Ancient Egypt, in spite of everything, remains one of the most mysterious civilizations. It is still called the “gift of the Nile” and is considered the birthplace of the pyramids and the Sphinx, which fixed its gaze into the boundless sands. The past and present of this state are intertwined together by the threads of historical events and amazing stories. Ancient Egyptian myths are a truly valuable gift that helps modern historians solve many secrets of the past of this country. It is in them that the meaning of the existence of the ancient Egyptians and their interaction with the outside world are laid.
Features of Egyptian mythology
Even without being a historian, any person realizes that the mythology of any ancient civilization is based on the worldview of a particular people. The ancient mythology of Egypt has amazing features that are contained in the numerous symbols hiding behind ordinary events. To understand them through the cold mind is almost impossible. To do this, you need to philosophically look at what is hidden behind a string of words. What is the main feature of these ancient legends and legends? Ancient Egyptian mythology, first of all, urged a person not to resist the events taking place, not to go against what is now called fate, for everything done contrary to the "wise order" will turn against humanity.
Heroes of myths of ancient Egypt
The first myths in Egypt were written, or rather, told, even before the construction of the famous pyramids. They contained legends about the creation of all life on earth. In addition, the ancient mythology of Egypt contained stories about the struggle of the gods for power. Unlike many eastern peoples, the Egyptians did not like to include ordinary people in myths, so their main characters have always been numerous gods. The Egyptians revered and loved some, while others were afraid or frankly afraid. At the same time, the population of Ancient Egypt was considered close to the divine principle, because, according to all the same myths, the gods lived among people in ancient times, and their direct descendants became kings and took care of their people.
Evil gods and helper gods
What was the mythology of ancient Egypt about and about? Gods are the main characters of such works in many other civilizations. And ancient Egyptian is no exception. As mentioned above, the Egyptians divided all the gods into good and evil. If the former could be “negotiated” with the help of offerings, the latter did not know mercy and could only moderate their anger after they had been offered huge sacrifices in the form of human lives. It's time to remember all the higher beings that ancient Egyptian mythology ever mentioned.
There were several Supreme Gods in Egypt, it depended primarily on the regions of this state. Everywhere the Egyptians revered and respected the sun god Ra, and the pharaohs were considered his children. In Thebes (Upper Egypt), he was considered Amon-Ra, the god of wind and sun, while in Lower Egypt Atum, the god of the setting sun, prevailed. In Heliopolis, located in Lower Egypt, Geb, the god of the earth, was recognized as the main deity, and Ptah in Memphis. Here is such a variety. It is worth noting that in ancient Egyptian mythology, the sun god was not alone. In those days, the Egyptians extolled not only the light itself, but also the stages of its existence on earth: the morning and evening sun. In addition, the god of the solar disk Aton was perceived as a separate divine principle.
In addition to the creatures described above, myths about the ancient gods of Egypt mentioned other, equally important and influential entities. In this case, Amat (the goddess of retribution for transgressions), Apis (the patron of fertility and strength), and Horus (the god of dawn or the rising sun) belonged to this. In addition, Anubis, Isis, Osiris and Ptah were often mentioned on the positive side in myths. The following were considered cruel and, therefore, unloved higher beings in Egypt: Sebek - the god of lakes and rivers, who could be propitiated only by making great sacrifices to him, Seth - the lord of the winds and deserts, Sekhmet - the goddess of war, cruel and merciless to all people.
Especially interesting are the ancient Egyptian myths about the creation of people, heaven and earth, that is, the world. In various centers of Egypt, the main role was assigned to one deity, while others were either his assistants or resisted and plotted. There was only one point of contact between these cosmogonic directions - the deity Nun, symbolizing the Primordial Chaos.
Creation myths according to Heliopolis
The population of the Egyptian city of Heliopolis and its environs believed that the creation of the world, or rather, all that exists on earth, took place thanks to Atum. In their opinion, this particular god was the very first creature that arose in the depths of the Nuns - a vast, cold, and dark substance. Not finding a solid place from which he could try to create light and heat, Atum created Ben-Ben - a hill towering in the middle of the cold, lifeless ocean.
After some thought about what else to do, God decided to create Shu (the god of the wind), which could set in motion the surface of the ocean, and Tefnut (the goddess of world order), which was called to ensure that Shu did not destroy what will be created further. Nun, seeing such a miracle, endowed Shu and Tefnut with one soul for two. Since there was no light in this new world, the first gods were suddenly lost. Atum sent his Eye in search of them, which soon led his children to their ancestor. With joy, Atum shed tears, they dripped onto the earth's earth and turned into people.
Shu and Tefnut meanwhile gave birth to Hebe and Nut, who soon began to live as husband and wife. Soon the goddess of the sky, Nut, gave birth to Osiris, Seth and Horus, Isis and Nephthys. The entire divine family, according to this myth, constitutes the Great Nine of the gods of Egypt. But this is far from the only version of the order in which higher beings appear, and, therefore, their supremacy. The ancient mythology of Egypt contains several more stories on this subject.
Creation: Memphis Cosmogony
According to the version of the creation of the world set forth in the scrolls that were found in Memphis, the first god that arose in the depths of Nun was Ptah, which is the earth's firmament. By force of will, he plucked himself out of the earth and gained body. Ptah decided to create for himself faithful helpers from the same material from which he arose, that is, from the earth. Atum was the first to be born, who, by the will of his father, recreated the Great Nine gods of Egypt from the darkness of Nun. Ptah could only endow them with wisdom and power.
Thebes version of the origin of the world
In Thebes, the history of the origin of the world is somewhat different from those that were followed in other areas of Ancient Egypt. The first and most significant difference is the number of gods: if in other versions it was the Great Nine, Thebans suggests three supreme beings: Mina - the god of fertility, Amon - the god of the sun, and the god of war Montu. Min was considered the creator of the whole world. A little later, Ming and Amon were already presented as a single deity, symbolizing the sun, which gives light, warmth and rich harvests.
Hermopolian cosmogony on the origin of the world
The largest pantheon of ancient Egyptian “original” gods existed in the mythological version of the creation of the world, found in Germopol. In the abyss of Great Chaos (Nuna) reigned forces aimed at destruction, consisting of three pairs of deities: Nisa and Niaut, symbolizing emptiness, Tenema and Tenemuit, indicating disappearance in the darkness, as well as Gerekh and Gerekht - the gods of night and darkness. They were opposed by four pairs of deities endowed with positive forces: Huh and Hauhet (gods of infinity), Nun and Naunet (gods of water), Cook and Kauket (gods of darkness), Amon and Amaunet (invisible gods). This is the so-called G8. Swimming for a long time in the waters of the ocean, they created an egg and placed it in the only place above the water - Fiery Hill. After some time, a young Ra hatched from him, who was given the name Khepri. So the gods became nine, and they were able to do the creation of people.
Life after death in the myths of the Egyptians
Myths and legends of Ancient Egypt were devoted not only to the creation of the world. Faith reigned in this country, assumed the existence of life after death. In Egyptian mythology, the afterlife was a large full-flowing river, between the banks of which scurried boats. According to myths, the souls of dead people, after the extinction of the body, ended up in such a boat and made a long journey between the world of the living and the dead. Just reaching the opposite shore, the soul of the deceased could calm down. The success of this journey was ensured by the gods: Anubis was responsible for the safety of the body before and after the burial, Selket guarded the souls of the dead, Sokar guarded the gates of the underworld, Upuat accompanied the souls while traveling along the River of the Dead.
Of great importance was also the preservation of the body of the deceased, for which he was mummified, preserving the internal organs in separate vessels. According to legend, a person could be reborn if all the rituals were performed exactly as prescribed by the great wise law.
The fight between good and evil in Egyptian myths
Ancient mythology of Egypt did not go around such a topic as the struggle between good and evil. To date, many stories have been translated about how the gods of Egypt fought with evil divine creatures, which most often appeared in the form of crocodiles and hippos. The main fighter with them was, of course, the god of the Sun, and the main assistants in restoring order were the original gods - Shu, Montu, Nut and others. According to mythology, the battles of Ra with evil take place every day, and not only in the world of the living, but also in the kingdom of the dead.