Ted Makarewicz
Re'-Atum (Atum), was the sun god who emerged from the waters of Nun in the form of a bird and created the first land, Benben. Atum then made the first generation of gods. They were Shu and Tefnut, the deities of moisture and air. Shu and Tefnut gave birth to Geb, god of the Earth, and Nut, the goddess of the sky. These four gods of moisture, air, Earth, and sky, completed the physical universe. Atum later created mankind with his tears. When his creation was complete, he turned into the form of a man and ruled the Earth (picture right).
When Atum became old, mankind plotted rebellion against Atum. As a defense, Atum sent Hathor to destroy mankind. Hathor killed most of mankind until only a few of them were left. Atum felt sorry for these few remaining people and decided to spare their lives. Instead of killing all of the humans, Atum left leaving Shu in his place.
The birth of Set and Osiris played a very important role. It established the role of good and evil in the world. Osiris was king of the Earth after Atum. Set hated his brother and killed him in a fit of rage. Isis, Osiris's sister wife, embalmed her husband's body with the help of the god Anubis. Anubis became the king of embalming because of this. The powerful charms of Isis resurrected Osiris, who then became the king of the land of the dead, or the netherworld. Horus, who was the son of Osiris and Isis, defeated Set later in a great battle and became king of the Earth.
This myth, like many others, offers us an interesting view into the culture and beliefs of different civilizations. Myths are who people are. They shape culture and teach us lessons in life. They demonstrate classic battles of good and evil or conflicts of the head and the heart. Myths form the foundation on which cultures are based on. Every culture has to have its own beliefs.
Egypt's creation myth, like many other culture's myths, is complex and illustrates how the world came to be. The Egyptians believed that the basic principles of life were made by the gods at the creation of the world. The Egyptian Creation myths we know today overlap because different versions of the myth are found. They cannot be easily distinctive because they borrowed from each other. These myths are known as the Heliopolitan, Memphite, and Theban creations. However, in the basic story of their myth, it all began with Re'-Atum.
Geb and Nut married, but this was against Atum's orders so he forced Shu to separate the pair. Shu successfully defeated Geb and raised Nut permanently to the sky to keep them apart; however, Nut was already pregnant by Geb. Atum, who was extremely upset by this, punished her by refusing to allow her to give birth in any month of any year. Thoth, the god of learning, felt sorry for Nut, so he gambled with the Moon and won extra light. He used the extra light to add five new days to the Egyptian 360-day calendar. During those five days, Nut gave birth to five gods. One was Osiris (picture left), the god of nature, plants and the underworld. He plays an important role in civilizing man, but was eventually murdered by his brother, Set. Osiris is credited with convincing Egyptians to renounce cannibalism, take up farming, teaching them the pleasures of music, and developing a legal code for them. Nut also gave birth to Horus the elder. Seth was another child who was the incarnation of evil and wickedness. After he killed Osiris, he became king of Egypt. Isis, the next child, was the faithful wife of Osiris and a good sorcerer. The last was Nepthys, Set's sister and consort, but she also managed to have a baby by Osiris.
For a more complete list of the gods and information about them, click here.