![]() All the extant scripts, however, come from the period of the New Kingdom (c. The Book of the Heavenly Cow is thought to have existed in some form during the First Intermediate Period (2181-2040 BCE) and was written during the Middle Kingdom (2040-1782 BCE). Ra is associated with the sky in the Pyramid Texts and already linked with the sun and life-giving energy, but a later text, known as the Book of the Heavenly Cow, provides the details of how Ra left the earth, which he once ruled directly, and ascended to heaven. Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) Ra in the Heavens From an early date, he was worshiped at Heliopolis in the form of the Mnevis bull, the living embodiment of Ra, comparable to the better-known Apis bull. By the time of the 5th Dynasty, kings associated their reigns with Ra, resulting in the construction of the Sun Temples of the period built to honor the god. His worship was already well-established by the Second Dynasty of Egypt and took the form of sacrifices made in temples dedicated to him. He is almost always depicted as the falcon-headed male Ra-Horakhty with the solar disc above his head although sometimes also shown as the scarab beetle below the solar disc (in this form he is known as Ra-Khepri. Once associated with the sun, he was linked with Horus the sky god and solar deity (and was worshiped in this association as Ra-Horakhty) while, as creator-god, he was almost synonymous with Atum and, finally, as the champion of order and the seen and unseen world, with Amun, the ineffable representation of the nature of existence in this capacity, he was known as Amun-Ra. Ra is therefore associated with this transformative power, which linked him with the sun that allowed for growth. Ra, as the first god, created heka and harnessed it, resulting in the birth of Heka who then maintained and controlled the divine magic afterwards. ![]() Magic, to the ancient Egyptians, was a divine force which allowed for all that exists to be and also enabled transformation. Ra is enabled in this through the power of Heka who was both the god of magic and magic itself. He was known as the Self-Created-One who appears in creation myths as the deity (interchangeably known as Atum) who stands on the primordial mound amidst the swirling waters of chaos and establishes order, gives birth to the other gods, and creates the world. He is almost always depicted as the falcon-headed male Ra-Horakhty with the solar disc above his head. Ra is depicted in the Pyramid Texts not only as the supreme ruler of the gods, nor simply a comforter of the newly arrived soul in the afterlife, but as the embodiment of divine order and balance. His cult center was at the city of Iunu (better known as Heliopolis, the Greek name, which means “city of the sun god”). ![]() Worship of Ra was already well established at the time these texts – which are thought to derive from a much earlier oral tradition – were inscribed. In these, Ra gathers the soul of the king to himself and takes him to the paradise of the Field of Reeds in his golden barge. 2400-2300 BCE), the oldest religious works in the world, which were inscribed on the sarcophagi and walls of tombs at Saqqara. Ra is first mentioned in the Pyramid Texts (c. ![]() 2613-2181 BCE) and continued for almost 2,000 years until, like the other Egyptian gods, he was eclipsed by Christianity. Worship of Ra was already established by the time of the Old Kingdom of Egypt (c. This course of study is suggested for this deity more so than others because of the scope of his powers, the important part he played in Egyptian religion, and his long history. ![]()
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