How did Egyptian mythology come into existence?

Pyramids are everywhere, but when we think of these mysterious structures, we immediately think of a land of sand, wind, and powerful, animal-shaped deities. Hello everyone, I’m Samuele, and welcome to our journey of discovery to the land where the sun is the center of all things, the land called Egypt. Note: Before watching the video, you should know this interesting fact: Egypt is one of the oldest cultures in the world, having existed for 5000 years. This means that Egyptian culture and mythology have undergone many changes throughout different periods. Furthermore, ancient Egypt was divided into regions above and below the Nile River, which meant that these two regions also had different mythologies. Therefore, to easily convey the story, I will only tell a few of the countless stories, and if the story I am about to tell differs from the versions you have read, that is perfectly normal. And to begin the story, let’s venture into the void. Before anything was born and formed, the early world was just water, lots of water, and this body of water was called Nun. From the waters of Nun was born a god named Atum, the father of all gods and the first god to have a specific form. Being alone for too long can be boring, so Atum created two new gods, partly to help him alleviate his loneliness and also to help him build the world. By naming Atum, Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the god of moisture, were born. Atum cherished his two children, whom he had created, and he always watched the two gods frolic and fly around him. However, one day, Shu and Tefnut, engrossed in their play, flew far beyond Atum’s sight. Not finding her two children, Atum took out her eye, commanded it to fly away and bring Shu and Tefnut back. Its eyes darted everywhere searching for the two playful gods, and thankfully they were both safe and sound. When Shu and Tefnut returned, Atum wept with joy, and from his tears, humanity was born. However, at this time, the world still lacked a place for gods and humans to live. Therefore, with the help of Shu and Tefnut, Atum began the construction of this world. The world continues to take shape as Shu and Tefnut fall in love. They gave birth to two new gods: Geb, the god of the earth, and Nut, the goddess of the sky. Geb and Nut, though unsure if they were related by blood, loved each other deeply. And with that love, they embraced passionately. And of course, they would eventually have children, and this time they gave birth to four new gods: Isis, Osiris, Nephthys, and Set. However, the sky and the earth have always been inseparable, while humankind still lacks a place to live. Seeing this, Atum ordered Shu and Tefnut to step between Geb and Nut, separating them and creating a dwelling place for the gods and humans. And from that, ancient Egypt was formed, with Shu and Tefnut raising their two children, keeping the sky and the earth from ever joining together again. But perhaps we’re overlooking something. Isn’t this the land of the sun ? Where is the sun? Interestingly, all versions of the story of the formation of the ancient Egyptian world are told almost identically, or even completely the same, but when it comes to the god Ra, everything changes completely. If each finger were a story about Ra, we would need at least six people to even give a brief account of this deity. In each region, each area, each point in time, we have a new story about Ra. And each region has a different origin of this great sun god. To answer the question of where the sun is , let’s go back to the scene where the eye turns towards Atum, Shu, and Tefnut. And from this, we have three different origins of Ra. Version 1: Atum’s Eye of Insight. While searching for Shu and Tefnut, the eye saw all over the world, and upon returning to Atum, it was given a new form: Ra, the god of the sun, whose light spreads to all corners of the world. Nothing could escape Ra’s notice, and from that he became king of the gods. Version 2: Atum’s Envious Eye. When the eye returned, it saw that Atum had replaced it with another eye. Seeing his anger and jealousy, Atum took pity on the eye and placed it on his forehead. Using that eye to illuminate and see everything, Ra was born. Version 3: It turns out to be Atum. Similar to version 2, when the eye returns to Atum, he places it on his forehead, but this time the eye is not Ra’s but another god’s. Ra is only born when Atum recites the name of a phoenix, and from the phoenix’s egg a lotus flower is born, and from the lotus flower light is born. Atum merges with that light source and becomes Ra. Although the story of its formation is the same, when we talk about Ra, we have thousands of different versions. However, this story is just one of many versions that have been recorded in history. If we move to other regions or time periods in the history of ancient Egypt, we will have yet another origin story for Ra. Some versions depict Ra as the supreme god who created everything, but many others portray Ra as just an ordinary deity. In some places, Ra is depicted as a benevolent god, in others as a grumpy old man, and in still others, Ra is considered one of the most terrifying gods, willing to gouge out his own eyes to create a lion-headed god named Sekhmet, just to kill those who did not worship him. That was the story of the formation of the world of ancient Egypt and Ra, the god with the most recorded versions of his origin. We can understand Egyptian mythology in a general sense as follows: First, the world did not exist; there was only an endless sea called Nun. From Nun, Atum was born. And from Atum, the ancient gods began to appear one after another. From that point on, the world we live in was formed. Ra, the god representing the Sun, has many different versions of his origin; some say he is the Eye of Atum, others say he is Atum himself. What is the true answer? Perhaps you’ll have to wait until the final episode of the series to find out. And now, thank you for listening, and see you next time when we can discuss Ra and the eerie stories surrounding him in more detail. Peace!