Around The Globe: Egypt Mythology

Creation

In the early days, there was only a vast ocean of chaos called Nun. Then Ra, god of the sun emerged from a flower. Behind him came the god Shu of the air and the goddess Tefnut of water. Then came the god Geb of the earth and the goddess Nut of the sky. And so, standing one on top of the other, these four became the earth and its atmosphere and Ra became the supreme ruler of this newborn world. Then Geb and Nut were joined and Nut gave birth to Seth, god of chaos, and Osiris, god of the underworld. Their sisters were Nephthys and Isis, the two protectors of the dead. Finally, Isis and Osiris came together and produced the falcon-headed god Horus, but Seth envied his brother Osiris and murdered him, scattering his body over the world. Horus avenged his father by leading a mighty army against Seth. Victorious, he became the ruler of the entire world and was known as Horus the Great God and Lord of the Sky.

Isis wandered over the land collecting each piece of Osiris with the help of her sister Nepthys. They managed to retrieve all of the pieces of the body, except one. Osiris was mummified and buried in a secret location that only Isis knew about. Finally able to enter the afterlife, Osiris' spirit passed into Amenti to rule over the dead. Though defeated, Seth was not destroyed and so Osiris still sleeps in his grave, waiting for the day when his son will finally slay his uncle and free his father.

The major gods of the Egyptian pantheon :

Amun

Amun was one of the most powerful gods in Egyptian mythology. At one time, he was seen as king of all gods. Due to the aged appearance of the ram headed man, the Egyptians came to believe that this had been his original form.

Anubis

Anubis is the god of the dead and of mummification. In art, he was usually depicted as a man with the head of a jackal.

Horus

Horus is the god of the sky and is depicted as a falcon-headed man. He is the son of Osiris and Isis.

Isis

Isis, a mortal endowed with godly power, is the goddess of magic and protector of the needy. Isis was the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus.

Osiris

Osiris has differerent appearances, one of them shows him as the god of the underworld. He is husband of Isis and father of Horus.

Ra, the sun god, was believed to be swallowed up by the sky goddess Nut every evening and re-born the next morning. He is often pictured as a hawk-headed man wearing a sun-disk encircled by a uraeus as a headdress.

Seth

Seth, the god of chaos, was one of the most famous gods. He murdered his brother Osiris out of jealousy, trapping him in the underworld.

Sobek

Sobek was god of the Nile. One of the representations used for Sobek was that of a man with the head of a crocodile. He was a sort of bodyguard to various gods and he gave the pharaoh strength and fortitude in times of need.