Legends and myths of Ancient Egypt

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

The myths and legends of Ancient Egypt are characterized by unsystematic and incomplete presentation. Many of them were recreated on the basis of later texts. The main sources of information that reflected the Egyptians' view of the world are religious texts, such as prayers and hymns to the gods, descriptions of funeral rites that were found on the walls of the tombs.

The Pyramid Texts left on the walls of the inner rooms of the pyramids of the pharaohs of the fifth and sixth dynasties are recognized as the most significant; "Texts of the sarcophagi", "Book of the Dead", compiled over a huge period of time (from the New Kingdom to the very end of the history of Egypt).

The myths of Ancient Egypt began to appear as early as 6-4 millennium BC. e. In those days there was no class society at all. In each area of people's lives, their own cult of gods developed, which were embodied in stones, birds, heavenly bodies, trees. The myths of ancient Egypt allow scientists to understand and study the religious ideas about the world of the people of thattime. Thanks to them, one can trace the history of the origin and development of Christianity.

Archaeological data indicate that the myth of the cosmic gods, who were credited with the creation of the world, arose shortly before the very unification of Egypt. According to this version, the Sun was the result of the union of Heaven and Earth.

The myths of Ancient Egypt are almost impossible to briefly retell, they are so interesting and diverse. Another version of the creation of the world arose in several cult centers almost simultaneously. These were the cities of Hermopolis, Memphis, Heliopolis. Each proclaimed his god, who was the father of all other gods that existed in the world. Common to all was the idea that the world arose as a result of the chaos of water immersed in darkness. The way out of this chaos was accompanied by unprecedented light. Thus the sun was born. The idea of ancient people about the water element is closely connected with their daily life.

The myths of Ancient Egypt say that a small hill first appeared from the expanse of water, and then the whole earth gradually opened up. In the same way, the Great Nile flooded every year, plunging the entire nearby territory into its waters. After a while, the water left, leaving people with fertile soil.

The myths of Ancient Egypt do not represent a single story. Often the same events are described in different ways. Gods and heroes appear in different guises. A remarkable fact is that much attention has been paid to the creation of the world, while the creationperson is described very briefly. Based on the available information, it can be concluded that the Egyptians believed that man owes his appearance to the gods. In gratitude, he should bow to them and please them in every possible way.

One of the most important was the God of the Sun - Ra. He had other names: Atum, Khepri. According to the myths, he created himself from chaos. After the emergence of Ra, he created the first piece of land - the Ben-ben hill - and proceeded to create other gods. Thus, the earth and the many gods ruling on it appeared.