Ancient mythology of Egypt: features, gods, myths

Ancient Egypt, despite 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 in the vast sands. The past and present of this state are intertwined with threads of historical events and amazing stories. Ancient Egyptian myths are a truly valuable gift that helps modern historians to unravel 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 surrounding world is 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, which are enclosed in the numerous symbols hiding behind ordinary events. It is almost impossible to understand them through the cold mind. For this it is necessary 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, above all, urged a person not to resist the events, not to go against what is now commonly called fate, because everything done in spite of 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 tales of 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, therefore their main heroes were always numerous gods. Some Egyptians revered and loved, and others were afraid or frankly afraid. At the same time, the population of Ancient Egypt was considered to be close to the divine beginning, for, according to all the same myths, the gods lived among people in ancient times, and their direct descendants became kings and cared for their people.

Gods-evildoers and gods-assistants

About what and about whom the mythology of ancient Egypt narrated? Gods are the main characters of such works in many other civilizations. And the Ancient Egyptian is no exception. As stated above, the Egyptians divided all the gods into good and evil. If the first could be "negotiated" with the help of offerings, the latter did not know mercy and could moderate their anger only after they were sacrificed in the form of human lives. It's time to remember all the higher beings that the ancient Egyptian mythology ever mentioned.

The Supreme Gods in Egypt were a few, it depended primarily on the areas of this state. Everywhere Egyptians revered and respected the sun god Ra, and the pharaohs were considered his children. In Thebes (Upper Egypt), they 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, the main god was recognized Geb, the god of the earth, and in Memphis - Ptah. 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 luminary itself, but also the stages of its existence on earth: the morning and evening sun. In addition, as a separate divine beginning, the god of the solar disk Aton was perceived.

In addition to the above described creatures, the myths about the ancient gods of Egypt mentioned other, equally important and influential entities. Positive roles at the same time belonged to Amat (the goddess of retribution for sin), Apis (the patron of fertility and strength), as well as the Mountain (the god of dawn or the rising sun). In addition, often with a positive side in the myths mentioned Anubis, Isis, Osiris and Ptah. The cruel, and therefore unloved, higher entities in Egypt were the following: Sebek - the god of lakes and rivers, which could only be propitiated by sacrifice to him, Seth - the lord of the winds and deserts, Sekhmet - the goddess of war, cruel and merciless to all people.

Particularly interesting are the ancient Egyptian myths about the creation of people, heaven and earth, that is, the world. In different centers of Egypt the main role was assigned to a single deity, while others were either assistants to him, or resisted and plotted. There was only one point of contact between these cosmogonistic directions: the Nun deity, symbolizing the Primordial Chaos.

Myths about the Creation According to the Heliopolis

The population of the Egyptian city of Heliopolis and its environs believed that the creation of the world, or rather, of everything on earth, was due to Atum. In their opinion, it was this god who was the very first creature that arose in the depths of the Nun - a vast, cold and dark substance. Not finding a solid place from which he could try to create light and warmth, Atum created Ben-Ben, a hill rising in the midst of a cold, lifeless ocean.

After some thought about what else to do, God decided to create Shu (the god of the wind), which could set the surface of the ocean, and Tefnut (the goddess of world order), who was called upon to see to it that Shu did not destroy What will be created next. Nun, seeing such a miracle, gave Shu and Tefnut one soul for two. Since there was no light in this new world, the first gods were suddenly lost. Atum sent in search of his Eye, which soon led his children to the progenitor. From the joy Atum shed tears, they dripped onto the earth's firmament 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 firmament Nutus gave birth to Osiris, Seth and Horus, Isis and Nephthys. All the divine family, according to this myth, is the Great Nine gods of Egypt. But this is by no means the only version of the order of the appearance of higher beings, and hence their primacy. The ancient mythology of Egypt contains a few more stories on this subject.

The Creation of the World: Memphis Cosmogony

According to the version of the creation created in the scrolls that were found in Memphis, the first god that appeared in the depths of Nun was Ptah, which is an earthly firmament. By force of will, he pulled himself out of the earth and found a body. Ptah decided to create for himself faithful assistants from the same material from which he emerged, that is, from the earth. The first to come was Atum, who at the behest of his father recreated from the darkness of Noon the Great Nine gods of Egypt. Ptahu 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, the Theban suggests the presence of the three supreme beings: Mina - the god of fertility, Amona - the sun god, and the god of war Montu. The Creator of the whole world was Min. Somewhat later Ming and Amon were already represented as a single deity, symbolizing the sun, which gives light, warmth and rich harvests.

Hermopolskaya cosmogony about the origin of the world

The most numerous pantheon of the ancient Egyptian "original" gods existed in the mythological version of the creation of the world found in Hermopolis. In the abyss of the Great Chaos (Nun) there were forces destined for destruction, consisting of three pairs of deities: the Nisa and Niaut, symbolizing the emptiness, Tenem and Tenimuth, denoting the disappearance in the darkness, and Gerekh and Gerekht - the gods of night and darkness. They were opposed by four pairs of deities, endowed with positive forces: Huh and Haukhet (gods of infinity), Nun and Naunet (gods of water), Cook and Kauket (the gods of darkness), Amon and Amaunet (invisible gods). This is the so-called Great Eight. Swimming for a long time in the waters of the ocean, they created an egg and placed it on a single place above the water - Fiery Hill. After a while, a young Ra hatched from him, who was given the name Heprey. So the gods became nine, and they were able to create people.

Life after death in the myths of the Egyptians

Not only the creation of the world was dedicated to the myths and legends of Ancient Egypt. The faith that reigned in this country, presupposed the existence of life after death. In Egyptian mythology, the afterlife was a large, full-flowing river, between which the boats sailed. Souls of dead people, according to myths, after the extinction of the body were in such a boat and made a long journey between the world of the living and the dead. Only reaching the opposite shore, the soul of the deceased could calm down. The success of this journey was provided by the gods: Anubis was responsible for the preservation of the body before and after burial, Selket protected the souls of the dead, Sokar guarded the gates of the afterlife, Uprata accompanied souls during a journey along the River of the Dead.

Of great importance was also the preservation of the body of the deceased, for which it was mummified, preserving the internal organs in separate vessels. According to the legends, a person could be reborn in the event that all rituals are held exactly as prescribed by the great wise law.

Fighting good against evil in Egyptian myths

Did not pass around the ancient mythology of Egypt and a topic such as the struggle between good and evil. To date, many stories have been translated into how the Egyptian gods fought against evil gods, who were most often represented as crocodiles and hippos. The main fighter with them was, of course, the sun god, and the main helpers in restoring order were the original gods - Shu, Montu, Nut and others. According to mythology, the battle of Ra with evil takes place every day, and not only in the world of the living, but also in the realm of the dead.