Ancient Egyptian Myths: Reading Diary A

Statuette of Osiris sitting, on display at the Louvre

• The world started as a great waste of water.  Interesting
• Ra came from Nu, but is greater than Nu
• Shu = wind god
• Seb = earth god
• Ra was the first king on earth
• He had a secret name
• Isis wasn’t crazy about the humans and really wanted to be equal with Ra
• Isis baked Ra’s saliva in with the earth?  It becomes a serpent
• “I am Khepera at dawn, Ra at high noon, and Tum at eventide.” Interesting repetition.
• Interesting that there is a serpent in another creation story.
• Even Ra, who is the mightiest of the Egyptian gods, turns to his parent (sort of) for advice
• Another mention of a great flood.
• Ra decides that he can’t live among the humans anymore and needs to live in heaven.
• Why are snakes and reptiles generally disliked in mythology?
• Ankh is the symbol of life
• Another river in the underworld
• Osiris basically takes Ra’s place as ruler of Egypt
• Isis was incredibly smart and wise
• Osiris was killed by his brother
• Scorpions were Isis’s protectors
• Anubis is kind of Isis’s stepson? I guess?
• Horus is Isis’s son
• Horus was killed by a scorpion for some reason, but brought back to life
• Horus lost an eye in the battle with Set, but Thoth healed both of the leaders
• After all the battles and war, the gods were the ones to decide who ruled Egypt
• Osiris become the Judge and the King of the Dead after Isis brought him back to life