Difference between revisions of "Ra" - New World Encyclopedia

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'''Ra''' (Arabic: رع‎)(sometimes '''Rê''' based on the attested Coptic name and reconstructed as *Rīʕu (ree-uh-uh) also Phra and later as [[Amon-Ra]], meaning literally "sun") was a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion. Identified primarily with the mid-day Sun the chief cult centre of Ra was based in [[Heliopolis]] meaning "City of the Sun". In later Egyptian dynastic times, Ra was subsumed into the god [[Horus]], as '''Re-Horakhty''' (and many variant spellings). He commanded [[sky]], [[earth]], [[underworld]]. He was associated with the [[falcon]].
+
'''Ra''' (Arabic: رع‎)(sometimes '''Rê''' based on the attested Coptic name and reconstructed as *Rīʕu (ree-uh-uh), meaning "sun")<ref>Ra is most commonly pronounced 'rah'. It is more likely, however, that it should be pronounced as 'ray', hence the alternative spelling Re rather than Ra. It is not known for sure what Ra's name means, but it is thought it may be a variant of or linked to 'creative', if not an original word for 'sun'.</ref> was a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion. This kingly deity was primarily identified with the mid-day, though he was also thought to commanded [[sky]], [[earth]], and the [[underworld]].  
  
According to [[E. A. Wallis Budge]] he was the One god of Egyptian Monotheism, of which all other gods and goddesses were aspects, manifestations, phases, or forms of the god.<ref>(Budge ''Egyptian Religion'' p. 29)</ref>Ra itself, however, was also a monotheistic God. A ''Hymn to Ra'' (approx. [[1370 B.C.E.]]E) was written to stress the [[pantheism|pantheistic]] nature of Ra to combat encroaching polytheism. In it, several gods and goddesses are described, not as beings in their own right, but certain forms of Ra. For example:
+
In surviving mythic accounts, Ra often replaces Atum as the father, grandfather and great-grandfather of the gods of the [[Ennead]], and as the creator of the world. Likewise, humanity was supposedly created from Ra's tears or sweat, leading to the Egyptians calling themselves the "Cattle of Ra".  
  
:"Praise be unto thee, O Ra, thou exalted Power, who dost enter into the habitations of [[Amenti|Ament]], behold [thy] body is [[Temu]]."
+
In later dynastic times, the cult of Ra was incorporated into various other worship structures, leading to various hybrid worship traditions (including the cults of [[Amun-Re]], [[Atum-Re]], and ''Re-Horakhty'' (which represents his affiliation with [[Horus]]).  
:"Praise be unto thee, O Ra, thou exalted Power, who dost enter into the hidden palace of [[Anubis]], behold [thy] body is [[Khepera]]." <ref>(Budge ''Egyptian Religion'' p. 127)</ref>
 
  
 
<div style="float:right;width:150px;padding:2em;text-align:center;font-size:80%;">
 
<div style="float:right;width:150px;padding:2em;text-align:center;font-size:80%;">
 
<center><hiero>D10</hiero></center>The ''[[Eye of Ra]]'',<br>           
 
<center><hiero>D10</hiero></center>The ''[[Eye of Ra]]'',<br>           
</div> Ra is most commonly pronounced 'rah'. It is more likely, however, that it should be pronounced as 'ray', hence the alternative spelling Re rather than Ra. It is not known for sure what Ra's name means, but it is thought it may be a variant of or linked to 'creative', if not an original word for 'sun'. Ra often replaces Atum as the father, grandfather and great-grandfather of the gods of the [[Ennead]], and creator of the world. Ra created [[Sekhmet]], who becomes [[Hathor]] after she has sufficiently punished mankind as an avenging Eye of Ra, and so is often said to be the father of both and brother to the god, Osiris. Mankind was supposedly created from Ra's tears or sweat, leading to the Egyptians calling themselves the "Cattle of Ra".  
+
</div>  
 +
 
 +
==Ra in an Egyptian Context==
 +
{{main|Egyptian Religion}}
 +
{{seealso|Egyptian Mythology}}
 +
As an Egyptian deity, Ra belonged to a complex religious, mythological and cosmological belief system developed in the [[Nile]] river basin from earliest prehistory to 525 B.C.E..<ref>This particular "cut-off" date has been chosen because it corresponds to the Persian conquest of the kingdom, which marks the end of its existence as a discrete and (relatively) circumscribed cultural sphere. Indeed, as this period also saw an influx of immigrants from Greece, it was also at this point that the Hellenization of Egyptian religion began. While some scholars suggest that even when "these beliefs became remodeled by contact with Greece, in essentials they remained what they had always been" (Erman, 203), it still seems reasonable to address these traditions, as far as is possible, within their own cultural milieu.</ref> Indeed, it was during this relatively late period in Egyptian cultural development, a time when they first felt their beliefs threatened by foreigners, that many of their myths, legends and religious beliefs were first recorded.<ref>The numerous inscriptions, stelae and papyri that resulted from this sudden stress on historical posterity provide much of the evidence used by modern archeologists and Egyptologists to approach the ancient Egyptian tradition (Pinch, 31-32).</ref> The cults within this framework, whose beliefs comprise the myths we have before us, were generally fairly localized phenomena, with different deities having the place of honor in different communities.<ref>These local groupings often contained a particular number of deities and were often constructed around the incontestably primary character of a creator god (Meeks and Meeks-Favard, 34-37).</ref>  Despite this apparently unlimited diversity, however, the gods (unlike those in many other pantheons) were relatively ill-defined. As Frankfort notes, “the Egyptian gods are imperfect as individuals. If we compare two of them … we find, not two personages, but two sets of functions and emblems. … The hymns and prayers addressed to these gods differ only in the epithets and attributes used. There is no hint that the hymns were addressed to individuals differing in character.”<ref>Frankfort, 25-26.</ref> One reason for this was the undeniable fact that the Egyptian gods were seen as utterly [[immanent|immanental]]&mdash;they represented (and were continuous with) particular, discrete elements of the natural world.<ref>Zivie-Coche, 40-41; Frankfort, 23, 28-29.</ref> Thus, those who did develop characters and mythologies were generally quite portable, as they could retain their discrete forms without interfering with the various cults already in practice elsewhere. Also, this flexibility was what permitted the development of multipartite cults (i.e. the cult of [[Amun-Re]], which unified the domains of [[Amun]] and [[Re]]), as the spheres of influence of these various deities were often complimentary.<ref>Frankfort, 20-21.</ref>
 +
 
 +
The worldview engendered by ancient Egyptian religion was uniquely appropriate to (and defined by) the geographical and calendrical realities of its believer’s lives. Unlike the beliefs of the [[Hebrews]], [[Mesopotamians]] and others within their cultural sphere, the Egyptians viewed both history and cosmology as being well ordered, cyclical and dependable. As a result, all changes were interpreted as either inconsequential deviations from the cosmic plan or cyclical transformations required by it.<ref>Assmann, 73-80; Zivie-Coche, 65-67; Breasted argues that one source of this cyclical timeline was the dependable yearly fluctuations of the Nile (8, 22-24).</ref> The major result of this perspective, in terms of the religious imagination, was to reduce the relevance of the present, as the entirety of history (when conceived of cyclically) was ultimately defined during the creation of the cosmos. The only other aporia in such an understanding is death, which seems to present a radical break with continuity. To maintain the integrity of this worldview, an intricate system of practices and beliefs (including the extensive mythic geographies of the afterlife, texts providing moral guidance (for this life and the next) and rituals designed to facilitate the transportation into the afterlife) was developed, whose primary purpose was to emphasize the unending continuation of existence.<ref>Frankfort, 117-124; Zivie-Coche, 154-166.</ref> Given these two cultural foci, it is understandable that the tales recorded within this mythological corpus tend to be either creation accounts or depictions of the world of the dead and of the gods place within it.
 +
 
 +
As Ra represented the sun, one of the key components in the cosmic system of the Ancient Egyptians, it is not surprising that he was consistently understood as one of the most important deities in the pantheon, often fulfilling a rulership role.
  
 
== Symbolism ==                                   
 
== Symbolism ==                                   
 
 
Ra is primarily depicted as a man in artwork, wearing a Pharaoh's crown (a sign of his kingship over the gods) and the sun disk on his head. Often he had a falcon's head, much like Horus. Sometimes, Ra is portrayed differently according to the position of the sun in the sky. At sunrise he was an infant, at noon a man, and at sunset an old man. This constant aging was suggested by the Egyptians as the reason Ra stayed separate from the world and let [[Osiris]] and/or Horus rule in his place. This idea is often coupled with the myth in which [[Isis]] is able to trick an elderly Ra, having ruled on earth as a human Pharaoh, into revealing his secret name, and thus the secret of his power. Ra shared many of his symbols with other solar deities, in particular Horus.
 
Ra is primarily depicted as a man in artwork, wearing a Pharaoh's crown (a sign of his kingship over the gods) and the sun disk on his head. Often he had a falcon's head, much like Horus. Sometimes, Ra is portrayed differently according to the position of the sun in the sky. At sunrise he was an infant, at noon a man, and at sunset an old man. This constant aging was suggested by the Egyptians as the reason Ra stayed separate from the world and let [[Osiris]] and/or Horus rule in his place. This idea is often coupled with the myth in which [[Isis]] is able to trick an elderly Ra, having ruled on earth as a human Pharaoh, into revealing his secret name, and thus the secret of his power. Ra shared many of his symbols with other solar deities, in particular Horus.
  
Line 55: Line 62:
 
;[[Ptah]]
 
;[[Ptah]]
 
:Ra was rarely combined with Ptah, but as per the Memphite creation myth he was often said to be Ptah's first creation, through his divine will, especially when associated with Atum or Amun.
 
:Ra was rarely combined with Ptah, but as per the Memphite creation myth he was often said to be Ptah's first creation, through his divine will, especially when associated with Atum or Amun.
 +
 +
== Ra and Egyptian Monotheism ==
 +
According to [[E. A. Wallis Budge]] he was the One god of Egyptian Monotheism, of which all other gods and goddesses were aspects, manifestations, phases, or forms of the god.<ref>(Budge ''Egyptian Religion'' p. 29)</ref>Ra itself, however, was also a monotheistic God. A ''Hymn to Ra'' (approx. [[1370 B.C.E.]]E) was written to stress the [[pantheism|pantheistic]] nature of Ra to combat encroaching polytheism. In it, several gods and goddesses are described, not as beings in their own right, but certain forms of Ra. For example:
 +
 +
:"Praise be unto thee, O Ra, thou exalted Power, who dost enter into the habitations of [[Amenti|Ament]], behold [thy] body is [[Temu]]."
 +
:"Praise be unto thee, O Ra, thou exalted Power, who dost enter into the hidden palace of [[Anubis]], behold [thy] body is [[Khepera]]." <ref>(Budge ''Egyptian Religion'' p. 127)</ref>
  
 
== Worship ==
 
== Worship ==
Line 67: Line 80:
 
Though worship of Ra was very widespread, his cult center was in Heliopolis, the home of the Ennead that he was thought to be the head of as Atum.  The Holiday of 'The Receiving of Ra' was celebrated on May 26th in the Gregorian calendar.
 
Though worship of Ra was very widespread, his cult center was in Heliopolis, the home of the Ennead that he was thought to be the head of as Atum.  The Holiday of 'The Receiving of Ra' was celebrated on May 26th in the Gregorian calendar.
  
==Notes==
+
==Notes==
 
 
 
<references />
 
<references />
  
==References==  
+
==References==
   
+
* Assmann, Jan. ''In search for God in ancient Egypt''. Translated by David Lorton. Ithica: Cornell University Press, 2001. ISBN 0801487293.
*Budge, E. A. Wallis. ''Egyptian Religion''. Kessinger, 1900. + == Composites == 
+
* Breasted, James Henry. ''Development of religion and thought in ancient Egypt''. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986. ISBN 0812210454.
 +
* Budge, E. A. Wallis (translator). ''The Egyptian Book of the Dead''. 1895. Accessed at [http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/ebod/index.htm  sacred-texts.com].
 +
* Budge, E. A. Wallis (translator). ''The Egyptian Heaven and Hell''. 1905. Accessed at [www.sacred-texts.com/egy/ehh.htm sacred-texts.com].
 +
* Budge, E. A. Wallis. ''Egyptian Religion''. Kessinger, 1900.
 +
* Budge, E. A. Wallis. ''The gods of the Egyptians; or, Studies in Egyptian mythology''. A Study in Two Volumes. New York: Dover Publications, 1969.
 +
* Budge, E. A. Wallis (translator). ''Legends of the Gods: The Egyptian texts''. 1912. Accessed at [http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/leg/index.htm sacred-texts.com].
 +
* Budge, E. A. Wallis (translator). ''The Rosetta Stone''. 1893, 1905. Accessed at [http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/trs/index.htm sacred-texts.com].
 
*Collier, Mark and Manley, Bill. ''How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs: Revised Edition''. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.   
 
*Collier, Mark and Manley, Bill. ''How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs: Revised Edition''. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.   
 +
* Dennis, James Teackle (translator). ''The Burden of Isis''. 1910. Accessed at [http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/boi/index.htm sacred-texts.com].
 +
* Dunand, Françoise and Zivie-Coche, Christiane. ''Gods and men in Egypt: 3000 B.C.E. to 395 C.E.''. Translated from the French by David Lorton. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2004. ISBN 080144165X.
 +
* Erman, Adolf. ''A handbook of Egyptian religion''. Translated by A. S. Griffith. London: Archibald Constable, 1907.
 +
* Frankfort, Henri. ''Ancient Egyptian Religion''. New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1961. ISBN 0061300772.
 +
* Griffith, F. Ll. and Thompson, Herbert (translators). ''The Leyden Papyrus''. 1904. Accessed at [http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/dmp/index.htm sacred-texts.com].
 +
* Meeks, Dimitri and Meeks-Favard, Christine. ''Daily life of the Egyptian gods''. Translated from the French by G.M. Goshgarian. Ithaca, NY : Cornell University Press, 1996. ISBN 0801431158.
 +
* Mercer, Samuel A. B. (translator). ''The Pyramid Texts''. 1952. Accessed online at [www.sacred-texts.com/egy/pyt/index.htm sacred-texts.com].
 +
* Pinch, Geraldine. ''Handbook of Egyptian mythology''. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2002. ISBN 1576072428.
 
*Salaman, Clement, Van Oyen, Dorine, Wharton, William D, and Mahé, Jean-Pierre. ''The Way of Hermes: New Translations of the Corpus Hermeticum and The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius''. Rochester: Inner Traditions, 1999.  
 
*Salaman, Clement, Van Oyen, Dorine, Wharton, William D, and Mahé, Jean-Pierre. ''The Way of Hermes: New Translations of the Corpus Hermeticum and The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius''. Rochester: Inner Traditions, 1999.  
 +
* Shafer, Byron E. (editor). ''Temples of ancient Egypt''. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997. ISBN 0801433991.
 +
* Wilkinson, Richard H. ''The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt''. London: Thames and Hudson, 2003. ISBN 0500051208.
 +
  
  

Revision as of 08:34, 25 June 2007


Ra
in hieroglyphs
r
a
N5
Z1
C2
,
N5
Z1
C2
, or
C2

Ra (Arabic: رع‎)(sometimes based on the attested Coptic name and reconstructed as *Rīʕu (ree-uh-uh), meaning "sun")[1] was a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion. This kingly deity was primarily identified with the mid-day, though he was also thought to commanded sky, earth, and the underworld.

In surviving mythic accounts, Ra often replaces Atum as the father, grandfather and great-grandfather of the gods of the Ennead, and as the creator of the world. Likewise, humanity was supposedly created from Ra's tears or sweat, leading to the Egyptians calling themselves the "Cattle of Ra".

In later dynastic times, the cult of Ra was incorporated into various other worship structures, leading to various hybrid worship traditions (including the cults of Amun-Re, Atum-Re, and Re-Horakhty (which represents his affiliation with Horus).

D10
The Eye of Ra,

Ra in an Egyptian Context

As an Egyptian deity, Ra belonged to a complex religious, mythological and cosmological belief system developed in the Nile river basin from earliest prehistory to 525 B.C.E.[2] Indeed, it was during this relatively late period in Egyptian cultural development, a time when they first felt their beliefs threatened by foreigners, that many of their myths, legends and religious beliefs were first recorded.[3] The cults within this framework, whose beliefs comprise the myths we have before us, were generally fairly localized phenomena, with different deities having the place of honor in different communities.[4] Despite this apparently unlimited diversity, however, the gods (unlike those in many other pantheons) were relatively ill-defined. As Frankfort notes, “the Egyptian gods are imperfect as individuals. If we compare two of them … we find, not two personages, but two sets of functions and emblems. … The hymns and prayers addressed to these gods differ only in the epithets and attributes used. There is no hint that the hymns were addressed to individuals differing in character.”[5] One reason for this was the undeniable fact that the Egyptian gods were seen as utterly immanental—they represented (and were continuous with) particular, discrete elements of the natural world.[6] Thus, those who did develop characters and mythologies were generally quite portable, as they could retain their discrete forms without interfering with the various cults already in practice elsewhere. Also, this flexibility was what permitted the development of multipartite cults (i.e. the cult of Amun-Re, which unified the domains of Amun and Re), as the spheres of influence of these various deities were often complimentary.[7]

The worldview engendered by ancient Egyptian religion was uniquely appropriate to (and defined by) the geographical and calendrical realities of its believer’s lives. Unlike the beliefs of the Hebrews, Mesopotamians and others within their cultural sphere, the Egyptians viewed both history and cosmology as being well ordered, cyclical and dependable. As a result, all changes were interpreted as either inconsequential deviations from the cosmic plan or cyclical transformations required by it.[8] The major result of this perspective, in terms of the religious imagination, was to reduce the relevance of the present, as the entirety of history (when conceived of cyclically) was ultimately defined during the creation of the cosmos. The only other aporia in such an understanding is death, which seems to present a radical break with continuity. To maintain the integrity of this worldview, an intricate system of practices and beliefs (including the extensive mythic geographies of the afterlife, texts providing moral guidance (for this life and the next) and rituals designed to facilitate the transportation into the afterlife) was developed, whose primary purpose was to emphasize the unending continuation of existence.[9] Given these two cultural foci, it is understandable that the tales recorded within this mythological corpus tend to be either creation accounts or depictions of the world of the dead and of the gods place within it.

As Ra represented the sun, one of the key components in the cosmic system of the Ancient Egyptians, it is not surprising that he was consistently understood as one of the most important deities in the pantheon, often fulfilling a rulership role.

Symbolism

Ra is primarily depicted as a man in artwork, wearing a Pharaoh's crown (a sign of his kingship over the gods) and the sun disk on his head. Often he had a falcon's head, much like Horus. Sometimes, Ra is portrayed differently according to the position of the sun in the sky. At sunrise he was an infant, at noon a man, and at sunset an old man. This constant aging was suggested by the Egyptians as the reason Ra stayed separate from the world and let Osiris and/or Horus rule in his place. This idea is often coupled with the myth in which Isis is able to trick an elderly Ra, having ruled on earth as a human Pharaoh, into revealing his secret name, and thus the secret of his power. Ra shared many of his symbols with other solar deities, in particular Horus.

The Benu bird is Ra's ba and a symbol of fire and rebirth; The sun disk, also shown as the hieroglyphic ⊙ ; Ankh, symbolizing the life given by the sun; Obelisk, representative of the rays of the sun and worshiped as a home of a solar god; Pyramids, aligned east/west Falcon; Bull; Uraeus, a cobra commonly seen wrapped around the sun disk. As the sun, Ra was thought to see everything.

Ra and the Sun

For the Egyptians, the sun most basically represented light, warmth and therefore growth. This made Ra hugely important to Egyptians, and it is probably therefore no coincidence that he is also seen as the ruler of all. The sun was either seen as the body or eye of Ra.

The sun was thought to travel in a boat, to protect its fires from the primordial waters (Nun) of the underworld it passed through during the night. Ra traveled in the sunboat with various gods, including Ma'at who guided the boat's course and Set and Mehen who defended against monsters in the underworld. These monsters included Apep, the serpent who tried to stop the sunboat's journey every day by consuming it. So, the Egyptians saw the sunrise as the rebirth of the sun through Nut, the sky, and thus attributed the concept of rebirth and renewal to Ra, strengthening his role as a creator god.

As the cults of various solar deities rose and fell, Ra's role as the most well-known solar god in the Egyptian pantheon constantly changed. Horus, Ra, Aten and Amun-Ra exchanged roles as actually being worshiped as the sun, even though all three retained their solar links. Ra, and sometimes Horus, were broken down into several smaller aspect gods, who presided over the sun at sunrise, noon and sunset.

Composites

As with most widely worshiped Egyptian godforms, Ra's identity was often confused with other gods as different regional religions were merged in an attempt to unite the country.

Amun and Amun-Ra
Amun was a member of the Ogdoad, representing creation energies with Amaunet, and was a very early patron of Thebes. He was believed to create via breath, and thus was identified with the wind rather than the sun. As the cults of Amun and Ra became increasingly popular in Upper and Lower Egypt respectively, they were combined to create Amun-Ra, a solar creator god. It is hard to distinguish exactly when this combination happened, with references being made in pyramid texts to Amun-Ra as early as the V Dynasty. The most common belief is that Amun-Ra was invented as the new state deity by the (Theban) rulers of the New Kingdom to unite worshipers of Amun with the older cult of Ra, beginning around the XVIII Dynasty. Ironically, the cult of Amun-Ra was effectively just as monotheistic as Akhenaten's worship of Aten, and the cult became so powerful that it rivalled the monarchy.
Atum and Atum-Ra
Atum-Ra (or Ra-Atum) was another composite deity formed from two completely separate deities. However, Ra shared more similarities with Atum than with Amun. Atum was more closely linked with the sun, and was also a creator god of the Ennead. Both Ra and Atum were regarded as the father of the gods and Pharaohs, and were widely worshiped. So, it was almost inevitable that the two cults were merged under the name of Atum-Ra.
Ra-Horakhty
In Egyptian mythology, Ra-Horakhty was more of a title, or manifestation, than a composite god. It translates as "Ra, who is Horus of the Horizons". It was intended to link Horakhty (as a sunrise-orientated aspect of Horus) to Ra. It has been suggested that Ra-Horakhty simply refers to the sun's journey from horizon to horizon as Ra, or that it means to show Ra as a symbolic god of hope and rebirth. (See earlier section: Ra and the sun) This link was probably encouraged by Ra and Horus' common link to the sun and the Pharaoh.
Khepri and Khnum
Khepri was the scarab beetle that rolled up the sun in the mornings, and was sometimes seen as the morning manifestation of Ra. Similarly, the ram-headed god Khnum was also seen as the evening manifestation of Ra. The idea of different gods (or different aspects of Ra) ruling over different times of the day was fairly common, but variable. With Khepri and Khnum taking precedence over sunrise and sunset, Ra was often the representation of midday, when the sun reached its peak at noon. Sometimes different aspects of Horus were used instead of Ra's aspects. In Thelema's Liber Resh vel Helios, Ra represents the rising sun, with Hathor as the midday sun and Tum as the setting sun.
Ptah
Ra was rarely combined with Ptah, but as per the Memphite creation myth he was often said to be Ptah's first creation, through his divine will, especially when associated with Atum or Amun.

Ra and Egyptian Monotheism

According to E. A. Wallis Budge he was the One god of Egyptian Monotheism, of which all other gods and goddesses were aspects, manifestations, phases, or forms of the god.[10]Ra itself, however, was also a monotheistic God. A Hymn to Ra (approx. 1370 B.C.E.) was written to stress the pantheistic nature of Ra to combat encroaching polytheism. In it, several gods and goddesses are described, not as beings in their own right, but certain forms of Ra. For example:

"Praise be unto thee, O Ra, thou exalted Power, who dost enter into the habitations of Ament, behold [thy] body is Temu."
"Praise be unto thee, O Ra, thou exalted Power, who dost enter into the hidden palace of Anubis, behold [thy] body is Khepera." [11]

Worship

His cult began to grow from roughly the II Dynasty, establishing Ra as the sun god. By the IV Dynasty the Pharaohs were seen to be Ra's manifestations on earth, referred to as "Sons of Ra". His worship increased massively in the V Dynasty, when he became a state deity and Pharaohs had specially aligned pyramids, obelisks and solar temples built in his honour. The first Pyramid Texts began to arise, giving Ra more and more significance in the journey of the Pharaoh through the underworld.

By XI Dynasty, Ra had become much like the theist Christian God. Mythology told that he had created the world for man, and that evil was a result of mankind's actions. In this respect Ra was closely affiliated with Ma'at, goddess of law and truth. It was even implied that he would punish the evil after death. The Middle Kingdom saw Ra being increasingly combined and affiliated with other deities, especially Amun and Osiris.

During the New Kingdom, the worship of Ra becomes yet more complicated and grand. The walls of tombs were dedicated to extremely detailed texts that told of Ra's journey through the underworld. Ra was also now said to carry the prayers and blessings of the living with the souls of the dead on the sunboat. The New Kingdom appears to be when the idea that Ra aged with the sun was most popular.

Many acts of worship included hymns, prayers and spells to help Ra and the sunboat overcome Apep.

Though worship of Ra was very widespread, his cult center was in Heliopolis, the home of the Ennead that he was thought to be the head of as Atum. The Holiday of 'The Receiving of Ra' was celebrated on May 26th in the Gregorian calendar.

Notes

  1. Ra is most commonly pronounced 'rah'. It is more likely, however, that it should be pronounced as 'ray', hence the alternative spelling Re rather than Ra. It is not known for sure what Ra's name means, but it is thought it may be a variant of or linked to 'creative', if not an original word for 'sun'.
  2. This particular "cut-off" date has been chosen because it corresponds to the Persian conquest of the kingdom, which marks the end of its existence as a discrete and (relatively) circumscribed cultural sphere. Indeed, as this period also saw an influx of immigrants from Greece, it was also at this point that the Hellenization of Egyptian religion began. While some scholars suggest that even when "these beliefs became remodeled by contact with Greece, in essentials they remained what they had always been" (Erman, 203), it still seems reasonable to address these traditions, as far as is possible, within their own cultural milieu.
  3. The numerous inscriptions, stelae and papyri that resulted from this sudden stress on historical posterity provide much of the evidence used by modern archeologists and Egyptologists to approach the ancient Egyptian tradition (Pinch, 31-32).
  4. These local groupings often contained a particular number of deities and were often constructed around the incontestably primary character of a creator god (Meeks and Meeks-Favard, 34-37).
  5. Frankfort, 25-26.
  6. Zivie-Coche, 40-41; Frankfort, 23, 28-29.
  7. Frankfort, 20-21.
  8. Assmann, 73-80; Zivie-Coche, 65-67; Breasted argues that one source of this cyclical timeline was the dependable yearly fluctuations of the Nile (8, 22-24).
  9. Frankfort, 117-124; Zivie-Coche, 154-166.
  10. (Budge Egyptian Religion p. 29)
  11. (Budge Egyptian Religion p. 127)

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Assmann, Jan. In search for God in ancient Egypt. Translated by David Lorton. Ithica: Cornell University Press, 2001. ISBN 0801487293.
  • Breasted, James Henry. Development of religion and thought in ancient Egypt. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986. ISBN 0812210454.
  • Budge, E. A. Wallis (translator). The Egyptian Book of the Dead. 1895. Accessed at sacred-texts.com.
  • Budge, E. A. Wallis (translator). The Egyptian Heaven and Hell. 1905. Accessed at [www.sacred-texts.com/egy/ehh.htm sacred-texts.com].
  • Budge, E. A. Wallis. Egyptian Religion. Kessinger, 1900.
  • Budge, E. A. Wallis. The gods of the Egyptians; or, Studies in Egyptian mythology. A Study in Two Volumes. New York: Dover Publications, 1969.
  • Budge, E. A. Wallis (translator). Legends of the Gods: The Egyptian texts. 1912. Accessed at sacred-texts.com.
  • Budge, E. A. Wallis (translator). The Rosetta Stone. 1893, 1905. Accessed at sacred-texts.com.
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