The civilization of the ancient Egyptians created many myths. These are legends about the creation of the world, about agriculture, about the afterlife. The heroes of myths are the gods and pharaohs of Egypt, who ruled the country for several millennia.
Egyptian culture, including mythology, emerged from ancient religious beliefs. And it came to life in many monuments of a great civilization, like life itself. Wall paintings inside temples, pyramids-tombs of the pharaohs and fragile papyri tell about one thing. About how the gods created life and arranged it according to their own will.
Creation myths
From Egyptian myths, it follows that life from the dead water desert was created by the great god Atum. The first creations of Atum were the wind god Shu and the goddess Tefnut with the head of a lioness. The first pair of Atum's children shared his loneliness.
The second beautiful creature was the sun god Ra, his appearance illuminated the darkness and brought warmth, and from the tears of Ra's happiness people appeared. Then Atum created Hebe and Nut, the god of the earth and the goddess of the sky. They came into the world, hugging tightly, so heaven and earth were inseparable.
After a quarrel, Ra separated them, giving people dry land for life. Grateful people have since remembered and honored the two main gods: Ra and Atum. They tilled the land, built cities, and worshiped the sun.
Agriculture myths
The second theme, which gave birth to many myths, was agriculture. The fertile valleys of the Nile were adjacent to the desert, periodically bringing drought. During the floods, the inhabitants of Egypt offered up their prayers to the great Khali. The god who owns the waters of the Nile could stop the disaster.
The harvest and the subsequent revival of nature, the Egyptians associated with the legend of Osiris. His brother Set killed him, and his wife Isis gave birth to the son of Horus from the dead Osiris. The matured Horus killed the insidious Set and resurrected Osiris. Rites symbolizing the resurrection of Osiris were held annually in Egypt. And the evil Seth remained the god of the desert and death.
Isis and Osiris became the most famous Egyptian gods. Isis was the goddess of family, fidelity and motherhood, for a long time she ruled Egypt alone, because her husband did not want to return to people.
Afterlife myths
Osiris from then on began to judge the dead in the afterlife. And the resurrection of Osiris became a symbol of eternal life for the Egyptians. The jackal god Anubis and the god Thoth helped the ruler of the world of the dead. They weighed the deceased's heart on a scale. The feather of the goddess of truth Maat was placed on the other side of the scales.
So, getting into the world of the dead - Duat, the Egyptians were divided into righteous and sinners. The sinners were given to be devoured by the monster Amat, and the righteous went to the beautiful fields of Ialu to enjoy eternal happiness.
All the Egyptians were aware of the inevitability of the judgment of Osiris, they were preparing to go through the difficult path along the Duat and to appease the god of the underworld. The details of the trial were described in the Book of the Dead and passed down from generation to generation.
The myths of ancient Egypt are the cultural heritage of mankind. Scientists note the importance of their origin and preservation for the history of world culture. Many tales and legends of our time were born from Egyptian and Greek myths, they still retain moral and spiritual value.
