The ancient religions of Egypt have always been inseparable from the mythology and mysticism inherent in this part of the globe. It was thanks to ancient Egyptian myths and legends that paganism in Russia was later formed.
Echoes of this culture can also be observed in modern Judaism, Islam, Christianity. Many images and legends have spread throughout the globe and over time has become part of the modern world. Assumptions and hypotheses regarding Egyptian culture and religion still torment scientists of the world who are desperately trying to unravel the secrets of this amazing country.
Main directions
The religion of ancient Egypt is diverse. It combines several areas, such as:
- Fetishism . It is a worship of inanimate objects or materials to which mystical properties are attributed. It can be amulets, paintings or other things.
- Monotheism . It is based on faith in one god, but at the same time allows the existence of other supernatural forms or several divine faces, which are the image of the same character. Such a god may appear in different guises, but his essence remains unchanged.
- Polytheism . A belief system that is based on polytheism. In polytheism, there are entire pantheons of divine creatures, each of which is responsible for a separate topic.
- Totemism . A very common phenomenon for ancient Egypt. The essence of this direction is the worship of totems. Most often these are animals that are presented with gifts in order to appease the gods through them and ask them for a happy life or tranquility in another world.
All these directions have been forming for more than 3 thousand years, and, of course, for such a long period the religion of ancient Egypt has undergone many changes. For example, some gods, who occupied the last place in their importance, gradually became the main ones, and vice versa. Some characters merged and turned into completely new elements.
A separate part is occupied by legends and beliefs relating to the afterlife. Due to this versatility, various branches and ever-changing rites in Egypt there was no single state religion. Each group of people chose a separate direction or deity, which later began to worship. Perhaps this is the only belief that did not unite all the inhabitants of the country, and sometimes led to wars due to the fact that the priests of one commune did not share the views of another, worshiping other gods.
Magic in ancient Egypt
Magic was the basis of all directions and was practically presented to people as a religion of ancient Egypt. It is difficult to summarize all the mystical beliefs of the ancient Egyptians. On the one hand, magic was a tool and was directed against enemies, on the other hand, it was used to protect animals and people.
Amulets
The most important importance was attached to all kinds of amulets, which were endowed with extraordinary power. The Egyptians believed that such things could protect not only a living person, but also his soul after moving to another world.
There were amulets on which the ancient priests wrote special magic formulas. Especially serious were rituals during which spells were cast over amulets. It was also customary to lay a sheet of papyrus with the words addressed to the gods on the body of the deceased. Thus, the relatives of the deceased asked for higher powers for mercy and for a better fate for the soul of the deceased.
Figures of animals and people
The myths and religion of ancient Egypt include tales of all sorts of animal figures. The Egyptians attached great importance to such amulets, since such things could not only bring good luck, but also help curse the enemy. For these purposes, a figurine of a man who had to be punished was molded from wax. Subsequently, this direction was transformed into black magic. The Christian religion also has a similar custom, but on the contrary, it is aimed at healing. To do this, it is necessary to mold a sick part of the human body from wax and bring it to the church to the icon of the saint, from whom relatives are asking for help.
On a par with amulets great importance was attached to drawings and all kinds of spells. Initially, there was a tradition of bringing food to the burial room and putting it next to the mummy of the deceased in order to appease the gods.
After some time, when the food was spoiled, the Egyptians brought fresh offerings, but in the end it all came down to the fact that next to the mummified body they put an image of food and a scroll with certain spells. It was believed that after reading the cherished words over the deceased, the priest could convey a message to the gods and protect the soul of the deceased.
"Words of power"
This spell was considered one of the most powerful. The ancient religions of Egypt emphasized the utterance of sacred texts. Depending on the circumstances, the indicated spell could produce a different effect. To do this, it was necessary to name the name of a creature that the priest wanted to call. The Egyptians believed that the knowledge of this name was the key to everything. Survivors of such beliefs have survived to this day.
Akhenaten’s coup
After the Hyksos (who influenced the ancient religions of Egypt) were expelled from Egypt, the country experienced a religious coup, the instigator of which was Akhenaten. It was at this time that the Egyptians began to believe in the existence of a single god.
Aton became the chosen god, but this belief did not take root due to his exalted character. Therefore, after Akhenaten’s death, very few worshipers of a single deity remained. This brief period of monotheism nevertheless left its imprint on the subsequent directions of the Egyptian religion.
According to one version, the Levites led by Moses were among those who believed in the god Aton. But due to the fact that this became unpopular in Egypt, the sect was forced to leave their native lands. During their journey, the followers of Moses united with the nomadic Jews and converted them to their faith. The ten commandments that are now known strongly resemble the lines of one of the chapters of the Book of the Dead, which is called the Commandment of Denial. It lists 42 sins (one for each god, of which, according to one of the Egyptian religions, there were also 42).
Currently, this is only a hypothesis that allows us to consider in more detail the characteristics of the religion of ancient Egypt. There is no reliable evidence, but many experts are increasingly inclined to just such a formulation. By the way, the debate about the fact that Christianity is based on Egyptian beliefs still does not fade.
Egyptian religion in Rome
At the time when the mass spread of Christianity began, and Alexander the Great died, the Egyptian religion completely merged with ancient mythology. At a time when the old gods no longer met all the requirements of society, the cult of Isis appeared, which spread throughout the entire Roman Empire. Along with the new trend, great interest began to manifest itself in Egyptian magic, the influence of which by that time had already reached Britain, Germany and began to spread throughout Europe. It is difficult to say that this was the only religion of ancient Egypt. It can be briefly represented as an intermediate step between paganism and gradually emerging Christianity.
Pyramids of Egypt
These buildings have always been shrouded in hundreds of legends and beliefs. Scientists are still trying to solve the mystery of how any organic objects are mummified in the pyramids. Even the small animals that died in these buildings are preserved for a very long time without embalming. Some people claim that after spending some time in the ancient pyramids, they experienced a surge of energy, and even got rid of some chronic diseases.
The culture and religion of ancient Egypt is tightly connected with these extraordinary buildings. This is understandable, since the pyramids have always been a symbol of all Egyptians, regardless of which religious direction was chosen by one or another group of people. Until now, tourists who come on excursions to the pyramids claim that in these places the blunt razor blades become sharp if they are correctly placed, focusing on the cardinal points. Moreover, there is an opinion that it is not so important what material the pyramid is made of and where it is located, it can even be made of cardboard, and it will still have unusual properties. The main thing is to observe the correct proportions.
Religion and Art of Ancient Egypt
The art of the country has always been closely associated with the religious preferences of the Egyptians. Since any image and sculpture had a mystical connotation, there were special canons according to which such creations were created.
Huge temples were erected in honor of the gods, and their images were imprinted in stone or precious materials. God Chorus was portrayed as a falcon or a person with a falcon head, thereby symbolizing wisdom, justice and writing. The guide of the dead Anubis was painted in the form of a jackal, and the goddess of war Sohmet always presented in the form of a lioness.
Unlike eastern cultures, the ancient religions of Egypt presented the deities not as frightening and punishing avengers, but rather as majestic and all-understanding gods. Pharaohs and kings were representatives of the rulers of the world and were revered no less, therefore they also painted them in the form of animals. It was believed that the image of a man is his invisible double, which was called "Ka" and has always been presented in the form of a young man, regardless of the age of the Egyptian himself.
Each statue and painting had to be signed by their creator. An unsigned creation was considered unfinished.
Religion and mythology of ancient Egypt pay great attention to the organs of vision of man and animals. It has been since that time that the belief has come that eyes are the mirror of the soul. The Egyptians believed that the dead were completely blind, so this attention was given such attention. According to Egyptian myth, when the god Osiris was treacherously killed by his own brother, his son Khor cut out his eye and gave it to swallow his father, after which he was resurrected.
Deified animals
Egypt is a country with a rather poor fauna, however, the ancient Egyptians honored nature and representatives of flora and fauna.
They worshiped the black bull, which was a divine creature - Apis. Therefore, in the animal temple there was always a live bull. He was worshiped by the townspeople. As the famous Egyptologist Mikhail Alexandrovich Korostovtsev wrote, the religion of ancient Egypt is quite extensive, it sees symbolism in many things. One of these was the cult of the crocodile, which personified the
god Sebek. As in the temples of Apis, in the places of worship of Sebek there were always living crocodiles, which were fed only by priests. After the death of animals, their bodies were mummified (they were treated with the highest respect and reverence).
Falcons and kites were also held in high esteem. For the murder of these winged, one could pay with life.
A special place in the history of the religion of Egypt is occupied by cats. The most important god, Ra, was always represented as a huge cat. There was also the goddess Bastet, appearing in the form of a cat. The death of this animal was marked by mourning, and the body of the four-legged was taken to the priests, who cast spells over them and embalmed it. Killing a cat was considered a huge sin, followed by a terrible retribution. In a fire, a cat was rescued first from a burning house, and only then family members.
Considering the ancient Egyptian mythology, one cannot but mention the scarab beetle. The religion of ancient Egypt plays a huge role in this amazing insect. A summary of the most famous myth about him is that it is this beetle that personifies life and spontaneous regeneration.
The concept of the soul in ancient Egypt
The Egyptians divided the human being into several systems. As mentioned earlier, each person had a particle "Ka", which was his double. An extra coffin was placed in the burial room of the deceased, in which this very part was supposed to rest.
Particle "Ba" was the very soul of man. At first, it was believed that this component was exclusively possessed by the gods.
“Ah” is a spirit, depicted as an ibis and represented a separate part of the soul.
"Shu" is a shadow. The essence of the human soul, which is hidden on the dark side of consciousness.
There was also a part of the “Sah” that personified the body of the deceased after his mummification. A separate place was occupied by the heart, as it was the receptacle of the entire consciousness of man as a whole. The Egyptians believed that during the final judgment, a person could be silent about his sins, but his heart always revealed the most terrible secrets.
Conclusion
It is rather difficult to list all the ancient religions of Egypt in a concise and accessible way, since over such a long time they have undergone a lot of changes. One thing is certain for sure: the mysterious Egyptian story contains a huge number of the most extraordinary and mystical secrets. The annual excavations present incredible surprises and raise more and more questions. To this day, scientists and people simply interested in history find unusual symbols and evidence that this particular religion formed the basis of all the beliefs that exist today.