Egyptian Creation Myth - Term Paper Example

 Introduction Similar to ancient Greek and Roman mythology ancient Egyptian creation myths existed as an attempt of the indigenous population to explain the world and natural occurrences detailing the varied aspects of their existence. Also similar to the Greek and Roman systems their observations concerned the natural world, so their Gods and mythic stories included references to God’s of the Sun, Water, and Earth, etc. While there are a number of conflicting versions of Egyptian myths the underlining concern of all of them is their emphasis placed on the sea. The Egyptian’s believed that the basic element of the universe was an ever expanding sea from which all things, including the sun, moon, and stars, emerged. As the Nile River and its cycle of floods was central to their existence and, in a sense, gave rise to their own culture and society, it’s not difficult to see how they attributed such grand importance to this infinite river within their mythology. This essay considers the major understandings of Egyptian mythology from a number of perspectives in an attempt to gain a more thorough understanding of what the Egyptians believed and what these beliefs say about the way they lived their lives and the historical nature of cosmology. Creation Myth Egyptians believed that before anything there existed an infinite and endless flow of water. This bubbling and chaotic stream or river was referred to by the Egyptians as Nu or Nun. From Nun came everything that now makes up their world. The explanation of how Nun created the world has much in common with the scientific and historical understandings of the Nile River. Just as the Nile would flood the dry lands and create chaos to all the living creatures and vegetation habituating there, so would Nun flood the earth. Eventually out of the floods came dry mounds of earth that became the forms of land that are known today. The first mound had a pyramid form and was referred to as Benben (Allen 2000). Creation Myth: Different Interpretations While there are common elements to the ancient Egyptian creation myth they differ in slight but fundamental ways. The next section considers the varying forms of the creation myth as seen from the divergent types of Gods of creation the Egyptians believed in that constituted significant element of their mythology. I. Atum While in the creation myth involving Atum the world was still seen as emanating from the primordial and infinite river, it was as Atum emerged from this river that the rest of the world was formed. As Atum emerged from these waters he couldn’t find any solid land so it was through him that the first mound of land was created. On this hill the temple of Heliopolis was constructed. As one might surmise, this was the dominant myth of the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. Some different interpretations believed that Atum himself was the hill (Allen 2000). After creating the hill that civilization would be founded on, Atum’s next step was to create the rest of the Gods that would constitute civilization. Since there was nobody else around that Atum could marry and procreate with he had to accomplish this by mating with his shadow. While this explanation seems slightly strange to contemporary people, researchers note that there is a frequent occurrence of such acts occurring within ancient Egyptian mythology (Allen 2000). In the particular case of Atum it served the purpose of designating him/her as the only governing and creative force in the entire universe. Atum has even been known as bisexual and referred to as the great ‘He-She’ (Allen 2000). The birth of Atum’s children has a number of different interpretations. In one interpretation the birth of the children occurred on the original hill that Atum created. In another interpretation Atum existed in the primeval waters when he gave birth to his children. Atum’s son Tefnut was created as Atum simply spit him out. His daughter Shu was created through vomiting. His daughter Shu came to represent the air, while his son Tefnut came to represent the water and moisture. These two elements of Atum’s creation collaborated in the development of the natural order, as Shu developed the ‘principles of Life’ and Tefnut developed the ‘principles of Order.’ One time Shu and Tefnut vanished and disappeared into the primeval waters. In response Atum removed his eye and sent it searching for them, soon after Shu and Tefnut returned with Atum’s eye and it cried tears of joy. When the tears fell to the earth that Atum had created they turned into people. It was then that Atum determined that the rest of the pantheon of Gods must be created. As a result Shu and Tefnut fathered the Gods of earth and sky – Geb and Nut. Geb and Nut then gave birth to the rest of the major Gods, including Osisir, Iris, Seth, and Nephthys. II. Khepri In another creation myth the Sun God Ra takes the form of a scarab beetle named Khepri. Khepri states that, “Heaven and earth did not exist. And the things of the earth did not yet exist. I raised them out of Nu, from their stagnant state. I have made things out of that which I have already made, and they came from my mouth” (http://www.egyptartsite.com/crea.html) In this interpretation, researchers identify Khepri’s speech with the element of Egyptian mythology before even the creation of the infinite sea or land. Khepri then creates this infinite sea abyss referred to as Nu, out of which he, not Atum created the rest of the world. Khepri then states, “I found no place to stand. I cast a spell with my own heart to lay a foundation in Maat. I made everything . I was alone. I had not yet breathed the god Shu, and I had not yet spit up the goddess Tefnut. I worked alone” (http://www.egyptartsite.com/crea.html) Through his magic powers Khepri creates the first form of land foundation in Maat. It was from this foundation that the laws of order, stability, as well the functions of the natural order came into existence – this is notable, as the Atum creation myth understood the emergence of these forms to have emanated from Shu and Tefnut, yet Khepri explicitly states that they had not been created at this point (Fleming 2007). While in this myth the creation of Shu and Tefnut are similar in many ways to the myth of Atum, their creation story is also differs in slight ways. Rather than being created by the Sun God Atum, they are created by the Sun God Nu. However, in both instances it is through the removal of the Sun God’s eye and its eventual return that created men and women. After the creation of men and women Nu created another eye that represents the moon. After this, Nu created the plants, vegetation, and animals (Fleming 2007). Similar to the myth of Atum, in the myth of Khepri it was the union of Shu and Tefnut that gave rise to the rest of the pantheon of Gods, including Geb and Nut. The Sun in Egyptian Mythology It was out of Benben that the Sun God emerged. While the Sun God has many different names throughout Egyptian myth, it is consistently a central aspect of their mythology. As the Sun took on different forms the Egyptians attributed varying names to it. For instance, as the Sun that hangs in the sky it is referred to as Khepri; it was also known as a scarab beetle named Ra-Harakhte – this formation was attributed to the forms of the sun’s rays. The rising sun was referred to simply as Ra. This Sun God Ra has is the moniker which has gained most cultural panache as it has been featured in many films and literature and offering historical accounts of Egyptian civilization. The setting sun was referred to as both Atum the old man and Horus on the horizon. When taking the form of a solar disk the sun was referred to as Aten. The sun was even known not in terms of rising and falling but as eggs which were laid one a day by the Great Cackler Geb, who took the form of a goose (Wilkinson 2003). Miscellaneous Mythological Elements The Egyptians believed that the moon consisted of a collection of Gods and was not merely one single entity. When the moon took the form of the God Horus, it was believed to be Horus’ left eye. When the moon took the form of the God Seth, it was believed to be his right eye. While Seth was the lunar God and Horus one of the Sun Gods the Egyptians believed that these two mythological characters were in constant battle, so that there was a war going on between day and night. It’s through this that the moon was understood to take on these competing forms. In addition to these gods the god Thoth was many times pictured as having a Lunar Crescent shape on its head. For the Egyptians the sky was referred to as Nut. In many depictions she is shown as a cow that stands over the earth with her eyes representing the sun and the moon; this gives even another characterization and moniker to the already large pantheon of sun and moon gods and goddesses. The God of air Shu was understood as holding Nut in the sky. As the giant cow Nut was depicted as having many functions, including giving birth to the sun daily, as well as having many piglets that suckled to her. These piglets, it was understood, represented the stars that outlined the sky. In other depictions Nut was understood to be a woman that was lying elongated along the sky. Her husband Geb – also understood as giving birth to the sun in a variety of depictions – would sit underneath her while leaning on an elbow. It was Geb that was understood as representing the mountains and earthly crevices. It was from Geb that all forms of vegetation and plan life emerged (Wilkinson 2003). Similarity to Hebrew Creation Myth One of the most interesting elements of the study of mythology is the understanding that it is often historical in nature. That is, one myth oftentimes influences a later day culture’s mythology. As it’s well known that the Egyptian culture and the Jewish religion came into contact with each other, this portion of the essay examines the extent to which the Egyptian mythology might have influenced the Hebrew understanding of existence. This investigation is also notable as many of the Hebrew beliefs continue to exist as foundational elements in the Western theological tradition. Both myths share a similar understanding of the beginning of time. In the Egyptian myth there was only an infinite water abyss, while in the Hebrew mythology there was only a lifeless void. In both understandings it was out of this that civilization and the natural order emerged. The two myths differ in this respect as in the Egyptian religion it was understood that the Sun God Ra emerged, while in the Hebrew religion the entity of ‘God’ existed before even the lifeless void (http://www.aldokkan.com/religion/creation.htm). While in both mythologies the formation of the universe, the earth, and the natural elements of each was created through a metaphysical being, the exact nature of the being differs. As is understood the Egyptians believed in a polytheistic order, so that the sky and moisture, and similar elements were created through Shu and Tefnut, while the Hebrew religion, as is well known, believed in only one God who created all these disparate entities. The polytheistic vs. monotheistic nature of the religions becomes the fundamental difference between the Egyptian and Hebrew creation myths. This difference is even highlighted in the Egyptian creation myth as the yearly calendar emerged as a result of conflict and trickery between two Gods. Although the Hebrew religion contains a devil figure, it is only through the overarching power of God that the universe came into existence. Outside of these differences the similarities are striking. Both myths are primarily concerned with the creation of the universe through a metaphysical being which creates elements of sky, water, rain, land, and people. Similarly the element of water is a fundamental concept of both religions, with flood myths appearing regularly in Hebrew theology – Noah’s Ark – as well as constituting foundational elements of Egyptian mythology from their relation to the Nile River (http://www.aldokkan.com/religion/creation.htm). Conclusion While the Egyptian creation myth has a number of differing versions, it’s clear that its foundational elements are closely aligned with the Nile River. From the infinite river civilization was created. While the Egyptian mythology died out with the Egyptian civilization one can reasonably argue that elements of it continue to exist in the Hebrew theology, specifically the books of the Old Testament. As these books have had an indelible impact on Western civilization, it’s possible to argue that the original forms of Egyptian mythology continue to exist and affect peoples’ perception of the world and the natural order today. References Allen, James P. (2000). Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs. Cambridge University Press. ‘Comparison Between Egyptian and Hebrew Creation Myths’ Egyptian Creation Myths. http://www.aldokkan.com/religion/creation.htm ‘Creation Mythology’ Egypt Creation Myths. http://www.egyptartsite.com/crea.html Fleming, Fergus; Alan Lothian (1997). The Way to Eternity: Egyptian Myth. Amsterdam: Duncan Baird Publishers. Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. Read More