Akhet - The Horizon

As all cultures Egypt had its collection of myths and legends which were passed down the millennia by oral tradition. Some of them dealt with creation of the world and tried to explain the origin of humans, animals, plants and everything else in life. Other myths were probably more for entertainment than anything else, and others again, by time, got a ritualistic function and were repeated regularly, in which their purpose was to maintain status quo or the order of the civilisation.

Nowhere else was probably the conditions of life and death as tangible for humans and as affecting the everyday world as in the Nile Valley. A narrow strip of fertile soil on both sides of the river, surrounded by infertile desert and mountain ranges was their surroundings. One can literally stand with one foot in a green field and the other in barren sand for the line is often sharp and clearly visible. The climate makes for a hot, blazing sun most of the year and clear, starry skies at night. These conditions moulded the Egyptian view of the world and had its impact on their interpretation of it. Perhaps it is here we can see an explanation of the importance they gave to the double aspect inherent in everything; every god could be benign as well as dangerous, (Hathor turning into Sekhmet) everything came in pairs - one female, the other male (The eight pairs of the Ogdoad) etc.

But where other cultures have a holy book like the bible, Egyptian mythology was never set down by priests into one fixed version. It kept on changing, deities mingled and interacted, stories travelled, gathered new pieces, changed - and continued to be actively alive for thousands of years.

The mythology has to be pieced together from several sources. Funerary Texts were set down inside pyramids and tomb walls and later on coffins, and often yield mythological material, they had their own purpose; that of conducting the deceased safely through the dangers of the Underworld towards the Afterlife. Other sources are various papyrii and, of course temple walls like at Edfu.

Here is a collection of Creation Myths, which in Egypt were more than one, as different centers of religion/politics arose during time. There is also a handful of other tales, which will be expanded by and by.