This document provides background information on Egyptian mythology and discusses several key topics: 1. It outlines the objectives of studying Egyptian mythology which are to discuss Egyptian gods and goddesses, creation myths, and appreciate the values learned. 2. It then provides historical context on ancient Egypt from unification in 3100 BC until conquest by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. 3. The main body covers religious centers in Egypt like Memphis and Heliopolis, important gods and goddesses, and creation stories from these different centers including the stories of Atum, Ptah, and Osiris. 4. Sources of mythology like the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, and Book of

1. English 22 ( Mythology and Folklore)

2. Objectives:
At the end of the discussion, the
students should be able to:
1.Discuss Egyptian mythology,
2.Identify the Ancient Egyptian gods
and goddesses and their roles in
Egyptian myth,
3.Explain an example of Egyptian
creation myth using symbolisms and
archetypes,
4.Appreciate the values and
knowledge learned.

3.  For almost 30 centuries—from its Unification
around 3100 B.C. to its conquest by Alexander
the Great in 332 B.C.—ancient Egypt was the
preeminent civilization in the Mediterranean
world. From the great pyramids of the Old
Kingdom through the military conquests of the
New Kingdom, Egypt's majesty has long
entranced archaeologists and historians and
created a vibrant field of study all its own:
Egyptology. The main sources of information
about ancient Egypt are the many monuments,
objects and artifacts that have been recovered
from archaeological sites, covered with
hieroglyphs that have only recently been
deciphered. The picture that emerges is of a
culture with few equals in the beauty of its art,
the accomplishment of its architecture or the
richness of its religious traditions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3Wvw6BivVI
BACKGROUND

4. Built during a time when Egypt was one of the richest and
most powerful civilizations in the world, the pyramids—
especially the Great Pyramids of Giza—are some of the most
magnificent man-made structures in history. Their massive
scale reflects the unique role that the pharaoh, or king,
played in ancient Egyptian society. Though pyramids were
built from the beginning of the Old Kingdom to the close of
the Ptolemaic period in the fourth century A.D., the peak of
pyramid building began with the late third dynasty and
continued until roughly the sixth (c. 2325 B.C.). More than
4,000 years later, the Egyptian pyramids still retain much of
their majesty, providing a glimpse into the country's rich and
glorious past.
http
://www.history.com/topics/the-egyptian-pyramids/videos#deconstructing-history-the-gr
BACKGROUND (CONTINUED)

5. Ancient Egypt's gods and goddesses looked at least partly like humans
and behaved a bit like us, too. Some deities had animal features, like
heads, on top of humanoid bodies. Since they were gods, people were
supposed to worship them. There wasn't one right way to do this
throughout all of Egyptian history and in all places. Different cities and
different pharaohs favored one set of gods over another.
EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY: BACKGROUND

6. Anubis
 The god of funerals. He is depicted as half
man, half jackal.
Bastet
 The goddess of protection. She was seen
as half human, half cat.
Horus
 Was the son of Isis and Osiris. The
protector of pharaohs. Viewed as half
falcon, half human.
Isis
 Osiris’s wife and sister. She was the
goddess of life. Shown as a beautiful
woman
A GLIMPSE TO EGYPTIAN
MYTHOLOGY:
GODS AND GODDESSES

7. Nut
 The goddess of the sky. She is depicted as
blue with stars covering her body and the sky
on her back.
Osiris
 The god of death. Osiris is depicted a s a
pharaoh. He is brother of Set and Isis (also
her husband). He is the son of Nut and the
father of Horus.
Re/Ra
 The god of the sun. He was the ruler of
everything.
Set
 Brother of Osiris, he is the god of chaos, evil,
and storms. He is depicted as composite
animals.
EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY:
GODS AND GODDESSES
(CONTINUED)

8. The ancient Egyptians believed that temples were the homes of the gods
and goddesses. Every temple was dedicated to a god or goddess and he or
she was worshipped there by the temple priests and the pharaoh.
The large temple buildings were made of stone so that they would last
“forever”. Their walls were covered with scenes that were carved onto the
stone then brightly painted. These scenes showed the pharaoh fighting in
battles and performing rituals with the gods and goddesses.
EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY: WORSHIP

9. EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY: WORSHIP
(CONTINUED)

10.  The Sphinx
 Buried for most of its life in the desert sand, an air of mystery has always
surrounded the Great Sphinx, causing speculation about its age and purpose,
method of construction, concealed chambers, role in prophesy, and relationship to
the equally mysterious pyramids.
 The monument is the largest surviving sculpture from the ancient world, measuring
73.5m in length and in parts 20m in height. Part of the uraeus (sacred cobra which
protected from evil forces), the nose and the ritual beard are missing; the beard is
now displayed in the British Museum. The extensions at the side of the head are
part of the royal head cloth. Although the head of the Sphinx has been badly
affected by thousands of years of erosion, traces of the original paint can still be
seen near one ear.
 It is thought that originally the Sphinx’s face was painted dark red. A small temple
between its paws contained dozens of inscribed steal placed by the Pharaohs in
honor of the Sun god
EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY: MYSTERIES

11. EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY: MYSTERIES

12. The Rosetta Stone
 The Rosetta Stone, which is housed in the British Museum, is a black, possibly
basalt slab with three languages on it (Greek, demotic and hieroglyphs) each
saying the same thing. Because the words are translated into the other
languages, it provided Jean-Francois Champollion the key to the mystery of
Egyptian hieroglyphs.
 Discovered at Rosette in 1799, by Napoleon's army, the Rosetta Stone proved
the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs. The person who found it was Pierre
Francois-Xavier Bouchards, a French officer of engineers. It was sent to the
Institut d'Egypte in Cairo and then taken to London in 1802.
EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY: MYSTERIES

13. EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY: MYSTERIES

14.  King Tutankhamen
 Very interesting stories of the boy king. He died at the young at of 19. There was the “kings curse” that
whomever entered the tomb of King Tut would die shortly.
 King Ramesses II
 He had lived a long life of 96 years, having many wives, sons, and daughters. He is famous for his long
life and his great temple.
 King Hatshepsut
 Queen Hatshepsut reigned over Egypt for more than 20 years. She served as queen alongside her
husband, Thutmose II, but after his death claimed the role of pharaoh while acting as regent to her
nephew, Thutmose III. She reigned peaceably, building temples and monuments, resulting in the flourish
of Egypt. After her death, Thutmose III erased her inscriptions and tried to eradicate her memory.
 Queen Cleopatra
 The struggle with her teenage brother over the throne of Egypt was not going as well as Cleopatra VII had
hoped. In 49 B.C., Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII—also her husband and, by the terms of their father's will, her co-
ruler—had driven his sister from the palace at Alexandria after Cleopatra attempted to make herself the
sole sovereign. The queen, then in her early twenties, fled to Syria and returned with a mercenary army,
setting up camp just outside the capital.
NOTABLE EGYPTIAN KINGS AND QUEENS

15. History Channel. Egyptian pyramids. Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/topics/the-egyptian-pyramids/videos
Gill, N. S. Retrieved from http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/egypt/p/
rosettastone.htm
N.S., G. Retrieved from
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/egyptmyth/tp/
071507egyptiandeities.htm
Kidder, B. Retrieved from http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/temples/
home.html
Schiff (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/236/
WORK CITED PAGE

16. THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING.

17. Egyptian Creation
Myths
Isis and Osiris

18. World of Ancient Egypt

19. Religious/Cult Centers
of Ancient Egypt
MEMPHIS
HELIOPOLIS
HERMOPOLIS
THEBES

20. MEMPHIS
Menes (Narmer)
unites Upper and Lower Egypt
with capital at Memphis. c.3100 B.C.
Narmer palette
Metropolitan Museum
of Art
New York

21. Official state religion King as priest:
Pharaoh as Horus or son of Re and, after
death, Osiris
The pharaoh Chephren with Horus. (The
statue originally stood with twenty-two other
royal figures as centerpiece of the statue cult
in the king's valley temple, Giza. Fourth
Dynasty circa 2550 BC. )
Mythology, Religion and
Kingship in Egypt

22. Tutankhamun as Osiris ( Dynasty XVIII tomb painting, from the
north wall of the tomb of Tutankhamun, Valley of the Kings).

23. Timeline of Ancient Egypt
c. 4500-3000 Predynastic Period
c. 3100-2890 Early Dynastic: Dynasty 1
c. 2890-2686 Early Dynastic: Dynasty 2
c. 2686-2613 Early Dynastic: Dynasty 3
c. 2613-2494 Old Kingdom Dynasty 4
c. 2494-2345 Old Kingdom Dynasty 5
c. 2345-2181 Old Kingdom Dynasty 6
c. 2181-2125 Old Kingdom Dynasties 7 & 8
c. 2125-2025 First Intermediate Period: Dynasties 9-11
c. 2025-1700 Middle Kingdom Dynasties 11-13
c. 1700-1550 Second Intermediate Period Dynasty 13-17
c. 1550-1295 New Kingdom Dynasty 18
c. 1295-1186 New Kingdom Dynasty 19
c. 1186-1069 New Kingdom Dynasty 20
c. 1069-945 Third Intermediate Period Dynasty 21
c. 945-727 Third Intermediate Period Dynasties 22-23
c. 727-332 Late Period Dynasties 24-30 and Persian Occupation
332-30 Ptolemaic Period
30 BC - 330 AD Roman Period
330 AD - 641 Byzantine Period

24. Egyptian Pantheon
For more information, see http://www.touregypt.net/godsofegypt/index.htm
http://www.nemo.nu/ibisportal/0egyptintro/1egypt/index.htm
Re
Osiris Isis
Horus
Anubis
Hathor
Amun
Atum Theriomorphism: Manifestation of some
aspect of the god’s power
E.g., Hathor as cow. Cow as symbol of
fertility

25. Sources
Pyramid Texts
as early as
2375-2345 B.C.
Old Kingdom
Coffin Texts
Middle Kingdom
2025-1700

26. Book of the Dead
a collection of
formulas, hymns,
and prayers for the
deceased of
ancient Egypt. also
known as Pyramid
Texts.
The Egyptians
believed that a
Book of the Dead
was needed to pass
safely through the
demons of the
Underworld after
death.
Book of the Dead of Maiherperi
1427-1392 BC, 18th Dynasty
The Judgment of the Dead

27. Afterlife
Illustration from the Book of the Dead (shows deceased being led to judgment by jackal-
headed god Anubis, where his heart is weighed against a feather, symbol of truth, in the
presence of Thoth, ibis- headed god of wisdom who wears the wide sash of a priest; he
notes the results of the weighing. Then, the deceased is led to the supreme judge of the
dead and ruler of the underworld, Osiris, who is shown enthroned with attendants. From
Thebes. Painted papyrus from the Nineteenth Dynasty ca. 1285 B.C. )

28. Ptah, Creator god of Memphis
Temple of Denderah.
This engraving represents a pharaoh making offerings to the god Ptah and to
the goddess Sekhmet, his wife. Ptah = Primordial Mound
See Bierlein, pp. 51-52

29. Memphis Creation Myth
c. 2900 B.C.
political goal:
1.) to celebrate Ptah, the local god
of Memphis
2.) unification of Two Egypts
Ptah in primaeval water comes to Heliopolis and calls it Memphis
act of creation = Ptah desires himself eight other gods = Ogdoad

30. Temple of Ptah and Sekhmet
at Memphis

31. Shabaka Stone
Shabaka (712-698 B.C.), the first Ethiopian born pharaoh
On the Shabaka Stone: http://maat.sophiatopia.org/shabaka.htm
Translation: http://www.touregypt.net/shabakastone.htm
He (Ptah) gave birth to the gods,
He made the towns,
He established the nomes,
He placed the gods in their shrines,
He settled their offerings,
He established their shrines,
He made their bodies according to their wishes.
Thus the gods entered into their bodies,
Of every wood, every stone, every clay,
Every thing that grows upon him
In which they came to be.
Thus were gathered to him all the gods and their kas,
Content, united with the Lord of the Two Lands.

32. Pyramid Text
Hymn to Osiris
Coffin as Geb (Earth)
Lid as Nut (Sky)
Nut on a coffin lid

33. Creation
Painted papyrus depicting Shu, the air god, raising his daughter Nut, the sky
goddess, above her brother Geb, the earth god, thus creating the world).

35. Heliopolis (Modern Cairo)
Dominant city of the Old Kingdom
Synthesis of
Creation story of Atum
and the story of Osiris
The oldest surviving obelisk in the world,
c.2000 B.C.

36. Coffin Text
Creation via masturbation
Atum spit me [Shu] out
Compare Bierlein, pg. 51

37. Heliopolitan Ennead
From Heliopolis:
Nun (watery chaos)
Atum (sun)
Shu (air) Tefnut (moisture)
Geb (Earth) Nut (sky)
Osiris, Isis, Seth, Nephthys
Seven of nine members of the
Heliopolitan Ennead, as
represented in the judgment
scene on the Papyrus of Ani.
From right to left: Atum, Shu,
Tefnut, Geb, Nut and sitting next
to each other, Isis and
Nephthys. Other members of the
Ennead include Osiris, Seth,
Horus and Thot.

38. Creation of the World
according to Heliopolis
Development of the Ennead
Birth of Isis and Osiris
Death and Resurrection of Osiris

72. Thank You for Your
Listening .