We know that the religious dominated Egyptian community worshipped a number of gods and goddesses including natural forces. Ra or the Egyptian Sun God has a considerable significance in the religious tradition of Egypt.

Father of Gods

He is known as the father or grandfather of gods. This principal god was worshipped for centuries in Egypt. He was associated with the midday sun and represented light, growth, and order. He is also called Re or Phra.

In Egyptian mythology, he signifies the cycle of birth, life, and death. That is why he is known as the father of creation. Most of his symbols were shared with other solar deities, mainly Horus. In Egyptian art, Ra is usually seen as a man with a pharaoh’s crown on his head and an Egyptian Sun God disk above it. He is often pictured with wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.

It was by the fifth dynasty that Ra had become a major deity for the Egyptians. The chief cult center of Ra was Heliopolis where he was identified with the local sun-god Atun. He is the father of the first divine couple, Shu and Tefnut. Ra’s wife is called Ratet and his daughter Hathor.

At sunrise, Ra is a young boy called Khepri, mid-day he becomes the falcon-headed man and at sunset, he becomes an elder called Atum. He travels in a sun boat and had to be defended against Apep, a giant serpent that tries to eat the sun boat every night.

Ra changed greatly over the course of ancient Egyptian history. In dynastic times he was merged with Horus. In the fourth dynasty, pharaohs were known as “sons of Ra”. During the Middle Kingdom, Ra was more and more combined with other deities like Osiris and Amun. In the New Kingdom, Ra became more and more popular.

Eye of Ra

The eye of Ra was an ancient Egyptian symbol for power and protection. The eye was an all-seeing eye, a powerful symbol that looked after the people of the land. He was the creator of the people of Egypt and all forms of life were created by him.

Deities in Egypt combined with other gods often. Amun-Ra was a composite deity when Ra combined with Amun. Atum- Ra was a composite deity when Ra merged with Atum.

Khepri was a scarab beetle who rolled up the sun in the mornings and was sometimes seen as the morning manifestation of Ra. Similarly, the ram-headed god Khnum was also seen as the evening manifestation of Ra.