Last edited 9 days ago by Favonian Ra Watch this page This article is about the Egyptian deity. For other uses, see Ra (disambiguation). Ra / Re God of the Sun and Radiance Re-Horakhty.svg In one of his many forms, Ra, god of the sun, has the head of a falcon and the sun-disk resting on his head. Name in hieroglyphs r a N5 Z1 C2 or N5 Z1 C2 or C2 N5 Major cult center Heliopolis Symbol sun disk Consort Hathor, Isis, and some say Sekhmet and Bastet Parents Neith and Khnum or Nun Siblings Apep, Thoth, Sobek, Serket, Hathor Offspring Shu, Tefnut, Bastet, Maat Ra /rɑː/[1] or Re /reɪ/ (Egyptian: 𓂋ꜥ, rˤ) is the ancient Egyptian solar deity. By the Fifth Dynasty (2494 to 2345 BCE) he had become a major god in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the midday sun. In later Egyptian dynastic times, Ra was merged with the god Horus, as Ra-Horakhty (Ra, who is Horus of the Two Horizons). He was believed to rule in all parts of the created world: the sky, the earth, and the underworld.[2] He was associated with the falcon or hawk. When in the New Kingdom the god Amun rose to prominence he was fused with Ra as Amun-Ra. During the Amarna Period, Akhenaten suppressed the cult of Ra in favour of another solar deity, the Aten, the deified solar disc, but after the death of Akhenaten the cult of Ra was restored. The cult of the Mnevis bull, an embodiment of Ra, had its centre in Heliopolis and there was a formal burial ground for the sacrificed bulls north of the city. All forms of life were believed to have been created by Ra, who called each of them into existence by speaking their secret names. Alternatively humans were created from Ras tears and sweat, hence the Egyptians call themselves the Cattle of Ra. In the myth of the Celestial Cow it is recounted how mankind plotted against Ra and how he sent his eye as the goddess Sekhmet to punish them. When she became bloodthirsty she was pacified by mixing beer with red dye. Role Iconography Worship Relationship to other gods In popular culture See also References Further reading Read in another language Wikipedia ® MobileDesktop Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted. Terms of UsePrivacy
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 11:39:34 +0000
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