Talk:Egyptian mythology

A little while ago, I wrote an impassioned plea for help on the Horus talk page because I was very confused by my source. I'm extending that to all of Egyptian mythology. I plan on finding a source specifically devoted to it and trying to fix it, but not until I get some of these words out of my head before it explodes from trying to comprehend the Egyptians having a couple hundred gods, but only fifty or so names (as far as I can tell).

God A had a son named God B. God B was also known as God C, which was sometimes spelled God D. God D is also a different aspect of God A (his father, usually, though sometimes God E was his father). God E was a different aspect of God B, and an alternate spelling of God A. In addition, God E had a son with God B's daughter, God F, named God G. God G was actually a different form of God C (making him his own uncle??? second-cousin?), as well as an alternate spelling of God C (aka God D, aka God A, and an alternate form for God G) and a different form of God B. Try putting all that in your own words. (Perhaps this is why monotheism became popular in Egypt)

Anyway, I'm terrifically confused and if I have made any mistakes (I'm sure I have) feel free to change them to reflect the truth. Tokerboy 23:10 Oct 2, 2002 (UTC)

Funny, that's pretty much what Sir Wallis Budge said in the preface of his Egyptian Religion, although he was somewhat less passionate about it. If you're not already using his book to help you sort thru this jungle, I recommend it to you: ISBN 0-8065-1229-6 (in paperback -- I think I got it from Hamilton). -- isis 23:29 Oct 2, 2002 (UTC)

Thanks, I'll see if I can get the chance to track it down. Tokerboy 06:07 Oct 3, 2002 (UTC)

Its actually increadibly easy to understand - I have tried to re-write it to make this clear. There were initially 3 different religions - one with Ra as the chief god, one with Ptah as the head, and one with Atum. What happened was that the groups influenced each other over time, politics having a HUGE say (indeed changing Set from hero into villain, merely because the Hyksos quite liked him),

the changes were as follows

• Atum + Ra (1) -> Atum-Ra -> Ra (2)
• Ra (2) + Horus (1) -> Ra-Herakty = Horus (2)

Horus (1) was the son of Geb and Nuit, and named Horus the Elder

Ra-Herakty means Ra, who is Horus-of-the-two-horizons

Horus (2) was born from the primal mound (since Ra (1) and Ra (2) were)

meanwhile

• Ptah + Seker -> Ptah-Seker
• Ptah-Seker + Osiris (1) -> Ptah-Seker-Osiris -> Osiris (2)

and

• various cow-goddesses + Hathor (1) ->Hathor (2)
• Hathor (2) + Isis (1) -> Isis (2)

and

• Set(1) + Apep + various other evil gods+demons -> Set (2)

Set (1) was a hero, Set (2) was a villain

then (for political reasons)

• Horus (2) -> Harpocrates = Horus (3)

Harpocrates meaning Horus the child

Horus (3) is the son of Osiris (2) and Isis (2)

finally

• Horus (3) + Osiris(2) -> Horus/Osiris (4)

Horus/Osiris (4) was only just happening at the end of egyptian mythology, so they still maintained some seperate identity.

N.b. some people allege that the final stage was

• Horus/Osiris (4) -> Jesus/God-the-Father
• Isis (2)-> Mary (Meri is egyptian for Beloved, one of the titles of Isis)
• Set (2) ->Satan

Thanks for clearing it up! I don't really edit much mythology stuff anymore, but that's definitely a lot better. Tuf-Kat 21:21, May 25, 2005 (UTC)