Egyptian mythology is the religion of ancient Egypt, featuring stories of mortals meeting gods and how they created the natural world. Kings were revered and gods were often part animals. The belief in the afterlife was important, as seen in mummification and the symbolism of the Nile and lotus flower. Legends of gods like Isis and Horus have become popular in folktales and myths. The religion began in Protodynastic Egypt around 3100 BC, with the great pyramids serving as symbols of their beliefs.
Egyptian mythology consists of the stories and characters that were part of the religion of ancient Egypt, the first known civilization on earth. Much of the folklore involves stories of mortals meeting the major gods of their religion, or stories of how the gods came to create different parts of the natural world through magic. Some of the major elements of Egyptian mythology are things like their reverence for kings, their worship of the sun, and multiple gods who were sometimes part animals. The Nile River and the lotus flower, both representing fertility and life, were considered sacred. Their belief in life after death was also the basis of many of their myths and rituals.
When many people look at Ancient Egypt today, they often think of King Tutenkhamun – King Tut – and mummies. Kings like Tut were honored and revered during their lifetimes and after their deaths. People in predynastic Egypt, before about 3100 BC, regarded their kings as gods. Later, Egyptians thought of kings as sort of intermediaries between them and the gods. Most of the Egyptian gods were believed to walk among the people at times and they also had problems and worries just like them.
A common theme in Egyptian mythology is the combination of humans and animals. Many of their gods were part beasts, such as Anubis, who was often shown with the head of a jackal. Another great god, Horus, was depicted with the head of a falcon. Similarly, the Great Sphinx that the Egyptians built at Giza consists of the body of a lion with a human head. These and many of the nearly 2,000 known Egyptian gods have been written extensively in literature, poetry, and scholarly works over the years.
Egyptian mythology is rooted in a strong belief in the importance of preparing for the afterlife. They mummified the dead to prevent them from decomposing, so that souls could recognize their bodies after burial and pass on to the next life. For them, the sun that rose each morning was a recreation of the beginning of the world. Their sacred river Nile symbolized fertility and new life. The lotus flower, the only one we know of that blooms and bears fruit at the same time, is also an important symbol of fertility and renewal in ancient Egyptian mythology.
A study of the language and cultures of ancient Egypt helps provide researchers with insight into the way people thought about the world around them. Legends of their main gods, such as Isis, Anubis, Horus and Ra, are generally not yet considered part of a religious belief, but have become more popular in folktales and myths. Nearly every piece of Egyptian mythology that is well known today had its origins over a 3,000-year period; this highly religious part of Egypt’s early history began in what is called Protodynastic Egypt, around 3100 BC. It was during this era that the great pyramids were built, with the main symbols of their religion painted inside them and carved into the walls.
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