RA (Sun God)

Ancient Egyptians looked to Ra as The King of Gods and imagined him as a falcon crowned with a disk (The Sun).

Ra sailed across heavens in a boat 'Barque of Millions of Years'. At the end of everyday he thought to die and sailed on his night voyage through the Underworld, leaving the Moon to light the world. The boat would sail through the twelve doors, representing the twelve hours of night-time. The next dawn, he was born again.

The Jaurney was not always smooth sailing. Ra had to fight his chief enemy, Apep which was a snake. Ra was helped aslo by the other gods, such as Seth and Bastet.

Often there is a cobra round sun disk on his head . This cobra appears on the forehead of Pharaohs.

Ra was the greatest of the gods and he kept his power in his secret name, which only he knew. He had started to grow old, and sometimes he dribbled. Isis collected some of his saliva and made it into a snake. She hid the snake where Ra would walk. When Ra trod on it, it bit him, and Ra screamed in pain. All the gods gathered round, but none could heal him. Isis said "If you tell me your secret name, this will give me enough magic power to heal you." Ra didn't want to do this, but eventually the pain was so bad that he had to. Isis healed him, and ever since then she has the magic powers that Ra had

Posted in: Egyptian Myth