Key Concepts
- Ra: The supreme sun god in ancient Egyptian mythology, king of deities, and creator of the world and other gods.
- Nun: The primordial ocean of darkness from which creation emerged.
- Primordial Mound: The island that rose from Nun, where Ra first appeared.
- Atum: A deity sometimes referenced as the creator god who transformed into Ra.
- Shu: God of air and wind.
- Tnut (or Tefnut): Goddess of rain and moisture.
- Geb: God of the earth.
- Nut: Goddess of the sky.
- Eye of Ra: A powerful deity, often seen as Ra's feminine counterpart, capable of providing light in darkness.
- Hathor: Goddess of the sky, love, marriage, motherhood, and beauty, sometimes associated with the Eye of Ra.
- Sekhmet: A fierce lioness goddess associated with war and punishment, a darker manifestation of Hathor.
- Duat: The underworld, a mysterious realm where souls of the dead roam and monsters reside.
- Apep (or Apophis): A giant serpent, Ra's dark counterpart, associated with chaos and earthquakes, who attempts to stop Ra's nightly journey.
- Osiris: God of the underworld.
- Ammun-Ra: A merged mega-god formed from Ra and Ammun.
- Mjett: Ra's morning boat.
- Messet: Ra's evening boat.
- Book of the Heavenly Cow: An ancient Egyptian text detailing creation myths.
- Book of the Dead: Ancient Egyptian funerary texts containing spells to assist the deceased in the afterlife.
Creation of the World and Gods
The episode begins by introducing ancient Egyptian mythology, emphasizing the use of Egyptian pronunciations for deities. Ra, the god of the sun, is presented as the paramount deity, king of the gods, and the father of all creation. Before Ra's existence, the world was a void of darkness known as Nun, a primordial ocean. From Nun emerged a primordial mound, where Ra first appeared.
Some myths suggest that Atum, a powerful deity, transformed into Ra to initiate creation. Initially content on the mound, Ra grew bored and decided to create the rest of the world. He enlisted the help of other gods, created through various means, including his breath and spit. These gods were essentially different forms of Ra himself.
The first gods created were Shu (god of air and wind) and Tnut (goddess of rain and moisture). Ra's initial joy at having companions was short-lived when Shu and Tnut disappeared into Nun. Ra sent his Eye of Ra to find them. The Eye of Ra, a powerful entity often seen as Ra's feminine counterpart, successfully located and rescued Shu and Tnut. Ra's tears of relief from this event are said to have given birth to the first human beings. Other versions claim humans were created from Ra's sweat.
Shu and Tnut subsequently created Geb (god of the earth) and Nut (goddess of the sky). Ra initially approved but became paranoid as gods began creating more gods, fearing a challenge to his authority. To prevent powerful offspring from Geb and Nut, Ra ordered Shu to separate them, forever dividing the sky and the earth. This separation mechanism is a common theme in creation myths, similar to Atlas holding the sky in Greek mythology.
Humanity's Discontent and Ra's Wrath
Despite the established order, humans grew dissatisfied with Ra, perceiving him as too old and wanting self-governance. This defiance angered Ra, who had created them from his own being. In response, Ra planned an apocalypse to punish humanity.
He tasked Hathor, the goddess of the sky associated with love and beauty, with this destruction. Hathor, initially a benevolent deity, became consumed by the destructive act and transformed into Sekhmet, a fierce lioness goddess of war and punishment. Sekhmet proved too effective, her bloodlust leading her to kill indiscriminately.
Ra, realizing he had gone too far and not wanting complete annihilation, decided to stop Sekhmet and restore Hathor. His plan involved a tactical use of beer. He ordered 7,000 jars of beer to be mixed with ochre, a red mineral, to resemble blood. This mixture was poured into a field, and Sekhmet, mistaking it for blood, drank it excessively. The alcohol incapacitated her, causing her to become sick and revert back to Hathor. Hathor earned the nickname "Lady of Drunkenness" from this event.
Ra's Retirement and the Sun's Journey
Exhausted by the ordeal, Ra decided to abdicate his role in managing the mortal world, deeming himself too old for the task. He summoned Nut, the goddess of the sky, who transformed into a heavenly cow. Ra climbed onto her back, and she carried him to the heavens. This story is believed to date back to around 2000 BCE and is inscribed in the Book of the Heavenly Cow.
Even in the heavens, Ra remained responsible for the sun's journey. He traveled across the sky in two different boats: the Mjett (morning boat) and the Messet (evening boat). For the morning journey, Ra adopted a falcon head, resembling a warrior. In the evening, he transformed into a ram-headed deity. Ra was known for his varied forms, including a man with a scarab beetle head, a falcon-headed man with a sun disk, or various animal forms like a serpent, bull, or lion.
The Nightly Journey Through Duat
As the sun set, Ra's journey entered its most perilous phase: traversing Duat, the underworld. Duat was a realm of the dead, guarded by gates and numerous guardians. Ra navigated this realm on an underground version of the Nile, passing through 12 regions, each with its own guardian. His passage was facilitated by knowing the secret names of each guardian, akin to knowing passwords.
Despite this advantage, some demons challenged him with physical attacks, which Ra repelled. The greatest threat was Apep, a giant serpent and Ra's dark counterpart, who embodied chaos. Apep attempted to swallow Ra's boat or crush it.
On one occasion, Apep tried a different tactic: hypnosis. He stared down Ra, making him feel sleepy and weak. However, as Apep's spell took hold, Ra's form shifted, and he transformed into Osiris, the god of the underworld. Apep, recognizing Osiris, averted his gaze and allowed him to pass, fearing the lord of the underworld. This merging of Ra and Osiris is seen as a metaphor for order overcoming chaos. In another myth, Ra merges with Ammun to become Ammun-Ra.
The episode concludes with a brief mention of the ongoing battle between Ra and Apep as a metaphor for order versus chaos, and a humorous exchange about cows and dairy products. The hosts tease an upcoming episode about heroes.
Conclusion
The video provides a detailed exploration of ancient Egyptian creation myths, focusing on the supreme god Ra. It outlines the creation of the world from Nun, the birth of gods through Ra's actions, and the subsequent separation of earth and sky. The narrative then shifts to humanity's rebellion, Ra's wrath, and the intervention of Hathor/Sekhmet, resolved by Ra's clever use of beer. Finally, it details Ra's retirement to the heavens and his essential, perilous nightly journey through the underworld, Duat, where he battles the forces of chaos embodied by Apep. The episode highlights the symbolic nature of these myths, representing themes of creation, order, chaos, and divine power.
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