Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt

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Tobin, Vincent Arieh (2001). "Myths: An Overview". In Redford, Donald B. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Vol.2. Oxford University Press. pp.464–469. ISBN 978-0-19-510234-5. During the First Intermediate Period (c. 2181–2055 BC), the Pyramid Texts developed into the Coffin Texts, which contain similar material and were available to non-royals. Succeeding funerary texts, like the Book of the Dead in the New Kingdom and the Books of Breathing from the Late Period (664–323 BC) and after, developed out of these earlier collections. The New Kingdom also saw the development of another type of funerary text, containing detailed and cohesive descriptions of the nocturnal journey of the sun god. Texts of this type include the Amduat, the Book of Gates, and the Book of Caverns. [42] Temple decoration at Dendera, depicting the goddesses Isis and Nephthys watching over the corpse of their brother Osiris

Kaper, Olaf E. (2001). "Myths: Lunar Cycle". In Redford, Donald B. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Vol.2. Oxford University Press. pp.480–482. ISBN 978-0-19-510234-5. Many gods appear in artwork from the Early Dynastic Period of Egypt's history (c. 3100–2686 BC), but little about the gods' actions can be gleaned from these sources because they include minimal writing. The Egyptians began using writing more extensively in the Old Kingdom, in which appeared the first major source of Egyptian mythology: the Pyramid Texts. These texts are a collection of several hundred incantations inscribed in the interiors of pyramids beginning in the 24th century BC. They were the first Egyptian funerary texts, intended to ensure that the kings buried in the pyramid would pass safely through the afterlife. Many of the incantations allude to myths related to the afterlife, including creation myths and the myth of Osiris. Many of the texts are likely much older than their first known written copies, and they therefore provide clues about the early stages of Egyptian religious belief. [45] Information from religious sources is limited by a system of traditional restrictions on what they could describe and depict. The murder of the god Osiris, for instance, is never explicitly described in Egyptian writings. [25] The Egyptians believed that words and images could affect reality, so they avoided the risk of making such negative events real. [49] The conventions of Egyptian art were also poorly suited for portraying whole narratives, so most myth-related artwork consists of sparse individual scenes. [25] Other sources [ edit ] Griffiths, J. Gwyn (2001). "Isis". In Redford, Donald B. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Vol.2. Oxford University Press. pp.188–191. ISBN 978-0-19-510234-5.Morenz, Siegfried (1973) [German edition 1960]. Egyptian Religion. Translated by Ann E. Keep. Methuen. ISBN 0-8014-8029-9. Allen, James P. (2003). "The Egyptian Concept of the World". In O'Connor, David; Quirke, Stephen (eds.). Mysterious Lands. UCL Press. pp. 23–30. ISBN 1-84472-004-7. Wilkinson, Richard H. (1993). Symbol and Magic in Egyptian Art. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-23663-1.

Dreams have healing, calming, and reincarnation-guiding capabilities. The priests of the dream goddess are responsible for gathering the magic of the sleeping mind and using it to treat, comfort, and execute people deemed corrupt. Shaw, Garry J. (2014). The Egyptian Myths: A Guide to the Ancient Gods and Legends. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-25198-0. Temples, whose surviving remains date mostly from the New Kingdom and later, are another important source of myth. Many temples had a per-ankh, or temple library, storing papyri for rituals and other uses. Some of these papyri contain hymns, which, in praising a god for its actions, often refer to the myths that define those actions. Other temple papyri describe rituals, many of which are based partly on myth. [46] Scattered remnants of these papyrus collections have survived to the present. It is possible that the collections included more systematic records of myths, but no evidence of such texts has survived. [25] Mythological texts and illustrations, similar to those on temple papyri, also appear in the decoration of the temple buildings. The elaborately decorated and well-preserved temples of the Ptolemaic and Roman periods (305 BC–AD 380) are an especially rich source of myth. [47] This illustrated guide to some of the world’s most fascinating mythologies is no joke. The audience is provided with illustrations, photos, maps, and charts that enrich their current understanding of global myths. Covering everything from a civilization’s creation story toMythology profoundly influenced Egyptian culture. It inspired or influenced many religious rituals and provided the ideological basis for kingship. Scenes and symbols from myth appeared in art in tombs, temples, and amulets. In literature, myths or elements of them were used in stories that range from humor to allegory, demonstrating that the Egyptians adapted mythology to serve a wide variety of purposes. Sternberg, Heike (1985). Mythische Motive and Mythenbildung in den agyptischen Tempeln und Papyri der Griechisch-Romischen Zeit (in German). Harrassowitz. ISBN 3-447-02497-6. Roger Lancelyn Green’s Tales of Ancient Egypt is the second introduction to ancient Egyptian mythology for kids that I would recommend. Like Donna Jo Napoli’s Treasury of Egyptian Mythology, Green’s book presents Egyptian mythology in a way that’s accessible and enchanting for children. But where Napoli tends toward the charming and cute, Green evokes a sense of genuine awe. His retellings are probably closer to the way that an ancient Egyptian parent might have told these stories to his or her own child. (Like Napoli, however, Green leaves out the lurid content in the originals that some parents might not want in their children’s reading material.)

This book analyzes hundreds of gods and goddesses that helped to make Egypt the most theocratic society in ancient history, according to their evolution, worship, and final demise. The deities range from household names like Bes and Taweret to supreme beings like Amun and Re. Many Egyptian stories about the gods are characterized as having taken place in a primeval time when the gods were manifest on the earth and ruled over it. After this time, the Egyptians believed, authority on earth passed to human pharaohs. [62] This primeval era seems to predate the start of the sun's journey and the recurring patterns of the present world. At the other end of time is the end of the cycles and the dissolution of the world. Because these distant periods lend themselves to linear narrative better than the cycles of the present, John Baines sees them as the only periods in which true myths take place. [63] Yet, to some extent, the cyclical aspect of time was present in the mythic past as well. Egyptians saw even stories that were set in that time as being perpetually true. The myths were made real every time the events to which they were related occurred. These events were celebrated with rituals, which often evoked myths. [64] Ritual allowed time to periodically return to the mythic past and renew life in the universe. [65] Major myths [ edit ]The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Daytranslated by Raymond Faulkner and Ogden Goelet Meeks, Dimitri; Favard-Meeks, Christine (1996) [French edition 1993]. Daily Life of the Egyptian Gods. Translated by G. M. Goshgarian. Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-8014-8248-8.

References to myth also appear in non-religious Egyptian literature, beginning in the Middle Kingdom. Many of these references are mere allusions to mythic motifs, but several stories are based entirely on mythic narratives. These more direct renderings of myth are particularly common in the Late and Greco-Roman periods when, according to scholars such as Heike Sternberg, Egyptian myths reached their most fully developed state. [50] The book provides insight into the fundamental principles behind the ancient Egyptian belief systems, their perspectives on the afterlife, mummification, good and evil, justice, the connection between spiritual and material worlds, time, and monuments like the pyramids. It also describes how their world view and perspectives evolved through time. Ancient civilizations from around the world have their own unique mythologies. With these myths and legends, you’ll come across a slew of gods, heroes, and supernatural forces. The best overall mythology books out there will retell beloved myths without getting anything twisted. Below we’ll cover 37 of the best mythology books out there. The book features well-illustrated myths of the powerful Egyptian gods and goddesses. Each deity along the Nile is described in the tales in terms of the magic they performed. Additionally, you will learn how Egyptian mythology shaped ancient Egyptian culture.

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However, Pinch’s book has some key differences in emphasis when compared to Wilkinson’s. Whereas Wilkinson’s focus is mostly on the deities, with everything else structured around that central concern, Pinch explores other aspects of the topic in more depth (and the gods in proportionately less depth). In the introductory chapters, Pinch devotes considerably more space to the history of ancient Egypt and to that civilization’s view of time. Discussions of the narratives of Egyptian mythology occur in that section. Pinch’s encyclopedia covers much more than just the gods – symbols, places, concepts, etc. – but, accordingly, covers fewer deities. There is no doubt that this mythology has it all, it has no shortage of fascinating stories and surprising related facts, such as beliefs about death and the soul. From the physiognomy of the gods, with bodies half human and half animal, to the mummies, the pyramids, their forms of expression, everything is truly worthy of study. The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day translated by Raymond Faulkner and Ogden Goelet All around Egypt, there are monuments to illustrate the depth and complexity of Egyptian mythology. Richard Wilkinson writes and depicts them with stunning color images of ancient sculptures, paintings, and carvings. Quirke, Stephen (2001). The Cult of Ra: Sun Worship in Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05107-0.