SHRINE OF
RA



Ra was the god of the sun during dynastic Egypt; the name is thought to have meant "creative power", and as a proper name "Creator", similar to English Christian usage of the term "Creator" to signify the "almighty God." Very early in Egyptian history Ra was identified with Horus, who as a hawk or falon-god represented the loftiness of the skies. Ra is represented either as a hawk-headed man or as a hawk. Owing to the fact that the sun was a fire, the Egyptians realized that in order to travel through the waters of Heaven and the Underworld, it required a boat, and so Ra was depicted as traveling in a boat. During the day the boat was a great galley called Madjet ("becoming strong") and during the night, a small barge called Semektet ("becoming weak"). During dynastic Egypt Ra's cult center was Annu (Hebrew "On", Greek "Heliopolis", modern-day "Cairo"). In Dynasty V, the first king, Userkaf, was also Ra's high priest, and he added the term "Sa-Ra (Son of Ra)" to the titulary of the pharaohs. Ra was father of Shu and Tefnut, grandfather of Nut and Geb, great-grandfather of Osiris, Set, Isis, and Nephthys, and great-great-grandfather to Horus. In later periods (about Dynasty 18 on) Osiris and Isis superseded him in popularity, but he remained "Ra netjer-aa neb-pet" ("Ra, the great God, Lord of Heaven") whether worshiped in his own right or, in later times, as half of the Lord of the Universe, Amen-Ra. The God Ra was seen as the personification of the vitalizing force of the Sun. The ancient Egyptians recognized that life on Earth could not exist without the Sun's energy, and so honored and focused on Ra in his many forms. Through the millenia of their culture, Ra acquired the persons and attributes of many other Gods, or they his. His worship never truly died out until Rome conquered Egypt. He is generally represented as a man with a hawk's head, who bears the solar disk surrounded by the uraeus. The latter is a form of Egyptian spitting cobra whose venom represents the burning rays of the Sun. Ra first appears in the legends of the city of Annu (Heliopolis), the first capital of Lower Egypt. The God Atum, who arises out of the depths of the sea of Nu to bring the world into existence becomes Ra as he generates his own light against the eternal darkness. He begins to create the world under the guidance of Ma'at. Atum-Ra is the father of the Gods, beginning with the twins, Shu (Air) and Moisture (Tefnut), whom he generates by parthenogenesis. (In some versions, Ra has a corresponding female essence, Rat, but this doesn't appear to generally affect his legend.) Shu and Tefnut then give birth to the twins, Geb (Earth) and Nut (Sky). Ra becomes so angry at the way that Geb and Nut cling together that he forces Shu to separate them. In this way, he makes a space for beings to live on Geb. Nut eventually gives birth to five children, with the help of Thoth, who become the major Gods of early Egypt: Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, and Heru-ur. Ra was the chief God of the Ennead of Annu, nine Gods who formed the Great Company of Heliopolis. These are generally given as Atem or Horus, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. When Ra left the Earthly rulership to his grandson, Osiris, and returned to the heavens, he came more strictly under the rulership of Ma'at. In his heavenly form, he sailed the Wia-hehe, the "Boat of Millions of Years" or eternity, which carried the solar disk, the Aten. In this form, he begins each day as Khepera, the scarab/dung beetle who rolls the Sun's disk above the horizon in the morning. At midday, he is Ra or Horus (depending on where the myths come from), then at dusk, he is the old man, Atum again. His night form is variously Atum, Osiris, or Amon, depending on which legends you consult. In later dynasties, the cult of Amon, principal God of Thebes, was conflated with the worship of Ra, giving the Amon-Ra with which many of us are familiar. Amon was originally the "hidden one," who represented Ra during the night among other aspects. The Time of the Burning Eye: In ancient times, Lord Ra descended to Earth and lived among mankind, dispensing justice and teaching them to live harmony with the natural order of Ma'at. He had many children and grandchildren, but his favorites were Hathor and Sekhmet. Unlike Hathor, who appeared as a very beautiful human woman, Sekhmet carried with her the vital energies of the lions, and could take on the form of a golden-tawny lioness at will. She occasionally roamed the land in that form, seeing how mankind treated the animal folk, and bringing back reports to her father. As Ra aged, mankind grew weary of his strict rule and began to mutter and break the laws. They thought that Ra would never punish them, since he seemed to be more and more senile each day. Yet Ra, whose immortal spirit was ever aware, hoped in his heart that mankind would come to their senses. At last mankind went too far, and began to desecrate Ra's temples, and act in the most immoral ways they could. They continually broke the laws, and behaved in ways that made Ma'at weep. Ra could bear it no longer. He summoned his wild daughter, Sekhmet, and gave into her charge his bright, burning eye, which humans saw as the Sun, during the day. "My daughter," he said, "humanity has become a curse on the world. I am old and weak in this body, and cannot punish them as they deserve, but you can! Take my eye and teach them their lesson." Sekhmet took the burning eye, and changed into her lioness form to rage through the land. Many men and women were burnt up, crying out to Ma'at in sorrow for their sins. Sekhmet became dizzy with the smoke and drunk on the blood. She lost control and began to burn everything in her path. Those who still worshiped Ra and held to the laws of Ma'at had been afraid, but now they were terrified! They cried out to Ra for mercy and protection from the rage of his daughter. Ra saw that Sekhmet had become lost in her lioness self, and consulted with Thoth and Isis to find a way to stop her before she destroyed the world. The wise ones came up with a plan. Thoth prepared a great pit of beer, and Isis used her magic to make it appear to be a pool of blood. They lured Sekhmet to the trap with scents and signs that her lioness mind read as a great kill. Sekhmet began to drink from the pool, and became drunker and drunker. Eventually, she fell asleep and resumed her normal form. Ra realized that it was time for them to leave the world and return to the immortal realms. He turned the rule of mankind over to Osiris and Isis, and took Sekhmet home. When she awoke, she was horrified to learn of her excesses, and vowed henceforth to always control her rage. Yet she remains Ra's champion, and the avenger of Ma'at, for those who call on her for help.