Myths and legends of Ancient Egypt. Egyptian myths: heroes and their description

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Egyptian myths played an important role in the life of the population of the country of the pyramids. The population of the country sincerely believed that their fate depended on the heroes of legends. Egyptian mythology originates long before the advent of advanced civilization. The first mention of legends and gods dates back to a period of 5 thousand years BC.

Egyptian myths have features that distinguish them from the myths of other nations. First of all, this is the cult of the dead and the other world, as well as the deification of animals. Over time, the mythology of Egypt changed depending on the desires of the ruling dynasty. The pharaoh worshiped the deity who was the patron of his family.

Exploring Egyptian Mythology

Studying Egyptian mythology is hampered by the fact that sources that can help in highlighting this issue are characterized by incomplete data and unsystematic presentation. Periodically, new documents and artifacts are discovered, and the texts of the legends are reconstructed on their basis. Basically, ancient Egyptian myths are studied from the records on the walls of tombs and temples, from hymns and prayers.

The most significant monuments reflecting the views of the ancient Egyptians:

• "Pyramid Texts" - letters carvedon the walls inside the pyramids. They contain royal funeral rituals. The letters date back to the 26th-23rd centuries BC and refer to the 5th and 6th dynasties of the pharaohs.
• "Texts of sarcophagi" - writings on sarcophagi. They date back to the XXI-XVIII centuries BC.
• "The Book of the Dead" is a collection of prayers and religious texts placed in the coffin of every Egyptian. It dates from the 16th century BC after the end of Egyptian history.

Egypt, mythology, gods are mysterious concepts that many scientists are studying.

Gods of Ancient Egypt

Amon is a god especially revered in the city of Thebes. In ancient images, he is represented in the form of a man. His head is crowned with two long feathers. You can find his image with the head of a ram, a sacred animal. In the 18th century, he became the supreme god. Amun patronized the royal power and helped win victories in wars.

Anubis - the god of the underworld in the III millennium BC. e. Then they began to revere him as the lord of the dead. He was depicted as a man with the head of a black jackal. Anubis was especially worshiped in the city of Kinopol.

Apis is a sacred animal, a bull. It was believed that he is the earthly personification of the god of fertility. The bull was kept all his life at the temple in the city of Memphis, and after his death he was buried there.

Aten is a god whose cult appeared during the reign of Akhenaten. He appeared in the form of the sun. It was believed that he personifies the spirit of the deceased pharaoh, Akhenaten's father.

Atum is a god especially revered in the cityHeliopolis. He personified the eternal unity of all things. It was believed that he is the creator of the world. During the reign of the 5th dynasty, he began to symbolize the sun god.

Ba is a deity personifying human feelings and emotions. It was of a changeable nature. The man in dougho mythology is associated with this deity. The character of Ba could change depending on the state of the physical body of a person. After his death, it remained near the heart of the deceased, and then fell into a lethargic sleep. This deity can be compared to the modern concept of "soul".

Geb is the patron god of the earth. It was also believed to protect the dead. The myths about the Egyptian gods say that he is the father of Set, Osiris, Nephthys and Isis. In the drawings, he was depicted as an old man with a beard.

Ka symbolizes the image of a person. This is a kind of spirit that accompanies him during life and death. It was believed that it penetrates into everything connected with a person, into all objects and beings. Mythology portrayed him as raised arms, bent at the elbows.

Ming is a god especially revered in the city of Koptos. He patronized cattle breeding and provided a rich harvest. Ming also helped the caravans along the way.

Montu is a god depicted with the head of a falcon. He was especially revered in the cities of Thebes and Hermont. Montu contributed to the pharaoh's victories in wars.

Osiris is the god and ruler of the underworld. The center of his cult was in the city of Abydos.

Ptah is the god who gave names to all things and created the rest of the gods. Especially revered in the city of Memphis.

Ra is the supreme god of the sun. He was believed to be the father of allpharaohs. His cult was in the city of Heliopolis.

Sebek is the god-owner of the waters and the source of fertility. He was depicted with the head of a crocodile. He was especially revered in the Fayum oasis.

Set is the patron god of the storm and the desert, the protector of the god Ra. He was also believed to be the personification of evil.

Thoth is the god of the moon and wisdom. In the drawings, he was depicted with the head of an ibis. It was believed that he invented writing and the calendar. He was especially revered in the city of Germopol.

Hapi is a god depicted as a full man with a vessel in his hands from which water flows. He personified the flood of the Nile.

Khnum is the guardian god of the Nile. It was also believed that he created mankind from clay. He was depicted with a ram's head. He was especially revered in the city of Esne.

Khonsu is a god depicted with the head of a falcon or as a man with a moon sickle on his head. He was revered as a healer.

Khor is the god of roy alty. It was believed that the ruling pharaoh was his earthly incarnation.

Shu is the god of air. He was also revered as the patron saint of the midday sun. He was the brother and husband of the goddess Tefnut.

Yah is the patron god of the moon. He was especially revered in the city of Germopol.

Goddesses of Ancient Egypt

Isis is the goddess and wife of Osiris. She represented the ideal of femininity. Isis patronized motherhood and children. Her cult was widespread outside of Egypt.

The Goddess of Ancient Egypt is represented by Bastet - the patroness of fun and love. She was depicted with the head of a cat. Bastet was especially revered incity of Bubastis.

Maat is a goddess symbolizing truth and justice. She was depicted with a feather stuck in her long hair.

Mut is the goddess and queen of the sky. She was depicted with two crowns and a vulture on her head. Mut, like some other goddesses of Ancient Egypt, patronized motherhood. She was worshiped by the pharaohs, because it was believed that she gives the right to rule Egypt.

Nate is the goddess who created the world. In the city of Sans, she was also believed to help in war and hunting.

Nefthys, or Nebetkhet, is the goddess of death. It was believed that she is the author of many mournful hymns and prayers. Despite this, she was also revered as the goddess of sexuality. In the drawings, she is depicted as a woman with an unusual structure on her head, consisting of a house, which is crowned with a building basket. This symbol is included in the hieroglyphs of Ancient Egypt.

Nekhbet is a goddess who helps with childbirth. She was depicted as a woman with a white crown and a kite on her head. You can find drawings in which she is presented in the guise of a kite. Nekhbet was especially revered in the city of Nekhen, the capital of Upper Egypt.

Nut or Nu is the goddess of the sky. She gave birth to Isis, Nephthys, Osiris and Set. In the drawings you can find two images of her: a heavenly cow and a woman touching the ground with the tips of her hands and feet.

Sohmet is the goddess and wife of Ptah. She was considered an assistant in wars and personified the heat of the sun. Her cult was in the city of Memphis.

Tawrt is a goddess who helps with childbirth and personifies female fertility. In the drawings, she was depicted as a female hippo standing on her hind legs. Herimages could be found on amulets, because she helped drive away evil spirits.

Tefnut is the patron goddess of heat and moisture. She was painted with the head of a lioness. Her cult was in the city of Tefnut.

Wajit is a goddess portrayed as a cobra. She was revered in the city of Pe-Dep. Wajit was the personification of the power of the pharaoh.

Hathor is the goddess of music and love. In the drawings, she appears with the horns of a cow on her head. Her cult was in the city of Dendera.

Myths of Ancient Egypt

The mythology of Egypt began to take shape in the VI-IV millennium BC. e. In different regions of the country, their own pantheon of gods developed and a cult of their deity was created. The earthly stay of the gods was embodied in animals, plants, heavenly bodies, natural phenomena.

Egyptian myths say that the world was a bottomless expanse of water that bore the name of Nun. Deities emerged from chaos and created heaven and earth, plants and animals, people. The sun was the god Ra, who emerged from the lotus flower. If he was angry, then heat and drought set in on the earth. People believed that the first gods became pharaohs.

But the Egyptian creation myth is not a single story. The same events can be described in different ways, and deities can be presented in different guises.

Creation myth

There were three main religious centers in Egypt - Memphis, Heliopolis and Hermopolis. Each of them had its own version of the origin of the world.

In Heliopolis, the sun god was especially revered. Egyptian Creation Myth for Localspriests was built on his cult. They believed that the god Atum appeared from the expanse of water and, by the power of his will, made a sacred stone grow out of the waters, whose name is Benben. Having ascended to its peak, the god Atum gave birth to the god of air Shu and the goddess of moisture Tefnut, who then gave birth to the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut. These deities are the basis of creation. Then Osiris, Set, Isis and Nephthys were born from the union of Nut and Geb. The four gods became the personification of the barren desert and the fertile Nile valley.

In Hermopolis it was believed that the eight gods - ogloada - became the founders of the world. It included four female and four male deities. Naunet and Nun symbolized water, Haunet and Hu - space, Kaunet and Kuk - darkness, Amaunet and Amon - air. Eight deities became the parents of the sun god, who gave light to the world.

The legend of Memphis is similar to Hermopolis, but with one difference - the god Ptah appeared before the god of the sun. The latter was created by the heart and tongue of Ptah.

Osiris in the mythology of Ancient Egypt

The heroes of Egyptian myths were mostly gods, the most famous of them being Osiris. He patronized agriculture and winemaking.

According to the legends, he was the ruler of Egypt. During his reign, the country prospered. Osiris had a younger brother, Seth, who wanted to take over. He planned to accomplish this through murder.

Isis, sister and wife of Osiris, has been looking for her husband's body for a long time. She then gives birth to a son whom she names Horus. Having matured, he defeats Seth andrevives Osiris. But the latter does not want to live among people, he becomes the ruler of the underworld.

It was believed that if the funeral ritual for a deceased person was observed in accordance with all the rules, then he would be able to gain eternal life, like Osiris.

The Nile in the mythology of Ancient Egypt

Egyptian mythology cannot exist without legends about the Nile River, which played a big role in the emergence of ancient civilization.

It was believed that this sacred reservoir connected the world of people, Heaven and the underworld. The river flowing through the earth personified the god Hapi. When the latter was in a good mood, he led the river from its banks and saturated the soil with moisture, which made it possible to grow vegetables.

Various spirits lived in the Nile, which appeared to people in the form of animals: frogs, scorpions, crocodiles, snakes.

Myths about God Ra

Many Egyptian myths tell about the god Ra. Some of them say that people arose from the tears of this god. His eyes were a powerful symbol in the art of Egypt. You can find their images on sarcophagi, clothes, amulets. The eyes of the god Ra lived separately from his body. The right eye was able to scatter opponents, and the left eye was able to heal from diseases.

The myths about the Egyptian gods tell incredible stories in which the eye of Osiris is a separate character or object.

For example, in one legend, Ra created a universe not like our world, and settled gods and people there. Some time later, the inhabitants of the universedecided to arrange a conspiracy about him. But Ra found out about this and decided to punish the culprits. Gathering all the gods, he said to them: “O gods! I created people from my eye, and they are plotting evil against me!” After these words, Ra threw his eye to the people, which took the form of the goddess Hathor-Sekhmet. She de alt with people, but this moment is not interesting, but how Ra could throw his eye.

In another myth, Ra gives his eye to the goddess Basti to help her fight the evil serpent. There is a legend in which the eye of Ra is identified with the goddess Tefnut. She was offended by God and went into the desert alone. There are hundreds of such myths in which the eye of Ra is a separate object, which seems wonderful to modern man.

Legends and myths about Egyptian pyramids

The question of how the pyramids of Ancient Egypt were built still torments researchers and historians. Various versions were put forward, but no one knows how things really were.

There are many myths about the appearance of the pyramids and their purpose. One legend says that the pyramids were built to store treasure. But if this is so, then modern man will no longer be able to confirm its truth. After all, treasures could have been stolen in antiquity.

To build such structures is difficult even with the help of modern technology. How did the ancient Egyptians do it? The pyramids are built from processed blocks stacked neatly on top of each other. Their sides are oriented by the stars. Therefore, even versions are being put forward about the alien origin of the pyramids.

Alsothere are myths that the Atlanteans built the pyramids before the Great Flood in order to preserve knowledge about their civilization. But no one has been able to prove it yet.

It is quite clear that in those days people could not create such structures. This mystery will be tried to unravel for a long time. It is not known if this can be done.

Hieroglyphs and mythology

The hieroglyphs of Ancient Egypt are strongly connected with religion and mythology. People addressed the deities in a special language. Which is reflected in the first hieroglyphs. They looked like creatures and objects.

According to legend, the god Thoth depicted the foundations of the universe and knowledge in the form of hieroglyphs. This is considered the origin of Egyptian writing.

Priests painted figures of animals and plants to depict divine truths. In their understanding, the knowledge that God gave should be expressed in a simple way. For example, the concept of time can be characterized as something hasty, uniting the beginning with the end. It teaches discretion, creates events, and eventually destroys them. The hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt depicted this concept as a winged snake holding its tail in its mouth - one image to represent complex knowledge.