos. Her consort was Heh. She is one of the four … Read more

Hathor

Hathor was worshipped as various cow goddesses in different parts of Egypt, but was early identified as Hathor of Denderah. She was represented as either a cow with a solar … Read more

Harsomtus

Harsomtus [Greek] is the form of Horus in egyptian mythology which unites the northern and southern kingdoms of Egypt. He is depicted as a child comparable to Harpokrates. Therefore, at the … Read more

Harpokrates

Harpokrates [Greek] is the form of Horus, as a child, usually depicted seated upon Isis knee suckling her left breast and wearing the juvenile sidelock of hair. He may also be invoked to … Read more