Ancient Egypt: Difference between revisions

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 ==Religion==
+* not counting pre-dynastic period, the distinct Egyptian civilization lasted over 2,000 years
+* therefore, Egyptian religion, myths and gods change (morph) over time
+** additionally, across the 800-mile stretch of the Nile, different regions held varied views of the gods & myths
+** across ancient Egyptian history gods and stories are intermixed or merged, or derived from one another
 ===Egyptian cosmos===
 * Egypt = center of earth
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 ** mountains surround Egypt with "Heavenly River" on outer edge
 *** Egyptians unaware of Nile sources, believed it was the Heavenly River
-=== Origin Myth ===
+=== Atum and the origin myth ===
 * "Nun" is the empty, divine place of origin of the universe
-* the Benben, a pyramid-shaped jut of land that arose from the waters of Nun
+* the Benben, a pyramid-shaped jut of land that arose from the waters (chaos) of Nun
 ** the creator god Atum lived on the Benben
 ** the Benben, therefore, would be the first land to be lit by the sun
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 ** the Benben is thought to have inspired the shape of the pyramids and the pointed top of obelisks
 * Nun is depicted in Middle Kingdom and later temple walls as "the father of the gods"
+* Ra displaces Atum in the New Kingdom
 * Sources:
 ** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nu_(mythology) Nu (mythology) (wikipedia)]
 ** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benben Benben (wikipedia)]
+=== Ra ===
+* Ra is the sun god and creator god
+** identified with the "noon sun"
+* Ra is either merged with or a later version of Atum
+** Atum was subsequently referred to as Atum-Ra
+** Old Kingdom pharaohs were considered "Sons of Ra"
+** Middle Kingdom depictions or Ra merged with Atum (or Aumn)
+** New Kingdom depictions of Ra focused on his role as carrier of souls of the dead on the "sun boat"
+=== Amun ===
+* was the principle deity of Thebes (Upper Egypt's principal city)
+* in New Kingdom became the principal Egyptian deity, the creator, replacing Atum and Ra
+** was called Amun-Ra
+* New Kingdom Egyptians credited Amun with defeat of the Hyksos
+** thus he became protector of the poor or upholder of justice or "Ma'at" (also truth and goodness)
+click EXPAND for inscription from an artisan's village on Amun:
+<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
+<pre>[Amun] who comes at the voice of the poor in distress, who gives breath to him who is wretched..You are Amun, the Lord of the silent, who comes at the voice of the poor; when I call to you in my distress You come and rescue me ... Though the servant was disposed to do evil, the Lord is disposed to forgive. The Lord of Thebes spends not a whole day in anger; His wrath passes in a moment; none remains. His breath comes back to us in mercy ... May your kꜣ be kind; may you forgive; It shall not happen again.</pre>
+</div>
+* Amun worship became a powerful cult and was merged with Ra into "Amun-Ra"
+click EXPAND for text from "Hymn to Amun-Ra"
+<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
+<pre>Lord of truth, father of the gods, maker of men, creator of all animals, Lord of things that are, creator of the staff of life.</pre>
+* from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amun#Early_history Amun: Early History (wiki)]]
+</div>
+* the pharaoh Akhenaten attempted to suppress the cult of Amun
+=== Atum's children ===
+* having arisen from the waters, Atum created the air and the earth
+** Atum coughed up or spat out:
+*** Shu, god of the air
+**** since the air cools, Shu was a god of pacification
+*** Tefnut, goddess of moisture and rain
+** Shu and Tefnut had two children:
+*** Geb, god of the earth
+**** he created earthquakes and allowed crops to grow
+**** he was associated with healing as well as snakes
+*** Nut, goddess stars (thus of the nighttime) and the sky in general
+**** Nut was considered a goddess of protection (depicted as a cow or tree covering the sky)
+*** Ra, the sun god, decreed that Nut not give birth "any day of the year"
+****
+** Geb & Nut had four children:
+*** Osiris, king of the earth
+*** Isis, his queen
+*** Set, god of chaos
+*** Nephthys, goddess of the dead
+== Osiris, Isis & Set origin of Egypt myth ==
+* in the Egyptian origin myth
+** Osiris is god and ruler of Egypt
+** Isis is his wife
+** Set is his brother, and god of the desert
+* jealous of Osiris, Set murders Osiris and spreads his body parts across Egypt
+* Isis flies across Egypt and reassembles Osiris, bringing him back to life
+* since he already died, Osiris becomes ruler of the afterlife, god of the dead
+** Isis becomes a symbol of the passing into eternal life
+<pre>“The blood of Isis, the charms of Isis, the power of Isis are a protection unto me.”</pre>
+* Set continues to rule Egypt until
+** Horus, son of Osiris and Isis, defeats him and becomes ruler of Egypt
 ===The Afterlife===
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 * other funerary texts & spells
+** << to do
 ===Priests===
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 ===Mythology & Gods===
-Isis: goddess, wife of Osiris
-Osiris: god, ruled Egypt. Killed by brother, Set
-Set, brother of Osiris, chopped up Osiris, and spread his parts over Egypt
-Isis saved Osiris. Reassembled his pieces, and brought him back to life
-Osiris: becomes God of the dead, instead of God of the living
-Isis: symbol of the passing into eternal life
-“The blood of Isis, the charms of Isis, the power of Isis are a protection unto me.”
 Sun God: Amon-Re (ah-mun ray)