Ra

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Ra, and/or Re and Amun Ra, was the great sun god of Egypt, the chief god of the land, his main centre of worship being Heliopolis, the "city of the sun". He was made state deity in the Fifth Dynasty. In some traditions he was the "creator of men," and man called itself the "cattle of Ra." The Pharaohs were meant to be his direct descendants. In relation to the sun he was said to control the chariot that pulled the sun across the sky. Unlike the majority of gods, Ra was never paired with a goddess, but still had many offspring.

He was normally depicted as pharaoh with a eagle's head that was adorned with a great disc, representing the noon day sun.

At times he was also referred to as Ra Horakhty when he was said to combine with Horus, son of Osiris and Isis and the god who defeated the evil god Seth.

Master of the Universe[edit]

Ra was connected with the Pharaohs because they were his children, but also because they mirrored each other. The Pharaoh was master of the earth, while Ra ruled the rest of the Universe.

Great solar temples were erected for the god around the Fifth Dynasty, the height of his popularity, and Pharaohs aligned their pyramids to the rising and setting sun.

In the story of creation Ra was said to have risen as an obelisk like-pillar and spat out Shu and Tefnut. They represented air and moisture, respectively, and were the first god couple. They had Geb and Nut as children, who were the parents of the gods Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nepthys, they represented the earth and sky, and this family was called the Ennead of Gods. They were all needed for the world to exist and continue.

He then existed as the one who drove the chariot, which was pulled by a flying scarab beetle, across the sky bringing in and ending day.

Decline[edit]

Ra was said to be an aging god, still powerful, but too old to deal with his children. He was said to have ascended to the skies and watched over world, leaving Horus as the master of the world. His popularity also declined with Egyptians, to a point at which only priests devoted themselves to him.