How It Came to Be: The Ancient Egyptian Creation Myth

This particular Egyptian myth functions in this time frame for this culture by the people believed strongly this is how everything around them was created. The myths grew and functioned in a way that parts of it would stay ‘active’ when they were needed in this or that ceremony. According to the Priests the myths withstood all the knowledge and immense secrecy. Many details of myths remain in the memory or ‘once relevant precedent that would never see the light of day.’

The myth would create order out of chaos by in the myth some parts had been mentioned in particular centuries some cults did dominate over time and their beliefs were able to spread farther than their localized areas. They say the reason was political because the pharaohs’ were already known gods and considered to be reincarnated in the after life. Which created an order which the levels of people could live. Also within the myth Egypts geographical location also help created the way the land was laid out which made it hard to leave with mountains to the South , seas to the North and desert to the East and West. They had floods constantly which put a reoccurring theme for both civic and religious groups. Temples of the deities were over barred by ordinary mortals which was said could only be entered by the gods and families.

The myth doesn’t really give any set of rules of the Egyptian creation myth. The gods were in power, but with the temples made it easier for the gods to cross over into more of “formal” mythology. There were nine gods/goddess’s that the myth centered on which were; Ennead: Ra the sun god then the four pairs of all his decedents: Shu and Tefnut; Geb and Nut; Aset (Isis) and Osiris; and Set and Nebthet. Ra the sun god was brought about by Atum the “ creator.”

Their purpose was the parts of the universe. There were a couple of themes which control the myth. There was one which spoke about a conflict with darkness. Then a battle between darkness and light. Which is Set (dark) and Osiris (light) and Osiris son Horus after Set had killed Osiris. There after the sun above earth during daylight then he underworld at night. There were various demons which were led by Aapep controlled by Chaos which went into the underworld. The story of epic of creation was a more intricate story of how gods that were created by a story where a couple of gods are killed and the mother turns into a monster then a great victory eventually arises and one of the gods created mankind and put services for the gods and then were freed.

Egyptians speak of society and religion and the two biggest items were geography and as they called it ‘unbroken stretches of time.’ The creation was not as they said a huge cosmic force bringing them together, but as of the gods such as Neit creating the universe on a loom . As well as many other gods that play roles in their given society of the universe in which they were created.

The creation myth was fascinating with how they were in various levels gods and in what they do for their society and for the well known universe which was created by themselves. Egyptian myths somewhat belong together in the way the beliefs were set in the time frame. The underworld and how reincarnation fits in for various gods and were judged then helped the gods return to life. Religion and society still function in every day life everywhere around the world, but in certain areas temples are still widely visited and proudly displayed for their culture to see as well as others.