Egyptian Religion Two Deities Ra Amun Beliefs Rituals Of Ancient Egypt

Egyptian religion in ancient time was the beliefs and the rituals of Egypt. Egyptians followed this religion for nearly three thousand years till the arrival of copic Christianity and Islam. In the long run of Egyptian history the dominant beliefs of Egyptians continuously merged and developed with the arrival of different powerful groups. For an example Ra and Amun were two different deities. During the New Kingdom the two deities merged into one that is Amun-Ra. Another example is Ra-Herakty, combination of Ra and Horus. This process is called syncretism.

Early beliefs of Egyptian religion is divided into five groups – the Ennead of Heliopolis, whose chief God is Atum or Atum-Ra; the Ogdoad of Hermopolis, whose chief god was thoth; the Khnum-Satis-Anuket triad of Elephantine, here the chief god is Chnum, the Amun-Mut-Chons triad of Thebes, whose chief god is Amun and the Ptah-Sekhmet-Nefertem triad of Memphis, where the chief god was Ptah.

Ancient Egyptian religion was polytheistic and often zoomorphic. One aspect of this religion is that deities sometime played different and conflicting role at similar time. Such as lioness Sekhmet was once sent by Ra to destroy the rebelled human but later on Shekmet became the protector of the kingdom.

The ancient myth of the Egyptian religion states that at first the Universe was filled up with the dark waters of chaos. Re-Atum was the first god who appeared from that black water. From his spittle two god Shu the air and goddess Tefnut the moisture were born. The world was created with the birth of their children Nut the sky and Geb the earth. Once Shu and Tefnut lost in the dark waste while wandering in there. Re-Atum sent his eye in search of them. The human beings were created from the tears of joy that Re-Atum shed after getting back Shu and Tefnut.

There is a well-developed after-life view in Egyptian religion. Thats why in Egyptian religion there is an elaborate ritual of preparing the body and the soul for an eternal life after death. This belief led them for the preservation of the body. Embalming and the mummification were in practice to preserve ones identity even after the death in another world. At first in Egyptian religion the dead used to keep in a shallow pit on scorching hot sand after wrapping the body with reed mates. In this process the body dried quickly and decomposition was prevented. In later life they started to make the tomb with wood or sun-baked bricks for performing last right.

In Egyptian religion mummification was developed in fourth dynasty for the benefit of the pharaohs and other royal persons. Mummification is a long process and it took seventy days to complete it. The entire organs and the brain of the body were removed from the body only heart was placed in place because it was believed that heart was the place where soul resides. Egyptian religion