Monday, July 20, 2015

Ra or Re

Image of Ra from Ancient Egypt online.

As a crown, sun god Ra (aka Re)  had the body of a human, the head of a falcon, and a bright sun disk wrapped round by the snake Uraeus, protector of the royal person. The spitting cobra also carried  destruction.

Ra was a powerful god who created everything. Pharaohs liked to associate themselves with him, implying that they too had "solar" power.

The Sun God was a symbol of great importance all over ancient Egypt. His worshipers believed he was swallowed nightly by the nocturnal Nut, and then reborn each morning. Under cover of darkness, Ra's appearance was different. He was thought to travel through the underworld in he guise of a ram's head. This signified his association with the underworld version of Osiris, who ruled over the dead.

As well as the all important sun and snake, Ra carries a flail and an ankh.

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