The Ancient Scribe

Posted By The Ancient Scribe on April 2, 2010

Egyptian history and mythology has always fascinated us, and the Gods of the Egyptians occupy a great place in Egyptian history. Man has always feared the forces of nature and dreaded their wrath. The Egyptians, however, always worshipped the forces of nature as beautiful forces, helping them to lead a better life. In fact, Egyptian beliefs had given human forms to their Gods. Another very beautiful way through which the Egyptians had described their Gods is through their art.

Ra: The Sun God is also known as Ra. It was believed that he traveled past the heavens in boats known as the ‘Barque of Millions of Years‘. The Egyptians believed that Ra died at the end of each day and sailed back in his boat through the underworld. Ra’s boat used to travel through 12 doors, indicating 12 hours at night. Ra’s prime enemy was a snake known as the Apep, with whom Ra had to fight throughout the daytime. The sun disk that Ra used to wear had a cobra wrapped around it, and Ra’s power was kept in his secret name. Isis tricked Ra and found out his secret, and henceforth, she also has the same powers. Ra is considered to be the most powerful among the Gods.

Osiris: Osiris is another powerful God who had a beard, and wore white wrappings like a mummy. His white crown of Upper Egypt had red feathers, and his green skin represents vegetation. His flail and crook represents the symbols of ultimate power. Osiris is also known as the ‘God of the dead’. Osiris was tricked to death by Seth, the god of violence, and due to the attempts of Isis, Osiris’s wife, to save him, he had numerous shrines throughout Egypt.

Horus: The son of Osiris and Isis. Horus appears as a hawk, and he looks similar to Ra. Horus’s crown is made of two parts. The white portion represents Upper Egypt and the red portion represents Lower Egypt. This indicates that Horus ruled the entire Egypt at one point of time. The pharaohs represented the power of Horus during their tenure, and after death they went to be with Osiris. The Eye of Horus was considered a symbol of wisdom and foresight and often displayed in Egyptian culture.

Isis: The mother of Horus and Osiris’s wife is best known as the Queen of the Goddesses. Her son, Horus, was the enemy of Seth. In many Egyptian depictions, we can see Isis with a baby on her lap, where she sits on a throne wearing a crown or a sundisk which has horns too.

Related posts:

1. Osiris and Isis: The Legend That Journeyed Through Time (Part I)
2. Osiris and Isis The Legend that Journeyed through Time (Part II)
3. Ancient Egyptian History: The Treasures of Time
4. Greek Gods: Their Beliefs and Rituals
5. Greek Mythology: The Role of Rituals and Beliefs (Part I)

Category: Ancient History
Tags: egyptian, mythology