Ra was the Egyptian sun god who was also often referred to as Re-Horakhty, meaning Ra (is) Horus of the Horizon, referring to the god’s character. The early Egyptians believed that he created the world, and the rising sun was, for them, the symbol of creation. The daily cycle, as the sun rose, then set only to rise again the next morning, symbolized renewal and so Ra was seen as the paramount force of creation and master of life. His closest ally is Ma’at, the embodiment of order and truth.

Ra was also closely connected to the Pharaoh, Egypt’s king. While the king ruled earth, Ra was the master of the universe so they were of the same nature and were in effect a mirror image of each other. Interestingly, up until the 2nd Dynasty, there is an absence of references on Ra, but his development began in the late 2nd Dynasty and matured through the 5th Dynasty. Ra became more and more associated with the king, who was both human and a god at once, embodied in the falcon named Horus and by the 4th Dynasty, referred to as the son of Ra. Hence, a relationship also developed between Horus and Ra as they were merged in the symbol of a winged sun disk, an icon that remained constant in Temples and religious monuments through the end of Egyptian history.

Ra’s early worship really became very significant during the 5th Dynasty, when kings not only erected pyramids aligned to the rising and setting sun, but also built solar temples in honor of Ra. This sort of temple must have been a difficult conception for the Egyptians, because Ra never had a sanctuary with a cult statue. Instead, his image was the sun itself, so the sun temples were centered upon an Obelisk over which the sun rose, and before the obelisk would be an alter for his worship. However, the most significant early solar temple was probably erected at Heliopolis, where a pillar resembling an obelisk made up part of the hieroglyphs for the city’s name, Iwn. Unfortunately, that structure is now completely destroyed.

These 5th Dynasty rulers were also responsible for the first Pyramid Texts during the Old Kingdom, a collection of spells describing the journey of the dead pharaoh through the underworld. These texts were some of the first decorations inscribed in Pyramids, and are an important source of information on the sun god.

For example, one hymn states:


“Homage to thee, O thou who risest in the horizon as Ra,”thou restest upon law unchangeable and unalterable. Thou”passest over the sky, and every face watcheth thee and thy”course, for thou hast been hidden from their gaze. Thou dost”show thyself at dawn and at eventide day by day. The Sektet*”boat, wherein is the Majesty, goeth forth with light; thy beams”are upon all faces; the [number] of red and yellow rays”cannot be known, nor can thy bright beams be told. The lands”of the gods, and the lands of Punt* must be seen, ere that which”is hidden [in thee] may be measured. Alone and by thyself thou”dost manifest thyself when thou comest into being above Nu*.”May I advance, even as thou dost advance; may I never cease to”go forward as thou never ceasest to go forward, even though it be”for a moment; for with strides thou dost in one little moment”pass over the spaces which would need millions and millions of”years [for men to pass over; this] thou doest and then thou dost”sink to rest. Thou puttest an end to the hours of the night, and”thou dost count them, even thou; thou endest them in thine”own appointed season, and the earth becometh light. Thou”settest thyself therefore before thy handiwork in the likeness of”Ra [when] thou risest on the horizon.”

The story of creation related in the Pyramid Text explains that Ra, as Atum, rose in the beginning of creation as a benben stone, an obelisk-like pillar, in the temple of the Benu-Phoenix in Heliopolis. He then spit forth Shu and Tefnut, who became the first godly couple, and who respectively, symbolized air and moisture. To them, Geb and Nut, were born, symbolizing the earth and sky. Geb and Nut, in turn, begot two divine couples consisting of Osiris – Isis and Seth – Nephthys. Called the Ennead of gods, the combined attributes of this divine group were needed in order for the world to function.

 

However, while Ra is never paired with a goddess, he also bears several other off springs including, among others, his son the king, who becomes one with his father in death and the Goddess Hathor, who is often depicted with the solar disk in her headdress.

The story continues with Osiris, who is murdered by his brother Seth. In this version of the story, Ra resurrects Osiris to rule over the dead. The deceased pharaoh identifies with both Ra and Osiris, thus forming a link between them. Though Ra and Osiris might be seen as complete opposites, death was not seen by the ancient Egyptians to be the end of life, but rather its original source.

 

Thus, in the Pyramid Text, Ra is perpetually resurrected in the mornings in the form of a scarab beetle, Khepri, which means the Emerging One. He rides on the primordial waters, called Nun, in his sacred bark (boat) along with a number of other deities across the sky, where at sunset he becomes Atum, the “All Lord”. At sunset, he is swallowed by the goddess Nut, who gives birth to him each morning again as Khepri. Therefore, the cycle continued with birth, life and death.

By the Middle Kingdom (about 2055 BC – 1759 BC), Ra’s character evolved and now several hymns tell us that he created the earth solely for mankind, who are made in his image. Now, evil, the opposite of Ma’at, comes from mankind’s own deeds. While in life, it is the king who controls humans, rewarding the obedient and destroying the disobedient and evil, in death, it is Ra who fills this role.

Furthermore, we find a newly defined relationship between Ra and Osiris. Mortals now become Osiris in death, a concept that would make Osiris very popular with common Egyptians who were rather excluded theologically from the prior myths. Ra and Osiris travel through the underworld together at night, and the sun god’s birth in the morning is symbolized by an amulet in the form of a scarab beetle that becomes very popular among Egyptians of this period.

It is also at this time that Ra takes on additional attributes by his combination with other gods. This is often seen as a political move to unite important gods of different regions, and so we see Ra, who was most prominent in the north combined with another creator god, Amun of southern Egypt into Amun-Ra. He was also combined with a number of other creator gods.