The myths
Egyptologists identify three cosmogonies, or creation myths, on which ancient Egyptian philosophy is based. According to the Heliopolitan myth, at the beginning of time, there existed the Noun, or primordial waters, which contained the solar star, Atum-Ra. He raised a mound from the waters and landed on it. He gave birth to the god of air and the goddess of humiditý. They themselves begat the god of earth and the goddess of sky, who in turn bore Osiris, Isis, Set and Nephthys. Osiris and Isis gave birth to Horus.
The Hermopolitan myth adds to this eight primordial frogs representing infinite space, infinite waters, wandering and darkness. They raised the initial mound, depositing an egg from which emerged the sun, Atum-Ra.
The Memphis myth is similar to the previous one, except that the eight frogs are emanations of Ptah, the primordial god. He created the universe with his mind, his heart and his word.
The cycles
Egyptian mythology and the daily lives of its inhabitants are organized around three primordial cycles.
The cycle of day and night, with the daily rebirth of the sun, embodied by Ra and his race through the heavens, followed by his underground battle with the serpent Apophis.
The cycle of life and death is based on the myth of Osiris, the Book of the Dead and the concept of the immortality of the soul. Mummification plays a key role here, enabling the soul to make its way to the afterlife unhindered, like Osiris, the god of the dead.
The cycle of the seasons is of considerable importance in a predominantly rural society, punctuated by the flooding of the Nile. Central to both religion and daily life, the flood is both hoped for and feared, as it can bring good or destruction to the land of Egypt.
Summary of the Egyptian pantheon
Amon. One of the main Egyptian deities, his name means "the hidden one". He is especially venerated in Thebes. He is associated with other gods such as Ra, represented as a ram, or Min, the ithyphallic god. Together with his wife Mut and their son Khonsu, he forms the Theban Triad, particularly venerated at Karnak and Luxor.
Anubis. A jackal-headed god, he is linked to the rites of embalming and passage into the afterlife. He is Osiris' assistant, the first of the embalmers. When he accompanies Pharaoh to the court of Ma'at, he has the title of psychopomp, the soul's attendant. He carries a key. His cult is particularly developed in Asyut.
Aton. The god Aten is a unique divinity willed by Amenhotep IV-Akhenaton. He has no kin and no goddess. His name means "solar globe", and his manifestation, in the representations we have of him, is in the form of the grapes of the day-star, terminated by hands. Aton is pure energy, the origin of everything. Aten imposes no laws on mankind, other than general harmony.
Bastet. Taking the form of a cat, this divinity is one of the most popular in the Egyptian pantheon. Paradoxically, this goddess is never represented in temples or tombs, with the exception of those found at Boubastis in the Delta. She is one of the daughters of Ra, whose eye she embodies. She is the protector of music, joy and motherhood. She protects homes and cities.
Hâpy. He is the god of the Nile, and steward of its waters. The river's centrality to daily life makes Hâpy a particularly important deity. He lives in two places in particular: Elephantine, at the first cataract in Aswan, and Memphis, upstream from the Delta. He is represented as an androgynous figure with pendulous breasts, and sometimes as twins carrying the reeds of Lower Egypt and the papyrus of Upper Egypt on their heads. No temple is dedicated to her, but the hymns of the Nile were sung only to her.
Hathor. Daughter of Ra and wife of Horus. Her name means "home of Horus". Represented in the form of a cow, she retains the horns and ears in her anthropomorphic representation and also carries the sun of Horus. She is the goddess of fertility and also assists men in their rebirth after death. The temple at Denderah is entirely dedicated to her, but a large space is devoted to her in the temple at Edfu, dedicated to Horus.
Horus. His name means "the far-off", and he is represented in the form of a falcon. He is both the manifestation of Ra when the sun is at its zenith, and the orphaned son of Osiris, raised by his mother Isis. When his eye is plucked out by Set, it is Thoth who reconstitutes it in the form of the "oudjat eye", the protective amulet most worn by Egyptians. Pharaoh still bears the title of "Son of Horus". His four sons watch over the viscera of the deceased, and each of the canopic vases is dedicated to one of them. A major cult is dedicated to him, especially in Edfu.
Isis. Her name means "throne". She is the sister of Seth, Nephthys and Osiris. Her parents are Gheb and Nut, both children of Shu and Tefnut, children of Ra. Isis is the wife of her brother Osiris, with whom she begets Horus. She is depicted in human form, wearing horns and the sun on her head. She is often seen nursing Horus. Isis' attachment to her husband is exemplary, which explains why she has long been worshipped. Temples such as those at Kalabshah, Dabod and, above all, Philae, were dedicated to her. The cult of Isis spread to a large part of the Mediterranean basin, and was one of the last pagan cults to survive in the face of the rise of Christianity.
Khnum. Another demiurge of the Egyptian pantheon: Ra created the world and Khnum created life. Every living thing on earth is his creation. He uses the Nile to dispense life and maintain it on earth, and so it is in Elephantine that he dwells, at the level of the first cataract. He orders Hâpi to bring the waters of the Nile to the Egyptians. He is known as the "shaper of the world", or the potter. With Satet and Anouket, they form the Elephantine triad. He is represented as a powerful ram with upturned horns. His main temple is at Esna, although traces of his cult can be found at Elephantine.
Maat. Her name means "true". She is both a goddess and a concept. A symbol of truth and justice, she is the natural balance of the perfect world as Ra created it. She is the guarantor of the world's equilibrium, present every day in the manifestation of day and night, life and death. It is in her name that Pharaoh dispenses justice on earth, and it is she who weighs the souls of the dead. The gates of eternal life are open to the good man, while the Devourer stands ready to eat the heart of the evil man. She is represented as a woman with a feather on her head, sometimes beside or on a scale.
Nekhbet and Ouadjet. Protective goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt respectively. They symbolize the union of the country and often surround Pharaoh. Nekhbet is a vulture of a thousand colors and Ouadjet is a snake. They are often depicted in temples, especially above doorways as a sign of protection. They can also be represented by women wearing the crowns of Lower Egypt (Ouadjet) and Upper Egypt (Nekhbet).
Osiris. His name means "the seat of power". With Isis, his brother and husband, Osiris forms the most romantic couple in the Egyptian pantheon, their story combining life, love, death, the quest for the other, resurrection and the revenge of their child. Osiris, who became earthly king, married Isis, earning the jealousy of his brother Set. He murdered her, then cut up her body into fourteen pieces and scattered them. Isis and her sister Nephthys found and reconstituted Osiris using strips of cloth. He became the ruler of the dead and reigned over the afterlife. He is depicted seated in majesty, wearing the Egyptian crown and holding the scepter and flail, or in the "Osirid" position, standing upright, wrapped in his strips. His main place of worship was Abydos.
Ptah. His name means "the shaper". This god is sometimes seen as superior to Ra, whom some cults have claimed to be the Creator! The answer to this contradiction is, as so often, political. Ptah's ancestry is often enshrined by dynasties from Memphis, where he is worshipped. On the other hand, Ra retains his title of uncontested demiurge under the personalities of Thebes, where he is venerated. Ptah is relegated to the status of protector of craftsmen and architects. He is represented as a green-skinned man, wearing a bonnet and a tight-fitting cloth.
Ra. His name means "he who rises". He is the most important god in the Egyptian pantheon. According to mythology, he is the originator of everything. As demiurge, he also created himself. He is the sun god, creator of most of the non-demiurge gods. Together with his descendants, he forms the most important group in the Egyptian pantheon. Amun is inseparable from Ra and is called Amun-Ra, honored at Thebes. He is depicted as a man with the head of a falcon, surmounted by the solar globe around which the cobra is wrapped. He was celebrated in Heliopolis and throughout Egypt.
Sekhmet. Her name means "the powerful". She is Ptah's wife and Nefertum's mother, the three forming the Memphis Triad. Her power is double-edged: she protects, but sometimes, in her rage, she ravages the land! For this reason, she can sometimes be likened to the flood. She is represented as a lioness wearing the sun disk. She was worshipped throughout Egypt, particularly at Karnak and Memphis.
Seth. His name means both "he of the South" and "he of the strips". He is the brother of Osiris, Isis and Nephthys. He is particularly useful to Ra, as he stands at the prow of the solar bark, protecting it from the serpent Apophis as it passes through the darkness of night. He is a god both feared and venerated by the Egyptians. His most widespread representation is that of a man with the face of an imaginary animal, endowed with a long snout reminiscent of that of a dog or tapir.
Thoth. Represented in the form of an ibis or a baboon, he is the one who organizes the world, and is notably responsible for the calendar. He is organized and balanced, so much so that he is said to be the origin of Mâat. He often intervenes to settle disputes with the gods, and is the patron saint of scribes.
