For thousands of years, the elusive and mysterious gods of Ancient Egypt
have watched over the land of Khemet, keeping their people safe from harm's way.
Of all the deities, none are held to such a high esteem as Ra, the god of the sun.
Join us in this video as we venture back to a time before the creation of the Great Pyramids,
prior to the construction of the elegant temples that dot the Nile’s valleys,
to a period when the gods themselves walked through the sands of Egytps.
Here, we’ll explore the unique origins of one of Egypt's most revered deities,
to some, the creator of all gods who harnessed the power of the universe.
This is the story of the mysterious and all-powerful Egyptian deity, Ra.
Who Was RA?
Considered a creator deity, Ra is one of the oldest and most powerful Ancient
Egyptian gods. According to legends, he is said to have been a self-created god who
formed himself from the vast nothingness during a time before the universe. Every
other deity in the Egyptian pantheon is considered a direct descendant of him.
In ancient times, Ra’s name was associated with the sun. But, as with most deities,
he had more than one name. Sometimes, he was referred to as Amun Ra, Khepri, or Atum.
Each of the individual names was associated with the various aspects
of Ra’s totality. As time passed in Egypt, new dynasties would create new names for
older deities as they assimilated them into distinct belief systems.
Ra was undoubtedly the most famous of all Egyptian deities of old.
He was the god who presided over the sun, allowing the rays to bring forth a bountiful harvest.
Ra was also considered the king of kings and the one who could bring forth order.
The god was depicted in various forms, often represented by a solar disk.
Another common depiction witnessed on hieroglyphic inscriptions, was a man with the head of a falcon.
It’s thought the worship of Ra first arose in a town known as Iunu.
To the Greeks, this was the fabled Heliopolis, otherwise known as the city of the sun god.
Today, this ancient settlement is found in a northern suburb of Cairo. But just where did
this power deity come from? And what do ancient Egyptian texts tell us about the creation of
the god of the sun? The Creation of RA
The creation myth of Ra has likely been in circulation for thousands upon thousands
of years in Egypt. Sources can be found in the Pyramids Texts, tomb wall decorations,
and other hieroglyph writings which date back to the Old Kingdom over 4000 years ago. While
there are undoubtedly various renditions of the legends, the majority begin as follows:
In the beginning, the universe was an infinite body of water known as Nun; without consciousness,
without thinking, motionless and eternal. From this vast nothingness, Ra willed himself into
existence from the chaos, becoming the firstborn god. In time, Ra decided he would create children,
so from nothing more than will and without a partner, he gave birth to Tefnut, the goddess of
moisture, and Shu, the god of air. In return, his children gave birth to the Geb, the god of earth,
and Nut, the goddess of the sky. With this, the physical universe was created.
Ra Creating the Sun, Moon, And Humanity
After the creation of Tefnut and Shu, the world was but an infinite ocean and
Ra decided that he needed light to shine on the world so he could keep an eye on his children.
But, to do so, he would have to create an eye that looks down on his children from above.
So Ra fashioned an enormous eye and sent it off to scour the earth in search of his children.
But, upon returning, the sun had discovered Ra had created a second eye in its absence.
Full of jealousy, the first eye became angry. So, to appease it, Ra gave the first more power
than the second. Thus, the first eye became the sun, and the second became the moon.
Now that the world was created, Ra continued to allow gods to multiply, and celestial bodies
began to fill the night sky. Eventually, humanity was created from the tears of Ra. As eons passed,
however, Ra became displeased with the ungrateful race of humans who walked the
earth. When he learned of the plots put in place by the humans against him, he decided that drastic
action must be taken. Ra gathered the other gods in council and they concluded that humanity must
be destroyed. So the gods sent Hathor to wipe out humanity, and she engaged in a brutal cleansing
mission that killed hundreads of thousands of humans until but a tiny remnant remained.
At this point, Ra decided no more bloodshed was necessary and allowed the remaining humans
to live in peace. However, he was thoroughly sick of the human world and decided to retreat
into the heavens, leaving the god Shu to rule over the mortal world. After Ra left the eart,
Geb and Nut married even though their creator restricted them from doing so. Ra soon found out,
and in his wrath, he ordered Shu to separate them. Shu defeated Geb in battle and permanently
separated the two. However, Nut had already fallen pregnant, and Ra decided she was forbidden to give
birth during any month of any year. Seeing her problem, she begged the god of learning, Thoth,
to help her. Thoth had a great idea and decided to gamble with the moon for extra light throughout
the year and won. This led to the addition of five full days to the Egyptian calendar, now resulting
in 365 days. On these five days, Nut gave birth to Osiris, Set, Isis, Nepthys, and Horus The Elder.
Don't miss to watch our video: Thoth the Atlantean & The Emerald Tablets - The
Lost Knowledge. You will find it in our channel!
The Secret Name of Ra
Many eons came to pass, and Ra had stayed clear of the direction of the earth. But,
Isis, one day, decided that she would go in search of the legend of Ra’s secret name.
The gods of Egypt believed that words held power,
which is why many of them went by pseudonyms to ensure they kept their power safe.
When she finally found Ra, he was old, feeble, and a shadow of his ancient self.
As he sat upon his throne, drool ran down his chin and onto the floor below.
Seeing this, Isis collected some of his saliva and combined it with a small handful of dirt.
Using her acclaimed magic, she formed a venomous snake from this mixture.
Ra was known for being a creature of habit and walked the same route each day to survey his
incredible creation. Isis, knowing this, set a trap and let the snake loose on his trail.
As Ra walked past the snake, it latched onto him and inflicted him with a deadly bite.
Generally, Ra was immune to such attacks, but as the snake was made from his own being,
he had no immunity against it and was soon in great pain.
Following the incident, Ra called for his followers and told them he was severely wounded.
He asked if any could provide him with a cure, but no one answered, as none could give him what
he sought. After all of the others had tried and failed, Isis told Ra she could help him,
provided that he told her his true name. Sensing there was trickery at play, Ra answered:
“I am the maker of heaven and earth, I am the establisher of the mountains,
I am the creator of the waters, I am the maker of the secrets of the two horizons.
I am the light, and I am darkness, I am the maker of the hours, the creator of days.
I am the opener of festivals, I am the maker of running streams, I am the creator of living
flame. I am Khepri in the morning, Ra at noontime, and Atum in the evening”
Let us know your thoughts on today's video in the comments section. Did you know a Ra
was the patron deity of Egypt? Had you heard of his creation story,
and just what symbolic meaning do you believe lies within this story?
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