Download Egyptian Creation Myths

Egyptian Creation Myths
Mr. Henderson
Mythology
Ancient Egyptian Worldview
• The struggle of order versus chaos was
paramount to the ancient Egyptians.
• The fertile Nile Valley was viewed as the
residence of order in the universe and was the
antithesis of the chaos of the surrounding
world.
• Natural phenomena (changing seasons, rising
of the sun, etc.) served to reinforce this
worldview.
The Ogdoad
• The word “ogdoad”, from a Greek word
meaning “set of eight” refers to the eight
primordial gods and goddesses of Egyptian
mythology.
• The eight were paired into four sets, each with
one god and one goddess.
• Each pair represented a particular aspect of
the natural world, considered essential to
creation.
Eight Deities of the Ogdoad
• Naunet and Nun (representing the primordial
waters)
• Amaunet and Amun (representing light and
day)
• Kauket and Kuk (representing darkness and
night)
• Hauhet and Huh (representing eternity)
Eight Deities of the Ogdoad
• The gods were depicted as frogs, while the
goddesses were depicted as snakes.
• The female goddesses (like “Naunet”) are
often just the feminine version of the gods
name.
• Most of these characters do not appear
independently, they almost always appear as a
pair.
The Ogdoad in Art
The Birth of Ra
• When these gods and goddesses came
together at the beginning of creation, their
aspects mixed and created the god Ra.
• Ra rose from the waters of Nun, inside an egg
that was resting on a solid patch of earth.
• After hatching, Ra created the world and all
the other gods, to help govern his creation.
The God Ra in Art
The Ennead
• Ra created the younger race of gods ,
eventually establishing a core pantheon of
nine gods called the ennead, from a Greek
word meaning “a set of nine”.
• The ennead was made of of Ra, Shu, Tefnut,
Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys.
• According to some versions he created the
gods by spitting into the water
The Offspring of Ra
• Shu (emptiness) and Tefnut (vapor) were the
children of Ra.
• Their children were Geb (earth) and Nut (sky)
• The remaining four Osiris, Isis, Set, and
Nephthys, were Geb and Nut’s children.
• Osiris married Isis, and Set married Nephthys.
The Younger Generation of Gods
• Osiris is the god of death, his son with Isis is
Horus, his son with Nephthys is Anubis.
• Isis was the goddess of magic and fertility. Her
name means “throne”.
• Nephthys was the goddess of religious rituals.
Her name means “temple”.
• Set was the god of deserts, chaos, and storm. He
killed his brother Osiris and quarreled with his
nephew Horus.
The Ennead in Art