EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY

Pinch, G. (2002) Egyptian Mythology A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Robins, G. (2008) The Art of Ancient Egypt. London: The British Museum Press. Stevens, A.

This myth, although mostly incomplete, was central to the Egyptian religion. It explained the importance of the Pharaoh, Ma’at, and establishes the Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife and magic. Egyptian mythology evolved and grew, like many other mythologies in other civilizations. The mythology, like every religion, was important to the Egyptian way of life. It was a guide that explained how to live their lives and to survive their death.

Through studies such as comparative mythology, researchers and philosophers have discover hundreds of parallels between the myths that make up every culture, including their creation myths. As most are deeply rooted in religion, comparisons based on geographic area, themes, and similar story lines emerge as religions form and migrate. Campbell recognized these similarities an... ... middle of paper ... ...milarities. Their single god creates a firmament, luminaries, dry land, and the people that inhabit that land. Chinese and Egyptian mythology also share an uncanny amount of coincidences, such as the presence of a dog-headed god, or the creation of Earth and the heavens from a cosmic egg.

One of the way pharaohs prepared themselves for the afterlife journey was by building a pyramid and putting there all their belongings and riches. Egyptian people believed that pharaoh is the closest person to the God and treated him accordingly. That is the reason for Egyptian tombs being full with the golden jewelry, precious stones and art objects. Most of the time art objects were not considered a treasury but they played their particular role in religious rituals. Jars were holding food and drinks for pharaoh’s journey, so he would not get hungry and would have food and drinks to offer to the Gods.

The ancient period had been of a great interest to today’s scientists, mathematicians, and even archaeologists. What we use or see now: the formulas in sciences and mathematics, some structures such as the pyramids, and even the calendar may be the products of the olden time. To find the birth of these, let us trace back time starting from 3000 BC: First dynasty of Egypt -The first mortal ruler of Egypt was its unifier Menes because Menes had unified the divided Egypt. He, Menes, had made Memphis the capital of Egypt according to the Greek historian Herodotus and Menes made it possible by blocking the Nile River so that they could regain land for the city. Having the first mortal, the Egyptians had started their first dynasty.

Seeing Egyptian Culture Through the Book of the Dead and The Creation Myth Two works of literature representing the Egyptian Culture are the book of the dead and the creation myth. The book of the dead focuses upon magic spells which ensure the safe journey of the deceased to the other world and his acceptance and beatification there by Osiris its lord and ruler (Hodges 127). The Egyptian creation myth is concerned with the creation of Egyptian gods, how these gods intend create the universe and all living things. These two works show how the afterlife and gods play a major role in the Egyptian culture. In the Egyptian culture, for the deceased to travel to the underworld he would have to confront irrational forces.

For example, the king of gods, Horus, who held the title of ‘sky god’ and ‘protector of pharaohs’ had temples of worship, received offerings and statues in his honor. Egyptian gods were often depicted with a human body and an animal head. Each god had their own purpose, and was associated with symbols and traits. These characteristics were what ancient Egyptians used to depict their gods in paintings, carvings and sculptures. Much of ancient Egypt’s art is based off of their gods and pharaohs.

This in turn made them a polytheistic culture. The Egyptians reliance on the land was so important, that it was not uncommon to see important land marks and other important aspects of their culture, show up in their creation story and other myths. They had over one hundred gods and goddess they worshipped. But like many cultures, the culture changed with time from a polytheistic a culture. The Egyptians beliefs in the gods and goddess they worshipped came from their reliance on the land; that in their creation stories and many of the god and goddess creation stories have references to important land marks in Egypt.

Their religion used metaphors based on natural cycles and understandable experiences to explain everyday occurrences. All aspects of Egyptian culture and civilization were manifestations of religious beliefs. Astronomy, medicine, geography and art are just a few of the things explained trough religion. In our now modern society it may seem silly to ask why the sun rises, but Egyptians had asked this very question. In order to make sense of the world around them they had decided that the sun god Ra is responsible for the sunrise.

"Age of Pyramids." National Geographic Jan. 1995: 6-41 BULFINCH'S MYTHOLOGY. New York: Crown Publishers Incorporated, 1979. Breasted, J.H. DEVELOPMENT OF RELIGION AND THOUGHT IN ANCIENT EGYPT.