Introduction
Egypt, the Land of the Pharaohs, has a long and rich history which has a time-line dating from the Early Dynastic Period, beginning in 2920 BCE, through the Graeco-Roman Period which ended in the year 395 CE. The architectural knowledge, science, and religious practices of this grand civilization have mesmerized mankind for centuries.
In this course, I will be discussing some of the gods and goddesses which make up the Egyptian system of religion. Throughout the time of Ancient Egypt, many different gods and goddesses were worshipped by Egyptians for many different reasons. The Egyptians had a form of Deity for nearly every aspect of their lives. Whether it be the sun traveling across the desert sky, or a woman giving birth to a child, the Egyptians had a patron god or goddess to cover it all. The total number of different Egyptian forms of Deity has been said to be somewhere in the thousands. Therefore, for the sake of this lesson, I will cover only the Osirian gods and goddesses, collectively known as the Ennead.
The Ennead
The Ennead is the collective term for the primary Osirian gods and goddesses. All of the other forms of Deity in the Egyptian system of religion are seen as an extension of these. There are a total of nine. They are: Amun-Ra, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osirus, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. These were the first family of Deities in Egyptian culture. The term Ennead is also used to describe the great council of the gods as well as a collective term for all the gods.
The lineage of these Deities, although it has changed throughout the ages, began in the following way. Amun-Ra was the first of the gods. He was the one which arose out of the Primeval Deity of Nu. Traditionally, it is said that Amun-Ra was a personification of both the male and female form of Deity. Through him was born Shu and Tefnut. From the union of these two came Geb and Nut. Their children, Isis, Osirus, Set, and Nephthys are seen as the first gods of the earth. From these four great-grandchildren of Amun-Ra were born the rest of the Egyptian Deities along with all of the Pharaohs, which were also considered by the Egyptians to be divine.
Egypt, the Land of the Pharaohs, has a long and rich history which has a time-line dating from the Early Dynastic Period, beginning in 2920 BCE, through the Graeco-Roman Period which ended in the year 395 CE. The architectural knowledge, science, and religious practices of this grand civilization have mesmerized mankind for centuries.
In this course, I will be discussing some of the gods and goddesses which make up the Egyptian system of religion. Throughout the time of Ancient Egypt, many different gods and goddesses were worshipped by Egyptians for many different reasons. The Egyptians had a form of Deity for nearly every aspect of their lives. Whether it be the sun traveling across the desert sky, or a woman giving birth to a child, the Egyptians had a patron god or goddess to cover it all. The total number of different Egyptian forms of Deity has been said to be somewhere in the thousands. Therefore, for the sake of this lesson, I will cover only the Osirian gods and goddesses, collectively known as the Ennead.
The Ennead
The Ennead is the collective term for the primary Osirian gods and goddesses. All of the other forms of Deity in the Egyptian system of religion are seen as an extension of these. There are a total of nine. They are: Amun-Ra, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osirus, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. These were the first family of Deities in Egyptian culture. The term Ennead is also used to describe the great council of the gods as well as a collective term for all the gods.
The lineage of these Deities, although it has changed throughout the ages, began in the following way. Amun-Ra was the first of the gods. He was the one which arose out of the Primeval Deity of Nu. Traditionally, it is said that Amun-Ra was a personification of both the male and female form of Deity. Through him was born Shu and Tefnut. From the union of these two came Geb and Nut. Their children, Isis, Osirus, Set, and Nephthys are seen as the first gods of the earth. From these four great-grandchildren of Amun-Ra were born the rest of the Egyptian Deities along with all of the Pharaohs, which were also considered by the Egyptians to be divine.