There in order to emerge at sunrise to start the cycle of a new day, he was forced to battle and eventually vanquish Apophis the evil serpent who was the god of evil, darkness and destruction. Part of the ancient Egyptian mythology was that their sun god Ra sailed across the sky during the day in his solar bark known as the “Barque of Millions of Years.”Īt night, Ra made his passage in his evening bark through the underworld. In the afternoon, Ra adopted the form of the god Atum, the creator of the universe. This was Ras most commonly depicted form, although he could also be shown in other animal forms or with a man’s body and an animal-head, depending on which attribute he was manifesting. Ra can be distinguished from Horus who was also pictured as a man with a falcon head by his sun disk with a coiled cobra. On his solar boat, Ra was shown as both a Scarab and as the Sun.Īt midday, Ra is usually depicted with a human body and a falcon head. When Ra was in his Khepri form, he was shown with the head of a Scarab. To the ancient Egyptians, the dung ball was a metaphor for the sun. The round ball generated heat, giving life to a new generation of beetles. The scarab won its place in ancient Egyptian mythology for its habit of laying its eggs in dung then rolling it into a ball. Khepri In this form Ra transitioned into the God of the Scarab beetle. Ra took on a new attribute in the morning, at midday and in the afternoon. Uniquely amongst ancient Egyptian gods, Ra changed his form at different times of the day. His primary symbol was always a sun disk. The ancient Egyptians also depicted Ra as a hawk, beetle, ram, Phoenix, serpent, cat, lion, bull and heron.
Images of Ra portrayed with a human body and a scarab beetle head or in human form with a ram’s head are also common. He was frequently shown with a falcon head and a sun disc crown.Ī sacred cobra, which the ancient Egyptians called the Uraeus encircled his sun disc. In statuary, inscriptions and paintings, Ra was typically shown as a human male.
Depicting RaĬharles Edwin Wilbour Fund / No restrictions Given the role the sun plays in nurturing crops and in Egypt’s desert climate, was a natural progression for the ancient Egyptians to see him in this manifestation as the creator of life.Īs he embodied creation, an attribute of his essence came to be represented in all other gods.Īncient Egyptians perceived every god as representing some form of Ra, while Ra similarly represents an aspect of each of their gods. To the ancient Egyptians, Ra or “ray” symbolises sunshine, heat and fertile growth. Ra’s right eye represented the Sun, while his left eye represented the moon.The sacred cobra encircling Ra’s crown symbolized royalty and divine authority.The evening manifestation of Ra is known as the ram-headed god and his barque is known as the Khnum“Semektet” or “becoming weak”.The morning manifestation of Ra is known as “Khepri the scarab God” and his barque is called the “Barque of Millions of Years”.Ra was accompanied by the gods Horus, Thoth, Hathor, Anet, Abtu and Maat on his daily journey across the heavens.Some archaeologists speculate the pyramids represent rays of sunlight connecting the pharaohs with Ra, the sun god.Ra is closely connected to the Bennu Bird, Ben-Ben Stone and the Tree of Life myths.Ancient Egyptians revered Ra their sun as the god who created everything.
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