Ra - wikipedia Ra This article is about the Egyptian deity. For other uses, see Ra ( disambiguation ). Ra / Re In one of his many forms, Ra, god of the sun, has the head of a falcon and the sun - disk inside a cobra resting on his head. Name in hieroglyphs or or Major cult center Heliopolis Symbol Sun disk Consort Hathor, Sekhmet, and Bastet Offspring Shu, Tefnut, Bastet, Ma'at, Hathor, sometimes Serket Parents None, self - created Aten ( in some accounts ) Siblings Apep Ra ( / rɑː / ; Ancient Egyptian : rꜥ or rʕ ; also transliterated rʕw ; cuneiform : 𒊑𒀀 ri - a or 𒊑𒅀 ri - ia ) or Re ( / reɪ / ; Coptic : ⲣⲏ, Rē ) is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty in the 25th and 24th centuries BC, he had become a major god in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the noon sun. In later Egyptian dynastic times, Ra was merged with the god Horus, as Ra - Horakhty ( `` Ra, who is Horus of the Two Horizons '' ). He was believed to rule in all parts of the created world : the sky, the earth, and the underworld. He was associated with the falcon or hawk. When in the New Kingdom the god Amun rose to prominence he was fused with Ra as Amun - Ra. During the Amarna Period, Akhenaten suppressed the cult of Ra in favor of another solar deity, the Aten, the deified solar disc, but after the death of Akhenaten the cult of Ra was restored. The cult of the Mnevis bull, an embodiment of Ra, had its center in Heliopolis and there was a formal burial ground for the sacrificed bulls north of the city. All forms of life were believed to have been created by Ra, who called each of them into existence by speaking their secret names. Alternatively man was created from Ra 's tears and sweat, hence the Egyptians call themselves the `` Cattle of Ra ''. In the myth of the Celestial Cow it is recounted how mankind plotted against Ra and how he sent his eye as the goddess Sekhmet to punish them. When she became bloodthirsty she was pacified by drinking beer mixed with red dye. Contents 1 Role 1.1 The sun 1.2 In the underworld 1.3 As creator 2 Iconography 3 Worship 4 Relationship to other gods 4.1 Gods merged with Ra 4.2 Gods created by Ra 4.3 Rival gods 5 In popular culture 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading Role The sun To the Egyptians, the sun represented light, warmth, and growth. This made the sun deity very important, as the sun was seen as the ruler of all that he created. The sun disk was either seen as the body or eye of Ra. Ra was the father of Shu and Tefnut, whom he created. Shu was the god of the wind, and Tefnut was the goddess of the rain. Sekhmet was the Eye of Ra and was created by the fire in Ra 's eye. She was a violent lioness who later turned into Hathor. In the underworld Ra was thought to travel on the Atet, two solar barks called the Mandjet ( the Boat of Millions of Years ) or morning boat and the Mesektet or evening boat. These boats took him on his journey through the sky and the Duat, the literal underworld of Egypt. While Ra was on the Mesektet, he was in his ram - headed form. When Ra traveled in his sun boat, he was accompanied by various other deities including Sia ( perception ) and Hu ( command ), as well as Heka ( magic power ). Sometimes, members of the Ennead helped him on his journey, including Set, who overcame the serpent Apophis, and Mehen, who defended against the monsters of the underworld. When Ra was in the underworld, he would visit all of his various forms. Apophis, the god of chaos, was an enormous serpent who attempted to stop the sun boat 's journey every night by consuming it or by stopping it in its tracks with a hypnotic stare. During the evening, the Egyptians believed that Ra set as Atum or in the form of a ram. The night boat would carry him through the underworld and back towards the east in preparation for his rebirth. These myths of Ra represented the sun rising as the rebirth of the sun by the sky goddess Nut ; thus attributing the concept of rebirth and renewal to Ra and strengthening his role as a creator god as well. Apophis was born from Ra 's umbilical cord, indicative of how evil in Egyptian religion is the result of free will rather than a primordial force. When Ra was in the underworld, he merged with Osiris, the god of the dead, and through it became the god of the dead as well. As creator Ra was worshipped as the Creator god among some ancient Egyptians, specifically followers of his cult at Heliopolis. It was believed that Ra wept, and from his tears came man. These cult - followers believed that Ra was self - created, while followers of Ptah believed that Ra was created by Ptah. In a passage of the Book of the Dead, Ra cuts himself, and his blood transforms into two intellectual personifications : Hu, or authority, and Sia, or mind. Ra is also accredited with the creation of the seasons, months, plants, and animals. Iconography Figure of Ra - Horakhty, 3rd century BC Ra was represented in a variety of forms. The most usual form was a man with the head of a hawk and a solar disk on top and a coiled serpent around the disk. Other common forms are a man with the head of a beetle ( in his form as Khepri ), or a man with the head of a ram. Ra was also pictured as a full - bodied ram, beetle, phoenix, heron, serpent, bull, cat, or lion, among others. He was most commonly featured with a ram 's head in the Underworld. In this form, Ra is described as being the `` ram of the west '' or `` ram in charge of his harem. In some literature, Ra is described as an aging king with golden flesh, silver bones, and hair of lapis lazuli. Worship The chief cult center of Ra was Iunu, the `` Place of Pillars '', later known to the Greeks as Heliopolis ( lit. `` Sun City '' ) and today located in the suburbs of Cairo. He was identified with the local sun god Atum. As Atum or Atum - Ra, he was reckoned the first being and the originator of the Ennead ( `` The Nine '' ), consisting of Shu and Tefnut, Geb and Nut, Osiris, Set, Isis and Nephthys. The holiday of ' The Receiving of Ra ' was celebrated on May 26 in the Gregorian calendar. His local cult began to grow from roughly the second dynasty, establishing Ra as a sun deity. By the Fourth Dynasty, pharaohs were seen as Ra 's manifestations on earth, referred to as `` Sons of Ra ''. His worship increased massively in the Fifth Dynasty, when Ra became a state deity and pharaohs had specially aligned pyramids, obelisks, and solar temples built in his honor. The rulers of the Fifth Dynasty told their followers that they were sons of Ra himself and the wife of the high priest of Heliopolis. These pharaohs spent most of Egypt 's money on sun temples. The first Pyramid Texts began to arise, giving Ra more and more significance in the journey of the pharaoh through the Underworld. During the Middle Kingdom era, Ra was increasingly affiliated and combined with other chief deities, especially Amun and Osiris. Ra on the Solar boat. At the time of the New Kingdom, the worship of Ra had become more complicated and grander. The walls of tombs were dedicated to extremely detailed texts that depicted Ra 's journey through the underworld. Ra was said to carry the prayers and blessings of the living with the souls of the dead on the sun boat. The idea that Ra aged with the sun became more popular during the rise of the New Kingdom. Many acts of worship included hymns, prayers, and spells to help Ra and the sun boat overcome Apep. The rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire put an end to the worship of Ra by the citizens of Egypt, and as Ra 's popularity suddenly died out, the study of Ra became of purely academic interest even among the Egyptian priests. Relationship to other Gods Fragment of a limestone stela of Djiho ( Djedher ), the God 's Father of Min. Ptolemaic, 27th Dynasty. From Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London Gods merged with Ra Ra and Amun, from the tomb of Ramses IV. ' Ra - Horakhty ' redirects here. For the Egyptian month named in his honor, see Mesori. As with most widely worshiped Egyptian deities, Ra 's identity was often combined with other gods, forming an interconnection between deities. Amun and Amun - Ra Amun was a member of the Ogdoad, representing creation energies with Amaunet, a very early patron of Thebes. He was believed to create via breath and thus was identified with the wind rather than the sun. As the cults of Amun and Ra became increasingly popular in Upper and Lower Egypt respectively they were combined to create Amun - Ra, a solar creator god. It is hard to distinguish exactly when this combination happened, but references to Amun - Ra appeared in pyramid texts as early as the fifth dynasty. The most common belief is that Amun - Ra was invented as a new state deity by the Theban rulers of the New Kingdom to unite worshipers of Amun with the older cult of Ra around the 18th dynasty. Amun - Ra was given the official title `` king of the gods '' by worshippers, and images show the combined deity as a red - eyed man with a lion 's head that had a surrounding solar disk. Atum and Atum - Ra Atum - Ra ( or Ra - Atum ) was another composite deity formed from two completely separate deities, however Ra shared more similarities with Atum than with Amun. Atum was more closely linked with the sun, and was also a creator god of the Ennead. Both Ra and Atum were regarded as the father of the deities and pharaohs and were widely worshiped. In older myths, Atum was the creator of Tefnut and Shu, and he was born from ocean Nun. Imentet and Ra from the tomb of Nefertari, 13th century BC Ra - Horakhty Pyramidion of Khonsu, with the image of Ra - Horakhty in the middle. In later Egyptian mythology, Ra - Horakhty was more of a title or manifestation than a composite deity. It translates as `` Ra ( who is ) Horus of the Horizons ''. It was intended to link Horakhty ( as a sunrise - oriented aspect of Horus ) to Ra. It has been suggested that Ra - Horakhty simply refers to the sun 's journey from horizon to horizon as Ra, or that it means to show Ra as a symbolic deity of hope and rebirth. ( See earlier section : Ra and the sun ). Khepri and Khnum 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. The idea of different deities ( or different aspects of Ra ) ruling over different times of the day was fairly common but variable. With Khepri and Khnum taking precedence over sunrise and sunset, Ra often was the representation of midday when the sun reached its peak at noon. Sometimes different aspects of Horus were used instead of Ra 's aspects. Raet - Tawy Raet or Raet - Tawy was a female aspect of Ra ; she did not have much of importance independently of him. In some myths she was considered to be either Ra 's wife or his daughter. Gods created by Ra Bastet Bastet ( also called Bast ) is sometimes known as the `` cat of Ra ''. She is also his daughter and is associated with Ra 's instrument of vengeance, the sun - god 's eye. Bastet is known for decapitating the serpent Apophis ( Ra 's sworn enemy and the `` God '' of Chaos ) to protect Ra. In one myth, Ra sent Bastet as a lioness to Nubia. Sekhmet Sekhmet is another daughter of Ra. Sekhmet was depicted as a lioness or large cat, and was an `` eye of Ra '', or an instrument of the sun god 's vengeance. In one myth, Sekhmet was so filled with rage that Ra was forced to turn her into a cow so that she would not cause unnecessary harm. In another myth, Ra fears that mankind is plotting against him and sends Hathor ( another daughter of Ra ) to exterminate the human race. In the morning Sekhmet goes to finish the job and drinks what appears to be blood. It turns out to be red beer, and she is too intoxicated to finish the slaughter. Hathor Hathor is another daughter of Ra. When Ra feared that mankind was plotting against him, he sent Hathor as an `` eye of Ra '' to exterminate the human race, later sending Sekhmet to finish the job. In one myth, Hathor danced naked in front of Ra until he laughed to cure him of a fit of sulking. When Ra was without Hathor, he fell into a state of deep depression. Rival Gods Neith, Brooklyn Museum Ptah Ptah is rarely mentioned in the literature of Old Kingdom pyramids. This is believed by some to be a result of the Ra - worshipping people of Heliopolis being the main writers of these inscriptions. Followers of Ra were known to be jealous of Ptah. While some believed that Ra is self - created, others believed that Ptah created him. Isis Isis frequently schemed against Ra, as she wanted her son Horus to have the power. In one myth, Isis created a serpent to poison Ra and only gave him the antidote when he revealed his true name to her. Ra now feared Isis, as with his secret name revealed she could use all her power against him and have Horus take over the throne. Apep Apep, also called Apophis, was the god of chaos and Ra 's greatest enemy. He was said to lie just below the horizon line, trying to devour Ra as Ra descended into the underworld. As he swallowed Ra, this led to the setting of the sun and when he had completely swallowed Ra this led to nighttime. He never succeeded in completely swallowing Ra however as he eventually spits Ra back out, causing the sun to rise. In popular culture Main article : Ancient Egyptian deities in popular culture § Ra See also Raet - Tawy References Jump up ^ Merriam - Webster 's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. Merriam - Webster, 2007. p. 1023 Jump up ^ Hess, Richard S. ( 1993 ). Amarna Personal Names. Eisenbrauns. ISBN 9780931464713. Archived from the original on 2017 - 12 - 16. ^ Jump up to : The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, George Hart ISBN 0 - 415 - 34495 - 6 ^ Jump up to : Hart, George ( 1986 ). A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. London, England : Routledge & Kegan Paul Inc. pp. 179 -- 182. ISBN 0 - 415 - 05909 - 7. Jump up ^ Kemboly, Mpay. 2010. The Question of Evil in Ancient Egypt. London : Golden House Publications. ^ Jump up to : Hart, George ( 1986 ). A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. London, England : Routledge & Kegan Paul Inc. pp. 172 -- 178. ISBN 0 - 415 - 05909 - 7. Jump up ^ The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, Wilkinson ISBN 0 - 500 - 05120 - 8 Jump up ^ Quirke, S. ( 2001 ). The cult of Ra : Sun - worship in ancient Egypt. New York : Thames and Hudson, p. 144. Jump up ^ Müller, M. ( 2002 ). Ra. In D.B. Redford ( Ed. ), The ancient gods speak : A guide to Egyptian religion. New York : Oxford University Press, p. 328. ^ Jump up to : Hart, George ( 1986 ). A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. London, England : Routledge & Kegan Paul Inc. p. 6. ISBN 0 - 415 - 05909 - 7. Jump up ^ Wilkinson, Richard ( 2003 ). The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. London : Thames and Hudson. p. 164. ISBN 978 - 0 - 500 - 05120 - 7. Archived from the original on 2016 - 09 - 05. ^ Jump up to : Hart, George ( 1986 ). A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. London, England : Routledge & Kegan Paul Inc. pp. 54 -- 56. ISBN 0 - 415 - 05909 - 7. ^ Jump up to : Hart, George ( 1986 ). A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. London, England : Routledge & Kegan Paul Inc. pp. 187 -- 189. ISBN 0 - 415 - 05909 - 7. ^ Jump up to : Hart, George ( 1986 ). A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. London, England : Routledge & Kegan Paul Inc. pp. 76 -- 82. ISBN 0 - 415 - 05909 - 7. Jump up ^ Harris, Geraldine ( 1981 ). Gods & Pharaohs from Egyptian Mythology. London, England : Eurobook Limited. p. 26. ISBN 0 - 87226 - 907 - 8. Jump up ^ The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2011. p. 708. ^ Jump up to : Harris, Geraldine ( 1981 ). Gods & Pharaohs from Egyptian Mythology. London, England : Eurobook Limited. pp. 24 -- 25. ISBN 0 - 87226 - 907 - 8. Further reading Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ra. Collier, Mark and Manley, Bill. How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs : Revised Edition. Berkeley : University of California Press, 1998. Salaman, Clement, Van Oyen, Dorine, Wharton, William D, and Mahé, Jean - Pierre. The Way of Hermes : New Translations of the Corpus Hermeticum and The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius. Rochester : Inner Traditions, 1999. Ancient Egyptian religion Beliefs Emanationism Isfet Maat Maa Kheru Mythology Numerology Paganism Pantheism Philosophy Polytheism Soul Practices Funerals Heku Mortuary temples Offering formula Temples Veneration of the dead Deities Ogdoad Amun Amunet Heh Hauhet Kek Kauket Nu Naunet Ennead Atum Shu Tefnut Geb Nut Osiris Isis Set Nephthys Aker Akhty Ammit Am - heh Anat Andjety Anhur Anput Anubis Anuket Apedemak Apep Apis Apt Aqen Arensnuphis Ash Astarte Aten Astennu Babi Banebdjedet Bastet Bat Bata Ba - Pef Bes Buchis Dedun Four sons of Horus Duamutef Hapi Imset Qebehsenuef Ha Hapi Hathor Hatmehit Hedetet Hedjhotep Heka Hemen Hemsut Heqet Hermanubis Hesat Horus Heryshaf Hu Iabet Iah Iat Ihy Imentet Imhotep Iunit Iusaaset Kebechet Khensit Khenti - Amentiu Khenti - kheti Khepri Kherty Khnum Khonsu Kothar - wa - Khasis Maahes Ma'at Mandulis Matit Medjed Mafdet Mehen Mehet - Weret Mehit Menhit Meret Meretseger Meskhenet Min Mnevis Montu Mut Nebethetepet Nebtuwi Nefertem Nehebkau Nehmetawy Neith Nemty Nekhbet Neper Pakhet Petbe Ptah Qebui Qetesh Ra Raet - Tawy Rem Renenutet Renpet Repyt Resheph Sah Satis Sekhmet Seker Serapis Serket Seshat Shai Shed Shesmetet Shezmu Sia Sobek Sopdet Sopdu Souls of Pe and Nekhen Tatenen Taweret Tayt Ta - Bitjet Tenenet Thoth Hermes Trismegistus Tjenenyet Tutu Unut Wadjet Wadj - wer Weneg Wepset Wepwawet Werethekau Wosret Creatures Aani Abtu Bennu Griffin Hieracosphinx Medjed Serpopard Sha Sphinx Uraeus Characters Dedi Djadjaemankh Rededjet Ubaoner Locations Neter - khertet Aaru Benben Duat Land of Manu The Indestructibles Symbols and Objects Ankh Atef Atet Book of Thoth Cartouche Crook and flail Deshret Djed Egyptian obelisk Egyptian pool Eye of Horus Eye of Ra Hedjet Hemhem crown Hennu Imiut fetish Khepresh Kneph Matet boat Menat Nebu Nemes Neshmet Ouroboros Pschent Scarab Seqtet boat Serekh Shen ring Tyet Ushabti Was - sceptre Winged sun Writings Amduat Books of Breathing Book of Caverns Book of the Dead Book of the Earth Book of Gates Book of the Heavenly Cow Book of Traversing Eternity Coffin Texts The Contendings of Horus and Seth Enigmatic Book of the Netherworld Great Hymn to the Aten Litany of the Eye of Horus Litany of Re Pyramid Texts Related religions Atenism Gnosticism Hermeticism Kemetism Temple of Set Book Ancient Egypt portal VIAF : 32792135 GND : 118749404 SUDOC : 027402568 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ra&oldid=835228137 '' Categories : Egyptian gods Solar gods Underworld gods Hidden categories : Articles containing Ancient Egyptian - language text Articles containing Coptic - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2014 Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Alemannisch Azərbaycanca বাংলা Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български བོད ་ ཡིག Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Чӑвашла Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ქართული Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Lumbaart Magyar Македонски മലയാളം मराठी მარგალური مصرى Bahasa Melayu Монгол Nāhuatl Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی Polski Português Română Русский Scots Sicilianu සිංහල Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt Volapük Walon Winaray 中文 69 more Edit links This page was last edited on 7 April 2018, at 11 : 11. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who was believed to be the son of re the sun god
Answer: The rulers of the Fifth Dynasty