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Today is an introduction to the beliefs of ancient Egypt. Its civilization was very important in the cultural and historical landscape of the Orient, for more than 3 millennia.

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The Cosmogony

Religion was extremely important in ancient Egypt. Indeed, it represented the vision of the world and the beyond. Religion was closely connected with politics and royal power.

Pharaoh was seen as a god among men. His task in addition to managing the country, was to be the intermediary of the daily offerings to the gods. It's through these rituals, he acceded to the divine status. However, most of these offerings were generally made by the priests. For the simple reason that he was not omnipresent.

The cosmogony of the Egyptian religion is special, for there was not one version but several. The latter were intersected and could even contradict each other. But apparently this did not bother the Egyptians of antiquity, there was no will to make a canon.

Moreover, there is not only one source, in fact there are many of them from different eras.

Important primary sources :

• The pyramid texts of Ancient Empire, dating from about 2686 BC.
• The Coffin Texts of Middle Empire, dating from about 2055 BC.
• The Book of the Dead from the New Empire around 1550 BC.
• The Papyrus Bremner-Rhind, dating from the fourth century BC.
• ...

An interesting thing to note is that before the Ancient Empire, the researchers did not find a written record. It would seem that during the Thinite period (about 3 century) before 2686 BC, the tradition was probably oral, but we do not really know where it comes from.

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_{The Book of the Dead - Papyrus of Hounefer - British Museum}

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Each great city had its own divinity and the narrative of the creation of the world that goes with it.

For example :

• Heliopolis (City of the sun), had as its name indicates a solar deity - Re-Horakhty.
• Hermopolis had a Thoth's cult, even if the Demiurge was still Re.
• Esna had a dinivity that would have molded men on his potter's wheel - Khnum.
• ...

However, all these cosmogonies had two points in common :

• The Nun : It was before the creation of the world. It's rarely represented, surely because it's difficult to do so. In these beliefs, there was the idea that the sun had originated there and came out of the Nun. The first god was born there. This time of creation was called the First Time. But the Nun does not disappear with the creation of the gods, it's just repulsed and continued to surround Egypt.
• The Demiurge : He is the god born at this "First Time" by his own will. And he's often represented as a solar deity. Being the first, the Demiurge is at the top of the hierarchy of the gods.




The solar cycle was fundamental in the Egyptian cosmogony, it represented the cycle of Life-Death.
The day originating in the East and ending its life in the West, was seen as life. The night was thus the kingdom of the dead, filled with danger (many prayers were supposed to help for this difficult passage). And the day came back, like a daily renaissance. Anyway, I will deepen this in an upcoming episode. ✌

Sources about Nun :

"Before the sky Exists,
Before the earth exists,
Before men exist,
Before death exists."
_{― Pyramid Text ( Zivie-Coche, 2006, p. 74)}

"I was alone with the Nun in a state of inertia, when I could not find a place to stand up, found no place to sit, while Heliopolis was not yet found, so that I could stay there, while the Uadj on which I sit was not yet constituted, when I had not yet done Nut for her to be above me, when the first corporation of the gods had not yet been born and the primordial Ennead had not yet come into existence to be with me."
_{― Papyrus Bremner-Rhind 26, 22-24 (Zivie-Coche, 2006, p. 80)}

✾

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_{The Nun - P. National Library Paris}

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Did you liked it ? You can follow me for the next episodes and click on the following links of previous ones.
HoR - Ancient Polytheism (2. The Bacchanalia)
HoR - Tibet (1. Mountains-gods)
HoR - Ancient Polytheism (1. Dionysus)
HoR - Aristotle
HoR - Shamanism (M. J. Harner and M. Eliade)
HoR - Islam (1. Muhammad)
HoR - Islam (2. The Five Pillars)

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P.S. A comment about what you think, is always appreciated. 👌

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Information sources : from my course notes and the following books

ALLEN, J. P.,Genesis in Egypt. The Philosophy of Ancient Egyptian Creation Accounts, Yale Egyptological Studies 2, New Haven, 1988

BICKEL, S.,La cosmogonie égyptienne avant le Nouvel Empire, OBO 143, Fribourg, Göttingen, 1994
ZIVIE-COCHE, C.Les cosmogonies, la création et le temps, in: F. DUNAND, C. ZIVIE-COCHE, Hommes et Dieux en ÉgypteParis, 2006, pp. 69-103

SAUNERON, S.,YOYOTTE, J.,La naissance du monde selon l’Égypte ancienne, Paris, 1959, pp. 19-91

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❈ LMM