55 Amun Ra Facts Know About The Ancient Egyptian God

According to Egyptian mythology, Amun and Ra, two separate gods combined to form Amun-Ra, the one supreme god of Egyptian religion.Based on this mythology, Atum, the creator god, created a universe, and Ra rose from an island to support this holy ritual and manifested itself in the form of the sun god, Ra. The first of the gods, Shu and his partner Tefnut were created by Ra, and they would cause the rise of the sky goddess Nut and earth god Geb who were needed to complete the cosmos.These Geb and Tefnut created the concept of life and created Osiris, who would rule the rest of the world. Humankind is believed to have been created by the tears of Ra’s eyes.Compared to other major deities, Amun was lower in prominence and only became popular in Egyptian mythology after Ra was combined with him to create the one god Amun-Ra. Amun began as a fertility god and would soon become the supreme being.Who is Amun-Ra?Amun-Ra is known as the King of all gods and stands atop the several gods that were worshiped in ancient Egyptians. Learn more about Ra and his importance with these facts:Amun-Ra, also known as the Father of the Gods, Maker of Men, Lord of Truth, Creator of the Staff of Life, and Lord of the Things that are, is known as the supreme god with both the sun and life under his command.Amun-Ra resulted from a combination of Amun and Ra as they became one god around 2040 BC. Before this combination, Egyptians worshiped Ra and Amun separately.Amun originated as a god of Thebes, and his name meant ‘hidden god.’ This name referred to Amun representing abstract notions. Egyptians believed that Amun was omnipresent, but he could not be seen. Amun was also the god of fertility.Amun was represented by a simple man clothed with a wrap. Amun wore a mortar on his head and two feathers sticking out of it, and in some instances, Amun had a ram’s head. Amun’s wife Amunet, the sky goddess, had the form of a woman with the head of a snake.In comparison to Amun, Ra was always worshiped as a god of great importance. Ra symbolized the sun and, therefore, was seen as the creator of life. Ancient Egyptians believed the first pharaohs to be reincarnations of Ra. Ra was also used to mark reincarnation in humans.The sun god Ra was portrayed as a man with the head of a hawk, and on this hawk-head, he wore the sun disk.Ra was the supreme god when Memphis was the capital city of Egypt. However, with the shifting of the capital from Memphis to Thebes, Amun was introduced to the god Ra. This union gave birth to the god Amun-Ra, who would become one of the most important gods in the Egyptian Empire.Thebes was used as the capital for more than a millennium, and when it lost its status as the capital, it remained relevant as the religious center of the Egyptian Empire. In this way, the god Amun came to be worshiped as the god of all Egypt.Amun’s family consisted of Amunet, Mut, and Khonsu. Amunet played the role of the wife of Amun before his combination with Ra.Mut, the goddess of Thebes, served as the wife to Amun-Ra and became known as the female companion of Amun-Ra.Khonsu, the moon god of healing and regeneration, was the son of Amun and Mut.Origin And History Of Amun-RaAmun-Ra was created following a combination of two gods, and his significance as the creator of the universe gives birth to various facts about Amun-Ra’s origin and history. These history and origin and facts will surprise you:Amun was first mentioned as a local god of Thebes alongside his consort Amaunet. During these times, Montu, the creator and war god was considered Atum or Ra.Montu was believed to be a fierce god who protected ancient Egypt and helped it expand, with Atum playing the role of a supreme god.At this time, Amun was related to the protection of kings. Still, essentially, he was seen as a local fertility god alongside his consort Amaunet, as a member of the Ogdoad, a congregation of eight gods who embodied the elements of creation.Amun was termed ‘The Obscure One,’ and his role was based on his worshipers’ definition. He was seen as a god with mysterious aspects and could lend help to any element of existence.The name Amun is widely used to refer to the god, but other names in Egyptian literature are used to refer to Amun. The names Amen-Ra, Amon-Ra, Amun-Re, and Amon-Re, are popular alternatives.Ra was depicted in various forms, with the most common portrayals being shown with the body of a man with a falcon’s head, crowned with a sun disc. This sun disc is wrapped around by Uraeus, a sacred cobra. Other depictions of Ra include a man’s body with the head of a ram or beetle.Ra’s symbol, the sun disk, remains a constant in all the illustrations related to the name Amun Ra. Ra is also portrayed as a full-bodied beetle, heron, ram, lion, cat, bull, or serpent.Compared to Ra, Amun is portrayed in human form, and the tail feathers of a bird were used to signify his earlier position as a wind god.Once Amun was linked with Ra, Amun-Ra was created, and Amun took on the aspects of Ra as a solar god. He would also serve as a fertility god with Min, an ancient fertility deity, in a collaboration known as Amun-Min.Amun-Ra also engaged in several battles with war god Montu as he had absorbed the qualities of Montu. With Amun-Ra becoming the universal or supreme god, he was honored with the ‘King of the Gods’ title.Influence Of Amun-Ra In EgyptAncient Egyptian civilizations often created massive architectures to praise the gods and goddesses. Amun-Ra profoundly influenced Egypt because of his position as the supreme god among countless Egyptian deities. These facts will help you in knowing more about his influence:Amun-Ra has had a strong influence in Egypt, and many Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic religions are believed to have stemmed from the beliefs of ancient Egyptians.Amun-Ra is even today considered to be the most significant god in ancient Egypt. His influence was strong enough almost to convert the ancient Egyptians to practice a monotheistic belief.The fusion of Amun and sun god Ra created the visualization of a god with two sides, one that describes the cosmos and nature, and the other insinuated the concern for individuals. This implied concern for others triggered the Egyptian population to shift from authoritarian rule.Egyptian folktales often portrayed Ra as the ultimate god as his powers were strong enough to create light in the sky for humans. His influence could also be felt in the Underworld!On the other hand, Amun was a backer of Pharaohs, and they were combined to form Amun-Ra. With the creation of Amun-Ra, Egyptians found a new supreme god to worship.Amun-Ra is believed to have influenced Greek civilization, and his existence created the belief in Greeks of Zeus being the King of the Gods.Ra became one of the most significant deities in ancient Egypt by the 25th century BC, and he was believed to be the supreme god who ruled the earth, sky, and Underworld. Ra was thus seen as the divine power with access to the cosmic universe.There are several myths about Ra, with one myth stating that Ra rules all gods, and the other legend says that he was the one true God, and other deities were just parts of Ra.The rise of the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt between the 16th and 11th centuries saw Ra become more popular, as Ra’s portrayals see it in tombs belonging to this era.From the beginning of the 25th century BC, Ra was closely associated with the Pharaoh. During this period, the Pharaoh of ancient Egypt was known as ‘The Son of Ra’ during this period. Many Pharaohs even incorporated the name ‘Ra’ into their names.During the coronation, the name of the King as the son of Ra was engraved on a cartouche beside the name that marked the King as the King of Lower and Upper Egypt. Sun god chapels were also added to the temples throughout the country.Ra also became a state deity during this era, and sun temples, obelisks, and aligned pyramids were all created to honor Ra. However, these temples dedicated to Ra did not have any statues of Ra and were built as open structures to take in sunlight, in turn, symbolizing the sun god.Egyptian art associates symbols like the ram and goose with Amun, and some Amun murals portray him as a lion or ape.Significance And Cult Of Amun-RaAmun-Ra and his significance in ancient Egypt can often be seen on the various temples dedicated to the deity. These facts will teach you more the god:Ra was known as the supreme god in the universe, and based on several myths, Ra is the ruler of all gods and stands atop the order of significance. He is believed to have created the heavens, the world, and people. Ra also created plants, animals, and the seasons.These feats are believed to have been possible through Ra’s usage of a hidden name in which his powers existed. No other god could use these powers since the word was only known to Ra.The worship of Amun became widely accepted in Egyptian society, and cults were formed in honor of Amun. These cults were often awarded land and spoils from conquests.Depictions have been found of Amun and other deities traveling to two festivals held at Thebes. These festivals were known as the Beautiful Feast of the Valley and Opet Festival.During the celebrations of The Beautiful Feast of the Valley, depictions of the Theban Triad (Amun, his consort Mut and their son Khonsu) were taken out of Karnak and made their way across the Nile on a boat to visit the west bank’s mortuary temples.The Opet Festival was celebrated to mark the sacred marriage between the Pharaoh (God) and the ‘God’s Wife.‘‘God’s Wife of Amun’ was used to refer to the women who held significant positions in the cult. The queen-mother or queen was often chosen as the ‘God’s Wife of Amun,’ and various depictions of these powerful women showing them making offerings to the gods have been found.The cult of Amon-Ra is believed to be extremely popular among the population of ancient Egypt and almost caused the Egyptian religion to become monotheistic. Amon-Ra’s popularity guided the formation of the first monotheistic religious motion under the Pharaoh Akhenaten.Pharaoh Akhenaten also forbade polytheistic worship and designated Aten as the one true God to be worshiped.Worshipers built various temples dedicated to Amun, with Pharaoh Ramses II building and rebuilding several temples. Three of the several temples built by Ramses II are located in Karnak, Luxor, and Deir el-Medina.Ramses II built two other temples in Deir el-Medina dedicated to the other members of the Theban Triad.Amun’s temple at Luxor was built around 1400 BCE and is used even today as a praying site. The temple was used to worship Amenemope, a unique version of Amun.The Luxor Temple is known by two names, the ‘Place of Seclusion’ or the Southern Opet. This temple was located at the heart of Thebes and was connected to Karnak using a processional road.The Karnak Temple complex is known to be the largest manufactured complex temple, and the Great Temple of Amun is its major showpiece. There are several temples in this complex, with one dedicated to Aten, built by Pharaoh Akhenaten.Did you know?These random facts about Amun-Ra will amaze you:The first instance of Amun’s worship appeared around 2686-2181 BC in the Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt. Amun was a relatively minor god during this period.The ancient Egyptians are believed to have worshiped over 2,000 gods, and each god and goddess represented something distinct. Some of these Egyptian gods were termed more important than the others. Some of the most important gods and goddesses in the Egyptian religion are Osiris, Horus, Anubis, Bastet, and Ptah.The hybrid god Zeus, Ammon, was created from the concept of creating a supreme god based on Greek god Zeus and Egyptian god Amun-Ra, or Ammon as he was known in Greece. Zeus is believed to be equal to the ‘King of the gods’ title, which Amun held.Amon-Ra was often combined with other gods in ancient Egyptian mythology. Amun was combined with the solar deity Ra to create the all-powerful, Amun-Ra, a solar creator god. Amun Ra has also been called the ‘king of the gods.’ Ra was combined with Atum, another significant Egyptian god, to create Atum-Ra.Before Ra became a principal deity in ancient Egypt in the Fifth Dynasty, Horus, the sky god, was considered the most important deity. Horus was combined with Ra to form Ra-Horakhty, which translates to ‘Horus in the Horizon.‘The morning manifestation of Ra was portrayed by a scarab beetle called Khepri, and the evening manifestation was portrayed in the form of Khnum, the ram-headed god. Ra was believed to have been the strongest at noon because he had no manifestation for noon and existed as the solar deity Ra.The Supreme God Amun-Re was often portrayed holding a scepter in his left hand and an ankh in his right hand. Egyptian gods were often shown holding an ankh, an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph used to represent the word ’life.‘Editorial credit: Matyas Rehak / Shutterstock.com

According to Egyptian mythology, Amun and Ra, two separate gods combined to form Amun-Ra, the one supreme god of Egyptian religion.