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The people of ancient Egypt did not have scientific explanations for natural phenomena. They believed
sunshine and the great Nile River were gifts from their many gods. The beliefs of the ancient
Egyptians slowly changed over time, but many of their legends influenced Egyptian culture
for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians believed Ra was the
sun god who came to earth as the first ruler of Egypt. Egypt became very rich during Ra’s
rule, but the people grew lazy and neglected to honor the sun god, so Ra used his magic
to create a bloodthirsty lioness god named Sekhmet. Sekhmet reminded the Egyptian people
of the power of Ra by terrorizing the Nile River Valley. When the Egyptian people showed
their appreciation, Ra used magic to tame Sekhment and turn her into Hathor, the goddess
of love. This lesson tells us the Egyptian people both valued and feared the sun. The
sun made it possible for Egyptian crops to grow, but the sun could also turn good farmland
into desert where no crops would grow. Ra’s many children included Osiris and Isis,
the brother and sister who ruled the Nile River Valley after they taught the Egyptians
to farm and domesticate animals. The Egyptian people praised Osiris and Isis for the many
gifts they bestowed on their civilization. Seth was their jealous brother and the god
of storms. Seth invited all of the gods to a great party. Near the end of the feast,
Seth brought in a beautiful cedar chest. "I will give this chest to whosoever fits
in it most exactly!" The gods tried to fit into the box, but everyone was too big or
too small. Seth had carefully measured his brother so that only he would fit in the chest
space. Osiris was the last of the guests to lay down in the chest.
“I am the exact fit, so the chest is mine,” cried Osiris and he climbed into the container.
“It is your chest and it is where you will be forever,” replied Seth as he sealed the
lid and cast the chest and Osiris into the Nile. Isis recovered her brother’s body
and returned it to Egypt. When Seth discovered what Isis had done, he ripped opened the chest,
tore the body of Osiris into fourteen pieces, and scattered the pieces along the whole length
of the Nile. The people of ancient Egypt believed that
when their gods left this world they could live in an afterlife. The afterlife was a
perfect version of ancient Egypt. In order to get to the afterlife, however, the gods
first had to pass through the underworld. The underworld was a strange and dangerous
place filled with fantastic and dangerous creatures. Traveling through the afterworld
required the Egyptian gods to be very clever because they had to complete many tasks. The
Egyptians believed that their gods could not reach the afterlife unless their bodies remained
in one piece in Egypt. Isis knew the body of Osiris had to be intact and buried in Egyptian
sand, so when she found the pieces of her brother, she buried Osiris in a secret place
where Seth could not him. Horus was the son of Isis and the god of the
sky. Horus took the form of a falcon and brought the sun with him each day as he flew across
the sky. The eyes of Horus were said to be the sun and the moon, but the moon was not
as bright because it was damaged by Seth in a great battle conflict. Horus subdued Seth,
but he was never able to kill his uncle. This legend of Horus and Seth helps to explain
why the Egyptians believed that they could never completely defeat evil and chaos.