Egyptian Creation Myths A Heliopolitan Tradition example essay topic

OUTLINE Thesis statement: In this research, I will investigate the basic concepts of the Egyptian mythology and its gods. I. Mythology. Definition. History II. Egyptian Creation Myths A. Heliopolitan Tradition. Hermopolitan Ogdoad. Memphite Theology.

Worshipping A. Beliefs. Rituals C. Temples IV. Gods and Goddesses A. Good. Evil C. Responsibilities V. Conclusion EGYPTIAN GODS AND GODDESSES Egypt is one of the oldest and most complex civilizations of the world. Their religion and beliefs are fascinating and have been a mystery for centuries.

Even today, there are some things that we still do not understand. In this research, I will investigate the basic concepts of Egyptian mythology and its gods. Mythology is defined as a collection of interrelated stories of a given culture. Myths are intended to explain and describe the mysteries of nature and give understanding about the world that surrounds us. Each culture has their own mythology that reflects their values and beliefs.

Myths were also generated to tell the story of the first people to inhabit the earth. The Egyptian mythology elevated these people to the level of Gods and Goddesses by giving them supernatural and special powers. These myths of creation were passed from one generation to the next, either orally or by hieroglyphs painted in sacred temples, pyramids, and sanctuaries. Ancient Egyptians tried to understand their place in the universe.

This is why their mythology is centered on nature such as the earth, sky, moon, sun, stars, and the Nile River. There are many Egyptian myths of creation, but the Heliopolitan Tradition, Hermopolitan Ogdoad, and the Memphite Theology are the most commonly used. They all have some common elements and gods. For example, many of the myths agree that in the beginning there was only Nu. Nu is the description of what the planet was before land appeared. It was described as a vast area of swirling watery chaos.

The Heliopolitan Tradition Cosmic Creation Myth is the most popular of the three myths. It began in Heliopolis, the City of the Sun. This city is located in the ruins of Y unu in northeast Cairo. In this myth, Atum was the one and only creator of the universe. He is also known as Kh epri, the Great Scarab Beetle, Ra-Harakhte, the Winged-Solar Disk, Ra, the Midday Sun, Aten, the Solar-Disk, Horus on the Horizon, or the Great He-She. According to the myth, as the water receded, the land appeared.

This myth stated that as the water of the Nu receded, the first god to appear was Atum. By being the first to arise out of the water, it is believed that he is responsible for the fertile land that springs up when the waters of the Nile recede. Since Atum was alone, he chose to mate with his shadow. This is why he was called, among other names, the "Great He-She". Atum gave birth to two children. First, he spitted out his son Shu.

Then he vomited Tefnut. Shu represented the air and the principles of life, while Tefnut represented rain and the principles of order. The three remained in the watery chaos of Nu. After some time, Atum was separated from his children and after a long period of separation, they finally reunited. Atum cried tears of joy; as theses tears hit the ground, men grew from them. Shu and tefnut later gave birth to Geb and Nut.

Geb was the God of the Earth in which the throne of the pharaoh would be decided. Nut was the Goddess of the sky, the separation between Earth and Nu. Geb and Nut then gave birth to Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. These nine gods formed the Heliopolitan Ennead, which means company of nine, also called the "Divine Ennead". In later texts, these nine gods and goddesses were often regarded as a single divine entity. In the Cosmic Creation Myth, the explanation for the sunrise and the sunset is that the sun god Atum travels along Nut during the day and then is swallowed by Nut at night.

It is believed that at dawn what you see is Nut giving birth to Atum as the sky opens up to the light. The second cosmological tradition of Egypt was developed at Hermopolis, the Capital of Fifteenth Nome of Upper Egypt. It was apparently developed during a time of reaction against the religious hegemony of Heliopolis. According to the tradition of the Hermopolis, chaos existed at the beginning of time, before the world was created. The chaos possessed four characteristics identified with eight deities who were grouped in pairs: Nun and Naunet, Heh and Hehet, Kek and Keket, and Amun and Amunet. Nun and Naunet were the god and goddess of the primordial waters, while Heh and Hehet were the god and goddess of the endless space.

Kek and Keket represented the darkness and Amun and Amunet were the god and goddess of everything that was hidden (invisibility). These deities were not so much of gods on earth; they merely represented the state of the world before creation. These eight gods and goddesses formed what is called the Hermopolitan Ogdoad, which means company of eight. The myth tells us that out of the chaos arose the primeval mound at Hermopolis.

On the mound was deposited and egg from which emerged the Great Sun-God (Atum). Then the Sun-God proceeded to organize the world. (The Hermopolitan idea of chaos was of something more active than the chaos of the Heliopolitan system.) The third cosmological system (the Memphite Theology was developed at Memphis, when it became the capital city of the kings of Egypt. Ptah, the principal god of Memphis had to be shown to be the Great Creation God, and a new legend about creation was developed. Nevertheless, and attempt was made to organize the new cosmogony so that there were no problems with the priests of Heliopolis and Hermopolis. In this myth Ptah was the Creator God, bur eight other gods were held contained within him.

On these eight, some were members of the Heliopolitan Ennead, and others of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad. For example, Atum held a special position in this myth. Nun and Naunet were also included. Another god mentioned in this myth was Tathenen, a Memphite god personifying the earth emerging from chaos. There were four other gods whose names remain uncertain. Many agree that they were probably Horus, Thoth, Nefertum, and a serpent-god.

Atum represented the active faculties of Ptah by which the creation of Earth was achieved. These faculties were mainly intelligence, which was identified with the heart and personified as Horus, and will, which was identified with the tongue and personified as Thoth. Ptah conceived the world intellectually before creating it. The whole Memphite Theology is preserved on a slab of basalt now exhibited in the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery. This theology was composed at an early date and was written on stone during the Twenty-fifth Dynasty by the order of King Shabaka. Unfortunately, this stone, which was called the "Shabaka Stone", was used as a nether millstone and much of the text that was written on it has been lost.

The original document known as the Bremner-Rhin d Papyrus includes, among other religious texts, two monologues of the Sun-God describing how he created all things. Religion was very important to Egyptians. As you may have noticed, their religion was based on polytheism, or the worship of many deities. The only time that this changed was during the reign of Akhenaton, who promoted monotheism (the worship of only one god). After his reign ended, Egyptians went back to worship many deities. They had as many as 2,000 gods and goddesses.

Some were worshipped throughout the entire country, while others had only a local following. Egyptians worshipped these gods with animal sacrifices, incense, and many processions where people carried the image of the god from one place to another. People believed that all of Egypt belonged to the gods, and that the pharaoh was the representative on earth of the gods, or maybe a kind of god himself. Therefore, everything in Egypt belonged to the Pharaoh.

The Egyptians also believed in magic. They wore amulets to ward off evil and magical texts were written in the tombs to protect them from robbers. Magical spell, rituals and concoctions were used to treat illness and injuries. Many spells against snake bites have been discovered. If magic did not work, it was considered a will of the gods, not a failure of the magic.

Temples were considered dwelling places for the gods. They were everywhere. Each city had a temple built for the god of that city. The purpose of the temples was to be a cosmic center by which men communicated with the gods. To Egyptians, life was merely a preparation for the after-life.

They believed that the soul was made up of three parts; the Ba, Ka and Akh. Each part was necessary to each other, meaning that if one of them died, they all died. That was why they mummified the important people (to keep all of the soul's three parts alive). The Ba was described as a human headed bird. It represented the personality, character, or individuality of the deceased.

This part of the soul, lives inside the tomb, but was allowed to leave the tomb and come back at will. It could visit the world of the living, where it could take on any form. The Ka was a double of the person. Sometimes, it was represented as a human figure with raised arms, or just a pair of raised arms.

The Ka was created at the time that the person was conceived. "It was an exact physical and emotional replica of and individual, that was imprisoned within the living heart, and was only expelled by death". (Mercatante, 1978) The Ka had to stay close to the body at all times and could never leave the tomb. It could not live unless the body was preserved.

If the body was not preserved properly the Ka could live inside a picture of the body that was depicted on the wall of the tomb. The Ka was dependent on the objects and offering that were left in the tomb because it could not survive without nourishment. Some of the things the Ka required were: food, drink and clothing. It was up to the friends and family of the deceased to leave regular offerings at the tomb. Dried fish and fowl were some of the foods left by relative to nourish the Ka. The third part of the soul was the Akh; this represented the immortality.

The after-life of the Egyptians was a tiring and complicated place. They believed that the deceased would have to pass through a very dangerous place that contained monsters, boiling lakes, fire, and poisonous snakes. These obstacles could be passed with magical spells, which were often left in or near the coffin. The Book of the Dead, the Coffin Texts, and the Pyramid Texts were some writings that contained the spells to overcome all the difficulties in the way to the after-life. If they overcame these perils, they would reach the gates of Yaru (the after-life), where their greatest test awaited.

In the Hall of Two Truths, the weighing of the heart took place. The heart, which was the only organ not removed during mummification, weighed as much as your bad actions; meaning that the more bad actions you committed in life, the more your heart would weigh. The heart was placed on one side of a balance. On the other side, the Feather of Truth was placed. The three great gods: Osiris, Anubis and Thoth decide the result of the weighing. If the heart weighed less than the feather, the deceased was allowed to pass through the gates of Yaru and into the after-life, but if the heart weighed more than the feather, the heart was consumed by the devourer to be gone forever.

In conclusion, Ancient Egypt has a very complex religion and beliefs that would be considered bizarre in many parts of the world. They believed in many gods, some took part in the creation of the universe. Others brought the flood every year, offered protection and took care of people after they died. The ancient Egyptians thought that it was important to recognize and worship the gods because they represented the peace and harmony across the land.

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