Ancient Egypt: Mythology and Monsters

Who was the first family of Egyptian myth?

(1490 - 1468 BCE). The Ennead: Shu and Tefnut (the first divine couple) who produced the twins Geb (the earth god) and his sister-consort Nut (the sky and heavens).

What is the Greek and Roman source for the story of Isis-Osiris?

Concerning Isis and Osiris by Plutarch (c. 40-120 CE). He retold the Isis story, giving Greek names to the Egyptian gods, with Horus as Apollo and Seth Typhon.

What was the sun's nightly journey through the underworld like?

During the night the sun god's boat, or barque, was attacked by Apep (or Apophis), the serpent of chaos, sometimes depicted as a crocidile. Seth is often shown as the one who spears Apep, the lord of darkness, when he attacks the barque each night in its travels through the Duat.

What are the "nomes?"

Early in its history, Egypt had been divided into forty-two separate admniistrative districts called nomes, and each had its own diety. Every town or village had a temple, often devoted to a localized god, so there were ultimately thousands of deities.

As well as being the mother of other gods, what role did Nut play in the passage of the sun?

Every day, the sun god made his journey from dawn to dusk in a boat across the underside of Nut's arched body. At the end of the day, Nut swallowed the sun god and his boat (a symbolic daily death) which then travelled the length of her body (equivalent to the underworld, known as Duat). Each morning she gave birth and the sun god emerged from her womb; the redness of the sky at dawn was explained as the bloody afterbirth that accompanied the sun god's birth each day.

What was the relationship between Nephthys and Seth?

First married to Seth, she deserted him for her older brother, Osiris. Seemingly barren with Seth, she conceived a child who became the jackal-headed god Anubis.

What was the worship of Re like?

For centuries, his worship was based in Heliopolis, but gradually he was worshipped throughout Egypt. Ine one story, man was said to be formed from his tears. Gradually, he was fused with other Egyptian solar gods - one way to explain this was to identify him with the sun at different times of day: Re-Horus as the morning sun and Re-Atum as the evening sun.

Who was Isis?

Geb and Nut's second child, the twin sister and wife of Osiris. A healer goddess who could cure illness.

Who was the first king of Egypt, mythologically speaking?

Geb, and this established the divine connection between the king and the gods.

Who is Hapy

God of the Nile floods, he lives in a cave near the cataract and it is his job to keep the land along the river fertile. Although a male god, he is often depicted with large breats and a protruding stomach, all symbols of fertility. His annual feast days were especially important, and one ancient text describes the sacrifice of more than one thousand goats to him.

When Nut was forced into the sky by Shu, what became of Geb?

He (the earth god) was forced to lie down and become the earth: thus, he was the cause of earthquakes - his laughter, or wailing for his sister-bride.

What happened to Horus after he defeated Seth and became the king of Egypt?

He became the king and guide of dead souls, and ultimately the protector of pharaohs, who took on as one of their titles the name "The Living Horus" - when a pharaoh died, he was thought to become Osiris.

In the Heliopolis creation myth, what did Atum do after he emerged from the water and stood on benben (the mound)?

He began to create other gods. His first act is to masturbate, and through this gives birth to the twins Shu and Tefnut, but later he is said to "swallow his seed" and "sneeze" and "spit up" these twins. Since Shu is the god of the air and Tefnut the lion-headed goddess of moisure, there is now sun, water, and atmosphere - the creation continues with the nine dieties known as the Great Ennead.

What did Seth do when he found that Osiris was entombed?

He found the box, and in a rage cut Osiris' remains into fourteen pieces, scattering the parts all over Egypt. The destraugh Isis searched for all the pieces with the assistance of her mother, Nut, and Anubis.

What did Seth do after killing Osiris?

He had become pharaoh of Egypt.

Who is the god Osiris?

He is the god of fertility, and is in a cosmic, life-and-death struggle with his brother Seth.

What happened when Osiris came back to life?

He was alive only briefly, long enough to make love to Isis one last time, then die again; the result was Horus, the falcon-headed sky god. Osiris was returned to his tomb, which Isis guarded.

What was Seth's role in the sun-god ritual?

He was charged with protecting and defending the sun god during his nightly journey through the underworld.

What was Re's significance?

He was the supreme diety, originating from Heliopolis (City of the Sun). The chief sun god - his name may have meant "creator," and he was both the ruler of the world and first divine Pharaoh. His name was first recorded during Second Dynasty, and by the Fourth, kings were using "Son of Re" as an honnorific. Over time pyramids were linked to him, and by Fifth Dynasty he was essentially the state god, seen as the ultimate giver of life and moving force.

Who was Osiris?

He was widely worshipped in popular religion as a god of fertility, death, and resurrection. Originally a god of vegetation, he was credited with brining plants and seasons to the earth, teaching humans to farm, and creating civilization. He abolished cannabilism, taught men tools, and showed them how to make wine and bread.

What did Isis teach mankind?

How to grind flour, spin, and weave, and she introduced marriage.

Who is Imhotep (God/Man)?

Imhoptep was a real man, whose existence is proved by archaeology and written accounts. Only later did he become legend. He was a multitalented priest and chief advisor to King Djoser. Also the architect of the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, the first colossal stone building in history. Although his tomb has not been located, a limestone bust of him was found in Djoser's funerary complex. A high priest in Heliopolis, Imhotep was eventually deified and regarded as the son of Ptah, the ancient creator god. He was also viewed as the patron god of physicians, and even today modern medicine honors him as the first physician known by name.

What did Atum-Re do at teh Battle of Kadesh?

In 1286 BCE, when Ramses II defeated a Hittite army, legend has it that he comforted the pharaoh when the battle was going against the Egyptians and promised "Your father is with you! My powerful hand will slay a hundred thousand men!" Ramses was saved by the miraculous arrival of reinforcements - after the battle he took the daughter of the Hittite leader as one of his seven wives, cementing a peace between the ancient rivals.

What was the Egyptian creation myth that came from Hermopolis?

In ancient Egyptian, Khemnu means "Eight Town," and the myth that developed here held that four couples of frog-headed gods and snake-headed goddesses - technically referred to as the Ogdoad, or Group of Eight - were created by Thoth as different aspects of the universe.

What is the benben mound?

In the Heliopolis creation myth, the pyramid-shaped elevation on which Atum stood. In a temple in Heliopolis was a rock - possibly a meteorite - which was venerated as the benben stone and was believed to be solidified semen of Atum. This stone is considered to be the inspiration for both the pyramids and the obelisk.

How does Isis' story begin in some versions of the myth?

In the womb, where she first makes love to Osiris.

What happened to the 14 pieces of Osiris after Seth cut him up in the version of the myth with the missing phallus?

Isis found almost all of them except the phallus, which had been swallowed by three kinds of (taboo to some Egyptians) fish. Ine one version of the myth, she buried the 13 parts where she found them, and each became the site of a major Osiris temple - many temples staked a claim to being such a site.

What happened to the 14 parts of Osiris in the version where Isis didn't bury the parts?

Isis once again resurrected him, but without his phallus (eaten by three kinds of fish) he was unable to reproduce. He went to the other gods to discredit Seth. Infertile, he was made lord of the dead, given to rule over the land that existed over the western horizon?

What is the legend of Isis and Re's secret names?

Isis tricked the aging Re into confiding his secret names to her. Using magic to create a snake that bit him, she healed him only after he revealed them: with this knowledge she acquired unmatched skills in magic and healing.

What was Isis' cult like?

Isis' cult survived for thousands of years and was passed on to other civilizations like Greece and Rome. She was known as the Great Mother, devoted wife and a powerful source of magic. When the Christianized Roman Emperor Theodosius I officially banned Isis worship in 378 CE her temples were destroyed, often replaced with Christian churches.

What other parallels are there to Isis and Osiris?

It shares some features with Inanna and Dumuzi, and was adopted by Greeks and Romans - the deity who promised salvation, featured in the "mystery religons" that flourished just before the rise of Christianity. Osiris is the god who dies so he can live again...

What god was honored in Hermopolis, a prosperous city in central Egypt?

It was built in honor of Thoth, god of wisdom and transmitter of knowledge. The Egyptians name of this city was Khemnu.

What makes the creation story of Heliopolis so important?

It's the dominant myth in Egyptian religion and history, prominent in the Pyramid Texts.

What is the human creation myth involving Khnum?

Khnum made humans by molding people on a potter's wheel, providing the first real link between gods and humans in Egyptian myths. Khnum at the potter's wheel became a popular motif in Egyptian art.

How many different gods are mentioned in the Pyramid Texts?

More than two hundred!

Was Ptah Egypt's supreme god?

No, and at a later time he merged with other gods to become a god of the dead (the Greek's later equated Ptah with their blacksmith god, Hephaestus).

Who were the four god-couples in the Hermopolis creation myth?

Nun and his consort Naunet personifying the nameless waters; Heh and Hauhet symbolizing either infinity or the force of the Nile floodwaters; kek and Kauket embodying darkness; Amun and Amaunet, the incarnation of hidden power, associated with the wind and air.

Who is Neith?

One of the most ancient dieties whose existence is known in the prehistoric and early dynastic periods, she is a mother goddess worshipped in the nile delta. According to Egyptian trdition, Neith invented childbirth and brought gods, animals, and humans into existence. Because she is so ancient, she acquired other attributes over time and was also considered a warrior goddess. In one story, she spat into the water and her spit turned into Apep, the dragonlike serpent of the underworld who tries to devour Re each night as he passes through the Duat.

What was Seth's relationship with his brother like?

Profound jealousy, relating in blood fued. Seth resented his brother's success and great statue (there is a suggestion that this might be a symbolic account of the political rivalry between the two regions of Egypt). As a desert god of the "Red Land," Seth was viewed as the force of chaos that threatened vegetation, and their conflict is a central piece of one of the most significant myths in world history.

What did Isis do when she Osiris vanished?

SHe was inconsolable, and her stream of tears caused the flooding of the Nile. She searched, with Anubis. Hearing about the tamarisk tree, she retrieved the box and hid it in the swampy Nile Delta.

How did Osiris die?

Seth invited Osiris to a banquet with 72 of Seth's accomplices. At the banquit there was a beautifully carved wooden chest. Seth offered it to whoever could fit inside it. All the guests tried and were unable. Osiris climbed in and fit perfectly. Seth's helpers nailed the lid shut, sealed with with molten lead and dropped it into the river. It was carried to sea, where it came to rest under a tamarisk tree in Byblos, the Phoenician port city (Lebanon). The tree grew around the box, with Osiris's dead body sealed inside. When the king cut the tree down it emitted a delicious fragrance and was soon famed throughout the world.

Who is the god Seth?

Seth is identified with the desert, and by that token represents chaos and its dangers. He is in a cosmic, life-and-death struggle with his brother Osiris.

Why did Osiris die?

Seth was jealous of Osiris' power and success, and plotted to kill him. In some versions his jealousy was compounded when Osiris slept with Nephthys, their sister who was also his wife. In anger, Seth cursed their child who became the jackal-headed Anubis.

How did Horus continue the battle with Seth after Osiris had become lord of the underworld and he had attained manhood?

Seth was still king, but Horus vowed to avenge his father. In one version Isis disgused herself and convinced Seth that Horus deserved to be king. In other versions there were a lengthy series of battles in which Horus castrated and killed Seth - but not before Seth tore out one of Horus' eyes. Judged the victor, Horus was given the throne of Egypt and Seth ascended into the heavens to be the god of storms.

What is the significance of the dung-beetle?

The Egyptians saw metaphors of life and death everywhere, especially in the animal world. The scarab - or dung beetle - lays its eggs in a ball of dung that it rolls to its burrow; the eggs incubate in the warmth of the sun. This is why scarabs are such a motif - life in death.

What did Isis create, and how?

The Nile river, with the tears she wept at the death of Osiris.

Who is Bast (or Bastet)

The daughter of the sun god Re, she is the popular, catlike goddess of love, sexuality, and childbirth. At her cult city, Bubastis in the Nile Delta, thousands of cats, which were prized by Egyptians and thought to be lucky, were mummfied in her honor.

What was Osiris the judge of?

The dead!

Who was Nephthys?

The fourth child of Geb and Nut. A funerary goddess who protects the dead and is often shown on coffin jars that held the vital organs of the deceased. In funerary customs, two women would impersonate Isis and Nephthys to lament over the mummy of the deceased on the funeral boat that carried the deceased to the western side of the nile where it would be buried.

Who was Atum-Re?

The fusing of Atum and Re into a single, more national god, king of the gods, creator of the univers, father of the Pharaohs, and lord of the battlefield.

Who is Anubis?

The god of embalming and cemetaries, he is the jackal-headed son of Osiris and his sister, Nephthys. The connection between the jackal and death probably came from people seeing the desert canines who scavenged in the shallow graves of early cemetaries. Adopted by Isis, Anubis becomes her devoted servant and plays a role in the Isis-Osiris story, wrapping the dead Osiris in bandages and making him the first mummy. After Osiris becomes lord of the underworld, ANubis joins him and presides over the crucial ceremony of weighing the heart. Those who pass this crucial test are then taken by Anubis to be judged in person by Osiris. Anubis became the patron of embalmers, and priests who supervised the preparation of the mummy wore a jackal-headed Anubis mask.

Who is Ammut?

The goddess known as the "eater (devourer) of the dead" stands by teh scales when the hearts of the dead are weighed at the entrance to the underworld. If the dead person has led a wicked life and is not fit to survive into the next world, Ammut eats the heart. There are, however, no accounts of anyone failing that test. Terrifying to behond, Ammut incorporates three of the most feared animals of ancient Egypt, with the head of a crocodile, the body of a lion, and the hindlegs of a hippopotamus.

What image connects Isis and the Virgin Mary?

The image of Isis suckling the infant Horus, one of the most familiar themes in Egyptian art. The traditional blue dress of the Virgin Mary, the title Stella Maris (Star of the Sea), the reference to Mother of God, and the symbol of the crescent moon associated with Mary were all borrowed from the Roman cult of Isis.

Who is Sekhmet?

The lion-headed wife of the early creator god Ptah, she is a war goddess whose name means "powerful," and she could breathe fire against her enemies. Many Egyptian kings adopted her as a patroness in battle. In another of her roles, Sekhment is the goddess who delivers punishments to the other gods.

Who was Atum linked with, in later times?

The other major Egyptian sun god, Re or Ra, as Re-Atum.

Who was Seth (or Set)?

The third child of Geb and Nut, the brother and enemy of Osiris. A storm god who may have originated as a desert deity, he was sometimes regarded as the incarnation of evil, and the force of disturbances and discord in the world. An ill-tempered god, he personified rage, anger, and violence.

Describe perhaps the oldest version of the Egyptian creation myth - the one from Memphis, the capital.

The world was created by a very old creator god called Ptah, temples to whom were built all over Egypt. Most scholars believe that the Greeks translated the Egyptian word Hewet-ka-Ptah, which literally means "Temple to the Spirit of Ptah" as Aeguptos... which because the word we now use as Egypt.

How were Geb (earth) and Nut (sky) the twins separated?

There are two versions - in one, they were locked together in an embrace at birth and Atum told Shu to separate them. In the second account Geb and Nut married, but Atum wasn't informed/didn't approve and ordered their father to push Nut away from Geb into the sky - which he did, with her hands and feet resting on the four points of the compass.

What was the (dominant) creation story associated with Heliopolis, the City of the Sun?

There was a great infinite ocean, described as a primeval being callled Nu or Nun. At the beginning of time, Atum, "lord of the Heliopolis," father and ruler of all gods, emerged from these waters. He stood on a raised mound - a symbolic representation of the land receding from Nile floodwaters. This the sun and water were merged in this one god.

What is the Great Ennead?

This is the greek word for nine (ennea): Atum, his children Shu and Tefnut, their children Geb and Nut, and their children Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys, who brought all other life into being.

What was the role of Nut's eating of the sun/giving birth in their overall religion/way of thinking?

This myth was the focal point of all Egyptian believe: the daily birth and death was the eternal cycle of life and death, the sun as life-giver was tied to the flooding of the nile, and carried over into the idea that humans could live, die, and be reborn.

What role did the primeval ocean of chaos that existed before the first gods came into being play in the Egyptian creation myths?

This ocean - that existed before the first gods came into being, contained all of the potential for life, awaiting only the emergence of a creator.

How did Osiris come back to life, and what happened?

When Isis opened the box in which Osiris' body was hidden, she turned into a bird (either a sparrow or a hawk) and the flapping of her wings forced the breath back into Osiris' lifeless body.

What are the details of the Hermopolis creation myth?

While the specific details of how this Creation actually takes place are obscure, Thoth was credited with having commanded it, and somehow the eight gods he produced were then responsible for the creation fo the sun. In a variant, a lotus blossom arose from teh waters, and from this flower the young sun god emerged, bringing light and life into the cosmos.

How is Nut (sky and heaven) usually depicted?

With her hands and feet stradling the earth (the four points of the compass) and her back arched to form the heavens, covered with starlike speckles: the stars were later explained as the spirits of the dead who had gone to join the god in the heavens. Nut's laughter became thunder, and her tears rain.

Who is Bes?

A popular household god, he is an ugly but friendly dwarf god who frightens away evil spirits, and his name may have meant "to protect." He was likely a god who developed later in Egyptian history and has similarities with about ten other gods. But as Bes, he is one of the most widely worshipped gods, whose image was often found in households on headrests and beds as well as on mirrors and cosmetic items. Because of his benevolent nature, Bes is often depicted with Taweret. Roman soldiers apparently carried his likeness on amulets when they went into battle.

Who is Hathor?

A powerful, complex goddes, she is one of the most significant, the protectress of lovers and women, especially in childbirth. Often shown in human form, Hathor is also depicted as a cow-headed goddess. At times, she was closely connected with Re and said to be both his wife and daughter. Hathor suckled the young Horus and came to his aid when Seth put out his eyes. In other traditions she marries Horus, and her milk becomes the food of the gods. In the underworld, Hathor also greets the souls of the dead and offers them food and drink. As men aspire to "become" Osiris in the afterlife, women typically wished to be associated with Hathor.

What similarities do all Egyptian creation stories share?

A belief that the sun or more precisely, a sun god - was at the center of the creation, which emerged from a primeval watery chaos called Nun, an endless, formless deep that existed at the beginning of time and was the source of the Nile.

Who is Taweret ("the great female one")?

A goddess of childbirth who protected women during this time - she had many fearsome animal attributes and is portrayed with the head of a hippopotamus, a lion's limbs, the tail of a crocodille, a swollen human belly, and breasts - her appearance is thought to keep away evil spirits.

Who is Mehet-Weret (or Mehturt)?

An ancient cow-goddess and sky goddess, whose name means "great flood," she is also identified with the celestial river or canal on which Re sails his boat. In early traditions, Mehet-Weret is seen as the mother of Re, usually depicted as a cow, or half cow, half human, with a sun disk between her horns. She is also later linked with Hathor, another central cow-goddess.

Who is Serqet?

An ancient scorpion goddess, she is the companion of Isis, and is one of the four funerary dieties (the others were Isis, Nephthys, and Neith) who protect and guard the coffins and canopic jars that contain the embalmed, mummified organs of the deceased. There is a famous gilded wooden statue of Serqet, wearing the scorpion with a raised tail on her head, discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun in which she guards one side of the king's shrine. Serqet was also invoked through spells that were meant to protect and heal poinsonous bites.

Who is the god Khnum?

An ancient, ram-headed creator god who originated in Elephantine, an island in the Nile just above the first cataract at Aswan. He controlled the Nile's floodwaters, and was a great fertility god.

Who is Wepwawet?

Another funerary god with a dog's body and the head of a jackal, his name means "the opener of ways." A very old diety, represented on the Narmer Palette, he guides the dead person's soul through the underworld and assists in the weighing of the heart.

How was Ptah given credit for the miraculous defeat of an Assyrian army in a minor myth?

By instructing an army of rats to gnaw through the attackers' bowstrings and the leather on their shields, forcing them to retreat.

How was Ptah manifested?

By the sacred Apis bull in Memphis, the most important of all the sacred animals in Egypt. As a creator diety, Egyptian kings were crowned in his temple.

How is Geb usually depicted?

As the earth god, responsible for the fertility of the lands, he is often depicted with his phallus stretching up towards his sister. Some accounts say the obelisk may have been designed as a symbol of this - pointing upward to impregnate Nut.

How is Nut usually depicted?

As the sky goddess, Nut was trditionally shown as covered with starlike speckles - stars were later explained in the Egyptian religion as spirits of the dead who had gone to join the gods in heaven. Her laughter was thunder, her tears rain.

How many Egyptian myths of creation are there?

At least four, some with overlapping details, each connected to a prominent Egyptian city, each emerging at a different time in Egypt's history.

What was the cycle of the sun-god Re like?

Born in the morning from the sky god Nut, at midday a boat floating on the blue sea of heaven. Often envisioned as a scarab beetle pushing a ball of dung across the sand.

Who is Thoth (or Djehuty)?

Originally a moon god, he is best known as the divine scribe who records the weighing of souls when they arrive in the hall of justice to determine their fate after death. Thoth is usually depicted with the head of an ibis, because the curved beak fo that bird was thought to resemble the crescent moon (he is also sometimes depicted as a baboon). In The Book of the Dead, Spell 30B invokes Thoth in his role in the weighing ceremony. As inventor of writing and patron of scribes, he records the Ennead's "divine words" and documents the passing of kings. He is worshipped as a patron of learning and the master of inventions.

Who was the gatekeeper of the land of the dead?

Osiris - as lord of the dead, he gave permission to enter the underground kingdom. This was the beginning of elaborate rituals that formed the essence of Egyptian religon - the burial rites that ensured immortality. Osiris was Egypts's most popular diety.

What was the life of Osiris like?

Osiris succeeded his father Nut as the ruler of Egypt. With Isis at his side he civilized Egypt and went to do the same for the world, leaving Isis to rule in his stead. When he returned, all was well - Isis had ruled wisely in his stead.

Who were the four most important children of Geb and Nut (before they were separated)?

Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys.

Who was the first pharaoh, mythologically speaking?

Osiris, he instituted both religion and the legal system.

How did Isis prepare Osiris for his journey to become lord of the land of the dead?

She invented embalming and mummification, which was carried out by her loyal assistant, the jackal-headed Anubis. The preservation of the body of the dead person was essential for survival after death.

Who is the goddess Maat?

She is the daughter of Re, and personifies the concept of maat.

How did Ptah create the world?

Simply by thought and word alone - "through his heart and through his tongue" according to ancient, priestly writings. Simply by speaking a string of names, Ptah produced all of Egypt, the other gods, including the sun god Atum, the cities and temples.

What happened to the eight gods after the creation in the Hermopolis creation myth?

Six of the gods receded from view, and only Amun and Amaunet joined the other gods of Egypt and continued to play an active role in Egyptian life.