Ra

Ra was a very important god in ancient Egypt. He was the god of the Sun. By the time of the Fifth Dynasty, around the 25th and 24th centuries BC, Ra became one of the most important gods in ancient Egyptian religion. People believed Ra was linked to the noon-day Sun, and he was thought to rule the sky, the Earth, and the underworld. Some stories say Ra was the first pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.

Ra was often shown as a falcon and shared traits with the sky-god Horus. Sometimes, the two were combined as Ra-Horakhty, meaning "Ra, who is Horus of the Two Horizons." Later, when the god Amun became more important during Egypt's New Kingdom, he was joined with Ra as Amun-Ra.

People believed all life was created by Ra. In some stories, humans were made from Ra's tears and sweat.

Religious roles

According to Egyptian myth, Ra was the god of the Sun. As he got older, he moved to the skies. Each day, Ra traveled across the sky in a special boat called the solar barque to bring sunlight. At sunset, he passed through the horizon and sailed through the underworld at night. He faced challenges but always came back at dawn to light the day.

People believed the Sun gave life to crops and all living things. Because of this, they worshipped Ra as a creator god who brought warmth, growth, and life. Ra was seen as a powerful and important god, often shown with a falcon's head and a sun disc on top of it. Stories say Ra created the world and many gods and humans from chaos.

Iconography

Ra was shown as a man with the head of a falcon, wearing a sun disk with a snake around it. He looked similar to the sky-god Horus.

Ra appeared in many different ways. He could be a man with the head of a beetle, called Khepri, or a man with the head of a ram. Ra was also sometimes shown as a ram, beetle, bird, snake, bull, cat, or lion.

Worship

Ra was mainly honored in a place called Iunu, which later became known as Heliopolis, near modern-day Cairo. People believed Ra was the same as the local sun god Atum. As Atum or Atum-Ra, he was seen as the first being who created the world and many other gods and goddesses.

Ra's worship started to grow during the Second Dynasty. By the Fourth Dynasty, pharaohs were thought to be special representations of Ra on Earth, called "Sons of Ra". In the Fifth Dynasty, Ra became very important, and pharaohs built special buildings like pyramids, obelisks, and sun temples to honor him. They even said they were direct descendants of Ra.

Over time, Ra was often linked with other important gods, like Amun and Osiris. By the time of the New Kingdom of Egypt, people created beautiful wall paintings and writings in tombs showing Ra's travels.

When Christianity in the Roman Empire grew, the worship of Ra gradually stopped.

Relationship to other gods

Gods merged with Ra

As with many important gods in ancient Egypt, Ra's identity was often combined with other gods.

Amun and Amun-Ra

Amun was an early god linked with creation and the wind. As the worship of Amun and Ra grew, they were combined into Amun-Ra, a sun god who created everything. This happened during the rule of Theban leaders in the New Kingdom. Amun-Ra was called "King of the Gods" and shown as a red-eyed man with a lion's head and a sun disk.

Atum and Atum-Ra

Atum was another god linked with the sun and creation. Ra and Atum shared many similarities, and they were combined into Atum-Ra. Atum was also seen as the creator of other gods and was born from the ocean Nun.

Ra-Horakhty

Ra-Horakhty was a title for Ra, meaning "Ra (who is) Horus of the Horizons." It connected Horus, linked with the sunrise, to Ra. This title showed Ra as a symbol of hope and new beginnings. Pharaoh Thutmose III honored Horakhty by dedicating pillars in Heliopolis.

Khepri and Khnum

Khepri, shown as a scarab beetle, was seen as Ra's morning form as the sun rose. Khnum, a ram-headed god, was linked with the evening sun. Ra was often shown as the midday sun when it was at its highest.

Montu and Montu-Ra

Montu was an ancient god linked with the sun's strong heat. He was sometimes called Montu-Ra and was linked with both parts of Egypt. Montu was shown with a sun disk on his head because of his connection to Ra.

Raet-Tawy

Raet-Tawy was a female version of Ra. She was sometimes seen as Ra's wife or daughter and was also linked with Montu.

Gods created by Ra

In some stories, Ra was believed to have created many other gods.

Bastet

Bastet, also called Bast, was known as the "cat of Ra." She was his daughter and helped protect him.

Sekhmet

Sekhmet was another daughter of Ra, shown as a lioness or large cat.

Hathor

Hathor was also a daughter of Ra. She helped cheer up Ra when he was sad.

Other gods

Ptah

Ptah was not often mentioned in early pyramid writings.

Isis

In one story, Isis used a snake to make Ra tell her his secret name.

Apep

Apep, also called Apophis, was the god of chaos and Ra's enemy.

Aten

Aten was the sun disk and an aspect of Ra. It became important during the rule of Pharaoh Akhenaten.