Before the pharaohs were god-leaders in ancient Egypt, there was a belief system consisting of countless gods and goddesses. The most important figure of this belief system, which we call Egyptian mythology today, is the sun god RA. In some stories, RA is even described as the only god. Let’s take a closer look at RA, the Egyptian sun god, and listen to the stories told about him.
Before the Egyptians believed in monotheistic religions, there was a god-leader understanding, that is, the pharaohs were seen as gods. Even before that, Ancient Egypt had an extensive belief system of numerous gods and goddesses. The belief system we call Egyptian mythology today. The most important figure is the sun god RA. We are sure that many of our readers who love to solve puzzles met RA after the phrase ‘the two-letter sun god of Ancient Egypt’.
It is not just that he is the sun god that makes RA an important figure in Egyptian mythology, but according to many stories, RA is actually the only god with the creative power of all things. The life-giving nature of the sun has a great influence on these stories. Even if the religious structure changed, RA maintained its importance for many years and found believers in it. Come through the stories told Who is RA, the sun god of Egypt Let’s examine all the details.
Who is RA, the sun god of ancient Egypt?
RA, also referred to as RE, is the sun god of Ancient Egypt. The belief system we call Egyptian mythology today. He is one of the oldest and most important gods. The morning sun is associated with Ra-Horakhty, the noon sun with Amun, and the evening sun with Atum.
RA is not only the name of the god, but also means sun in the Ancient Egyptian language. From this perspective, RA is the embodiment of the power of the sun. and moreover, it is the sun itself. Let’s think like this; A god comes out of the underworld, travels all over the sky, giving life to the earth, and then descends back to the underworld.
Early description of RA and its origin story:
We encounter RA for the first time in the sarcophagi in the pyramids found in the Saqqara region and dated to 2400 – 2300 BC. In this narrative RA collects the souls of kings and takes him to the Reed Field paradise. Known as the city of the sun god, Iunu was the center of the RA belief system. He not only carried the kings to the afterlife, but also provided divine order and balance.
When we look at the creation myths, RA stood on a large mound and first created himself and then other gods. He created the god Atum, who created the gods, and Heka, the god of magic. It is extremely important that the creator of magic is RA, because for the Ancient Egyptians, magic was the power that made everything possible. The association of the sun with magic is also interesting in this respect. RA was also associated with the sky god Horus and was worshiped as Ra-Horakhty. Because RA is the creator god, he is also called Amun – Ra.
The hawk-headed male with the sun disc, one of the most frequently seen depictions of RA, is actually Ra-Horakhty. There is also the version of Ra-Khepri, in which he is depicted as a scarab under the sun disk. Sun temples for RA were built during the fifth dynasty of ancient Egypt. In later years, RA was also depicted as an apis bull and a Mnevis bull. It has even been seen that since the Mnevis bull is alive, it is directly worshiped.
Roles of the sun god RA in Egyptian mythology:
RA in the heavens
Pyramid texts describe RA living in the sky, but According to a different text called the Heavenly Cow Book in fact, RA was on earth with other gods for many years and ruled over people. Although the text in question is thought to have emerged between 2181 and 2040 BC, the text that has survived to this day is dated to between 1570 and 1069 BC.
It is said that RA, who ruled the world, was now old and He was tired of people’s ingratitude. That’s why he invoked the goddess Hathor, known as the Eye of RA. Hathor symbolizes transformation and wreaks havoc with RA’s permission. Hathor was released and began to exterminate humans. RA never stopped him. Hathor transformed into savage Sekhmet.
RA eventually ordered 7,000 pitchers of beer to be dyed red to resemble blood, and had them poured over the plains of Dendera. Sekhmet drank it and became Hathor again. After these events, RA asked the goddess Nut to meet him in heaven. Nut turned into a cow and took RA on his back and carried it to the sky. RA meanwhile created the Field of Reeds and commissioned the people to establish their own order.
RA in the world
RA created the world and life and gave the reign to Osiris and Isis. Seasons, sunshine and fertile soil are RA’s marks on the earth. RA is also under the protection of Thoth, the god of writing, and his daughter Seshat. He also sent scriptures to people. These are kept in temples built in the name of RA.
RA underground
RA hovers in the sky all day and at night transforms itself into the Ark of Million Souls. He went underground with the dead. His greatest assistant is Osiris, the judge of the dead. RA also decides where the dead go. The snake Apophis attacks RA every night. If the sun has risen, know that RA has defeated Apophis.
According to the Book of the Dead, every soul is judged before Osiris. RA invisibly monitors each trial. In different depictions Ma’at, one of RA’s daughters seen when participating in these proceedings. Although it seems that Osiris makes the decisions, in fact, as Ra-Osiris, all decisions come from RA.
Creative RA
When we look at the creation stories of ancient Egypt, we come across RA, Atum, Ptah and the goddess Neith. So actually RA is not the only creator god. However, in the following years, no matter what name a god or goddess was called, it was believed to be RA. Accordingly, different names of gods and goddesses only symbolize the attributes of RA.
According to the best-known creation story, RA created himself and stood on a mound. cut off his penis and before the shed blood he created the authority Hu and the mind Sia. He then created Shu, the god of air, and Shu mated with his own shadow, giving birth to Tefnut, the god of moisture. When Tefnus disappeared, the Eye of RA pursued him and found him and brought him to RA. RA’s tears of happiness revealed the woman and the man.
Now that the resulting humans had no place to live, Shu and Tefnut mated. they created the earth Geb and the sky Nut. Then Geb and Nut; He created Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, and Horus. Each created god was given a task. Thus, both the world order and the relations between humans and gods were produced.
King and king’s father RA
In the later period, RA was seen not as a king but as the father of kings on earth, namely the pharaohs. Pharaoh Userkaf erected the first temple for RA. During the reign of Akhenaten, 1353-1336 BC, all gods except RA were banned. During the reign of Tutankhamun, who lived from 1336 to 1327 BC, another reform was made and the other gods came back. This belief lasted until the Roman period between 30 BC and 646 BC, and then, with the rise of Christianity, the worship of RA and other gods disappeared.
One of the most important figures of Egyptian mythology who is the sun god RA We talked about the stories told about him by answering the question. You can share your thoughts about RA and Egyptian mythology in the comments.
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