Egyptian mythology

Initially, it was believed in many gods of Egypt. Beliefs changed depending on the political situation in Egypt and its leaders, the gods were combined and changed.

In the final stage of the Egyptian religion was founded triad of deities: Osiris, Isis and Horus and Set their enemy. Each deity had its own worship center. Sometimes a combined figure of Osiris and Horus, seeking to introduce monotheism. Earlier attempts to introduce monotheism by some pharaohs, by selecting one of the gods and the rejection of others have failed.

In the beliefs of Egyptian human soul exists even after the death of the body. In order to preserve the identity of existence after death, the body was embalmed and mummified. The bodies were temporarily placed in a reed coffins in a very hot sand, which quickly drying out delay and prevented decomposition. Then followed the funeral. Embalming was invented during the Fourth Dynasty. All soft tissues are removed and the empty space filled with natron.

An important role was played by the Book of the Dead - a collection of nearly two hundred magical texts, drawings and songs, each matched to a person deceased, to facilitate his transition to the world of the post-mortem. In some graves Book of the Dead is also painted on the walls.

According to later belief, the soul of the deceased will be brought before Anubis, and the weight of his heart - the recording of morality - is compared with the weight of a pen Maat - goddess of truth, justice and order. If the result is favorable deceased, the deceased is led by Horus to Osiris, otherwise it is devoured by the devourer of sinners with the head of a crocodile, the body cheetah and hindquarters of a hippopotamus.

The gods of ancient Egyptian civilization came from the prehistoric animistic cults and were part of a very rich mythology. One of the most important gods was usually the Pharaoh. The most famous was the Egyptian god of the sun god Ra (Re) and Osiris, the god of death and reborn life.

Ra (Re) was the sun god, the creator of the world and the Lord of order in the universe. Was presented with the solar disk and the head of a falcon. He was regarded by the Egyptians as the most important of the gods and ruler of the people. The ancient Egyptians believed that the self-created from Praoceanu Nun. His children were Horus, Anubis, Maat, Bastet, Hathor, Sekhmet, Thoth, Shu, Tefnut.

The ancient Egyptians believed that formerly Re reign on earth as Pharaoh, and every day he left his temple in Heliopolis and walked through the 12 provinces of the earth for 12 hours of the day. However, when approaching the people, then they burn them so Re leave the earth and wandering in the day of the sky. Specially composed for the royal anthem to use Re, called. Litany Solar, inscribed in the corridors of input royal tombs of dynasties XIX and XX in the Valley of the Kings.

Osiris was the god of death and reborn life, the Great Judge of the dead. He married Isis and was the ruler of the earth, and the underworld land of the dead. He had two sons, Anubis and Horus. Ages ago Osiris taught people farming. He was killed by his brother Seth. His wife Isis found his dismembered body and with Nephthys restored her husband to life. Osiris could not live on earth, but lived in the afterlife. He was killed and then resurrected by the gods, became the ruler of the underworld and judge of the dead. Isis was the goddess of fertility, family protectress. It is presented as the best mother, the incarnation of goodness.

Set was the god of storms, deserts, darkness and chaos. It was a deity of a demon. He was portrayed as a man with the head of the animal unknown to this day. It includes features the head of a jackal, antelope and okapi. Previously he appeared perhaps as a god of war, and could be a deity older than the Egyptian religion. In the Egyptian religion was one of the main gods. His attribute was the antelope with the head of a jackal. Set was the enemy of Horus and the killer of his own brother, Osiris. Starting from the XXII dynasty, it becomes the incarnation of evil. During the New Kingdom his cult was forbidden.

From the beliefs of ancient Egypt comes the phoenix, the mythical bird, considered a symbol of the sun and the eternal rebirth of life. Phoenix flew from Arabi to Egypt once every 500 years. On the altar of the sun at Heliopolis, in the month of Adar, the priests were preparing a special stack, where the bird burned and was resurrected after 3 days to go on a return journey.