Creation Mythology: Ancient Egypt

Nun by Naterifari

The mythology of Ancient Egypt is considered highly complex and there are several stories of creation, all of which follow the same main themes - order versus chaos, and creation versus destruction.  Out of all of these creation myths, the Heliopolitan creation story is one of the oldest and is believed to date back to the Old Kingdom period of Ancient Egypt, between 2686 and 2181 BC.  And they all begin in the primal ocean, before the start of time, where the creator first manifests himself into being.  This god is known as Atum, 'the all', Ra, the sun god, and Nebertcher, 'the lord without limit'.

ATUM . MYTHS OF EGYPT SERIES by Cruz-Arts

 In the vast ocean of nothingness known as Nun, which existed before the beginning, the spirit Atum-Ra lay and within Atum-Ra was the seed of all life yet to come.  Once Atum-Ra had emerged from the vast Nun he created the gods from within himself by the act of masturbation.  He sneezed out Shu, who was the god of dry air, and spat out Tefnut, who was the goddess of dew and rain and moist air.

TEFNUT by el-grimlock

 Then Atum-Ra used three elemental forces, which would one day become gods themselves, to create the world.  These forces were Heka, who was creative power or magic; Sia, who was perception; and Hu, who was pronouncement.  With these forces Atum-Ra called forth all the elements of creation and then he made a fourth power who was called Ma'at, the goddess of truth and universal harmony, to uphold balance within his creation.

Benben. Life is parallel.by domnotte

Next, Atum-Ra sent forth Shu and Tefnut, who travelled out across the vast primal ocean and caused Nun to receed.  An island appeared and here Atum-Ra stood as the primal mound, known as Benben Stone which would one day be the model for pyramids.  He debated within himself how life should be within his creation and, once decided, he called forth birds and plants and animals from the Nun.  He simply called their names and they came into being.

After the creation of the plants and the animals, Atum-Ra sent his eye, who was the goddess Hathor, to find Shu and Tefnut.  But, when she returned, Hathor was very angry, for another eye had grown upon Atum-Ra's face where she had once been.  She wept bitter tears and, as the tears hit the ground, they became the first human beings.  Atum-Ra placed Hathor on his brow in the shape of a cobra where she could rule over the world with him until the end of time, when the world would once again be covered by the vast and infinite flood of Nun.

Shu by Richard Cox

It was then that Shu and Tefnut came together as husband and wife, and from them a son and daughter were born.  They were called Geb and Nut, and they too came together as husband and wife.  

But Atum-Ra was not pleased with the brother and sister coming together in such a way and he sought to separate them.  Atum-Ra chose Shu to sever the connection between Geb and Nut.  Shu did as he was bid and forcibly separated the two.  Nut was hoisted up high above Geb, held overhead by Shu's outstretched arms, while Geb was left far below her, lying upon the ground.  Nut's hands were beside Geb's head, while her feet touched his, and her body covered his life a cup upturned on a saucer.  And their separation was the parting of heaven and earth with the space in between being filled with Shu's presence, for air fills all empty space.

Nut and Geb by nienor

 Atum-Ra then cursed Nut so she would bear no children on any day within any month of the year.  In this way, he sought to keep Nut a prisoner for all time.  However, the god Thoth sympathised with Nut and soon devised a plan to help her.  Thoth challenged the Moon to a game of draughts and, after several, he managed to win a small fraction of the Moon's light.  From this light he shaped five extra days and added them to the three hundred and sixty days which already made up the year.

Because these five days were not a part of the original year created by Atum-Ra, they were out of his control.  So, thanks to Thoth, Nut and Geb were able to reunite and, for each of the five days, Nut had a child.  The first was Osiris, the lord of fertility and light, whose eyes were the sun and the moon; the second was Horus, the falcon-headed god of the sky and vengeance; third came Set, the lord of the desert and the drought; fourth was Isis, the goddess of health, marriage, and wisdom; and the fifth and final child of Nut and Geb was Nephthys, the goddess of death and the night.

That's all for today.  Please remember to check out some of the artists featured here and be sure to leave a comment.  Until next time.

Useful Resources
DK Eyewitness Companions: Mythology by Philip Wilkinson & Neil Philip
Hamlyn History: Myths Retold by Diana Ferguson

Atlantis: Part Two: Inspired by Ancient Egypt?

Today we're going to look at the potential connections between Plato's Atlantis and the Ancient Egyptians.

The Temple of Edfu and the Edfu Building Texts

Located in the town of Edfu is the Temple of Horus, also known as the Temple of Edfu.  Dating to between 237 and 57BC, it is considered to be the best-preserved temple in Egypt and, inscribed upon its walls, are the Edfu Building Texts.  These texts mostly concern the history of the building of the temple.  However, they also 'hints at the existence of certain mythological events.'  While the Edfu Temple is by no means the oldest, the inscriptions show us beliefs which are believed to be much more ancient.

 The Temple of Edfu

According to Egyptologist E.A.E Reymond, '...there are enshrined fragments of the oldest conception of the origin of the earth...  In spite of the lack of other relevant documents, we are inclined to conclude that the Edfu accounts of the origin of the primaeval island, and of its function in the creation of the physical world of gods and men, disclose genuine thoughts and beliefs of a remote date.'   Here I will post an except summary of the events which are described on the walls of the temple of Edfu.  If you want to read the entire interpretation of the Edfu inscriptions, Ian Driscoll and Matthew Kurtz Atlantis: Egyptian Genesis is well worth a look.

The Sanctuary of the Temple of Edfu

     In the beginning, there was only water and nothing more.  There wasn't even darkness because there was no light to compare the darkness to... there was only the all, and the all simply was.
     Then, within the all, something stirred and the first company of gods, the Primeval Ones emerged.  These would be the gods of creation... formless, shapeless, incorporeal beings.  These gods were the Fathers and the Mothers who created the egg; they planted the seed of the earth within the waters of creation and the primeval ocean became mother to the first landmass, the foundation ground of all creation upon which the gods descended.

 Edfu temple relief by John Campana

     The Primeval Ones made the new landmass, an island, larger and made a mountain, a High Hill at the centre of the island and this was the centre of creation.  Here the Primeval Ones lived and were led by the god of Earth, known in the texts only as 'This One'.  The Earth god is accompanied by two protective beings.  This group of gods gather around a tall pillar made of reeds, at the edge of a reed pool,in the centre of the island hill which serves as the seat of the power of the gods.
     There is a break in the text then the light is gone and there is darkness.  The island lies beneath the water and its divine inhabitants are gone.  And there is only water.  Some terrible catastrophe has occurred - the island had been attacked by a great serpent and a storm which has descended upon the island soon after.  Unable to defend themselves, those divine beings were destroyed and the island has been almost totally submerged by frothing waters.

Fall of Atlantis by xx-Lethal-xx

Egyptian Genesis and Plato's Atlantis: A Comparison

So how does the Egyptian Genesis compare to Plato's Atlantis.  When both are read, side by side, it's difficult to argue that these two stories are strikingly similar and the themes of both stories are essentially the same.

In both texts there is an island was led by a god - the god of the Earth 'This One' in the Egyptian Genesis and Poseidon, god of the sea and 'The Earthshaker' in Plato's Atlantis.  In the Egyptian Genesis the land is new, a creation of the gods from the primeval waters, where in Plato's Atlantis the island is assigned to Poseidon after the gods  'distributed the whole earth into portions'.  It has been claimed that, 'In stating that the land had yet to be divided amongst the gods, Plato makes it clear that the reader is entering in upon a scene which must have taken place not long after the creation of the earth itself...'

 Relief of Geb, the Egyptian God of the Earth, and Horus

Plato's Criteas tells us that the holy temple of Poseidon was built on top of the mountain which lay at the centre of the island.  In the Egyptian Genesis the Primeval Ones had a reed pillar which marked the centre of the island and the god's seat of power.  This pillar bears similarities to the 'pillar of orichalcum, which was situated in the middle of the temple of Poseidon...' where the kings would take their sacrifice, the bull - it is, essentially, the god's seat of power.

In the Egyptian Genesis the 'Primeval Ones are several times equated with the Ogdoad of Hermopolis, a city of Upper Egypt sacred to the god Thoth.'  Hermopolis, meaning 'the city of Hermes' in Greek, was known as Khmunu, or the City of the Eight, in Egypt.  The Ogdoad were eight deities, four pairs of gods with each pair representing the four sources, or creative powers.  These 'twins'  could be considered our comparison with Poseidon's 'five pairs of twin male children'

Ogdoad depicted on relief at Dendera Temple, Egypt by Olaf Tausch

And, finally, we have the destruction, where the Atlantians were defeated by the Athenians, with the submergence of Atlantis occurring shortly after.

Atlantis, 'gathering its whole power together, attempted to enslave, at a single stroke, your country and ours and all the territory within the strait.  It was then, Solon, that the power and courage and strength of your city became clear for all men to see... she over came the invaders and celebrated a victory; she rescued those not yet enslaved from the slavery threatening them, and she generously freed all overs living within the Pillars of Heracules.  At a later time there were earthquakes and floods of extraordinary violence, and in a single dreadful day and night all your fighting men were swallowed up by the earth, and the island of Atlantis was similarly swallowed up by the sea and vanished; this is why the sea in that area is to this day impassable to navigation, which is hindered by mud just below the surface, the remains of the sunken island.' 

Destructions of Atlantis by Mishelangello

In the Egyptian Genesis were discover that  'the island came under attack from an enemy serpent' and  once the inhabitants had perished 'their dwellings [were] destroyed and their primordial home [was] almost entirely enveloped by the lashing water.'  It has been suggested that the serpent is one of the serpent gods of the  Ogdoad and can be loosely compared to Zeus in Plato's Atlantis.

So, in comparing the legend of Atlantis with the mythology of Edfu we have unmistakably similar themes - the creation of the central hill or mountain, the ruling divine twins, the central pillar, the temple of the god and the destruction of the island and its inhabitants through battle and an inundation of violent waters.

 The Fall of Atlantis by Gaius31duke

Plato's Atlantis can be dated to around 9,600 BC and it is believed the Edfu Building Texts are 'the oldest conception of the origin of the earth'.  Egypt's temple records were believed to date back 10,000 years, with Herodotus stating that 'from the first king of Egypt to the last, there had elapsed 11,340 years' and Manetho, writing n 250 BC, stating that Egypt's history 'goes back at least 24,900.'  This means that the Edfu inscription could easily be old enough to account for the dating of Atlantis.   This presents a plausible case for the Edfu Temple inscriptions providing an inspiration in the legend of Plato's Atlantis. 

Heredotus' Account of Egypt and Atlantis

Interestingly, when looking for accounts similar to those of Atlantis, Heredotus, in An Account of Egypt, written in around 440 BC, tells us of an Egyptian dynasty which is not only strikingly similar to the inhabitants of Atlantis but also gives us a firmer theory for Ancient Egypt providing the inspiration for the Plato's legend of Atlantis.

statue of the Egyptian god Ptah in the Turin Museum, Italy

'Being set free after the reign of the priest of Hephaistos (Ptah in Egypt), the Egyptians, since they could not live any time without a king, set up over them twelve kings, having divided all Egypt into twelve parts. These made intermarriages with one another and reigned, making agreement that they would not put down one another by force, nor seek to get an advantage over one another, but would live in perfect friendship: and the reason why they made these agreements, guarding them very strongly from violation, was this, namely that an oracle had been given to them at first when they began to exercise their rule, that he of them who should pour a libation with a bronze cup in the temple of Hephaistos, should be king of all Egypt (for they used to assemble together in all the temples).'


In comparing this except with Plato's Critias, we can see what similarities there are between this Egyptian dynasty and Plato's Atlantis:

'He [Poseidon] also begat and brought up five pairs of twin male children; and dividing the island of Atlantis into ten portions, he gave to the first-born of the eldest pair his mother's dwelling and the surrounding allotment, which was the largest and best, and made him king over the rest; the others he made princes, and gave them rule over many men, and a large territory... Each of the ten kings in his own division and in his own city had the absolute control of the citizens, and, in most cases, of the laws, punishing and slaying whomsoever he would. Now the order of precedence among them and their mutual relations were regulated by the commands of Poseidon which the law had handed down. These were inscribed by the first kings on a pillar of orichalcum, which was situated in the middle of the island, at the temple of Poseidon,.. Now on the pillar, besides the laws, there was inscribed an oath invoking mighty curses on the disobedient.'

Inside Poseidon's Temple by MercuriusTJ

During their meetings at the temple, the Plato's kings would take part in religious rituals, 'including pouring libations for the god and sharing a sacred cup':

'...whither the kings were gathered together every fifth and every sixth year alternately, thus giving equal honour to the odd and to the even number. And when they were gathered together they consulted about their common interests, and enquired if any one had transgressed in anything and passed judgement...Then they drew from the bowl in golden cups and pouring a libation on the fire, they swore that they would judge according to the laws on the pillar, and would punish him who in any point had already transgressed them, and that for the future they would not, if they could help, offend against the writing on the pillar, and would neither command others, nor obey any ruler who commanded them, to act otherwise than according to the laws of their father Poseidon.'

Hephaestus by annewipf

While it's easy to see the similarities between the Egyptian dynasty mentioned in the except with the Atlantians, it's also important to know how old this Egyptian dynasty was.  Our first clue is presented when we are told that the Egyptians have been 'set free after the reign of the priest of Hephaistos'. 
The 3rd century BC historian Mantheo, in his History of Egypt, tells us that Hephaistos, or Hephaestus was the 'first man (or god) in Egypt... who is also renowned among the Egyptians as the discoverer of fire.'  We are also told that, '...the god Hephaestus, was king for 9000 years.'  Now Hephaestus is actually the Greek name for the Egyptian Ptah, whose rule is said to have begun in around 18,420 BC and his rule could have ended in around 9,420 BC.  The date is awfully close to the date of Atlantis, making it more plausible that this dynasty, whether real or imagined, may have provided Plato with additional inspiration for his legend of Atlantis.

That's it for today.  Tomorrow we will take a look at some of these theories in which historical disasters can account for the destruction of Atlantis.  Until next time.

 Atlantis by UnidColor

Useful Resources

Atlantis: Egyptian Genesis by Ian Driscoll and Matthew Kurtz
Herodotus' Histories: Book 2
Plato's Timaeus
Plato's Critias
Manetho
Mythical Origin of the Egyptian Temple by E.A.E. Reymond

http://www.crystalinks.com/turincanon.html
http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/ogdoad.html
http://www.halexandria.org/dward204.htm