History Embalmed

Creation Myth

Egyptian Gods - What is the Creation Myth?
What is the Creation Myth? Many civilizations have mythological and religious explanations of the nature and genesis of the universe. The Egyptian Creation Myth is the myth or legend that explained the origin of the universe and man. The Egyptian Priests evolved the creation myth in an attempt to explain how some of the major Egyptian Gods and Goddesses came into being and the the nature and genesis of the universe.

The Creation Myth - The Egyptian Cosmogony of Heliopolis
The Egyptian creation myth is also referred to as the Cosmogony of Heliopolis. The word Cosmology derives from the Greek word "cosmo" meaning universe and "gony or gonos" meaning origin, birth or creation.

The Egyptian Creation Myth is the legend that explained the origin of the universe and man. The Egyptian Priests evolved the creation myth, or cosmogny, in an attempt to explain how some of the major Egyptian Gods and Goddesses came into being and the the nature and genesis of the universe. in the creation myth the birthplace of the Gods in the Creation Myth was in Heliopolis, hence the name the Cosmogony of Heliopolis.

The Creation Myth - the Egyptian Gods and Goddesses of the Ennead
The Egyptian priests needed a story or myth which centred around the main Gods and Goddesses answering the questions of where they came from and their relationship to each other. A 'family tree' of the Gods and Goddesses explained 'who was who' and what relationships they had with each other. There were nine Egyptian Gods and Goddesses who were featured in the Creation Myth. The nine original deities in the creation myth and legends of the Ancient Egyptians were referred to as the Ennead.

Summary of the Creation Myth
A summary of the Egyptian creation myth is as follows:

  • At first there was darkness and a primeval ocean called Nun
  • The Sun God Atum, Ra or Re, the Lord of Creation rose and spat out the elements of moisture (the Goddess Tefnut) and air (the God Shu)
  • The twins, Shu and Tefnut gave birth to the Earth God, Geb, and the Sky Goddess, Nut
  • The God and Goddess Geb and Nut had four children: Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys

Egyptian Gods & Goddesses of the Creation Myth
The nine deities of the Creation Myth were as therefore as follows, click any of the links for additional information about each of the gods:

Atum - Later subsumed as the Sun God Ra - the God of Life and Reproduction
Geb - God of Life beneath the Earth - Vegetation and the Underworld
Isis - Goddess of Love, Magic, Fertility and Healing
Nephthys - Goddess of Divine Assistance
Nut - Goddess of the Sky
Osiris - God of Death, the Underworld and Rebirth
Seth - God of Evil, Chaos
Shu - God of Wind and Air
Tefnut - Goddess of Rain

Each of these Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses who formed the Ennead played a major part in the creation myth.

Creation Myth
Each section of this Creation Myth website addresses all topics and provides interesting facts and information about Egypt and its Ancient Gods and Goddesses. The Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of the Egyptians and the Pharaoh Tutankhamun.

Egyptian Gods

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