Ra was the sun god during dynastic Egypt. The name is thought of to have meant "creative power," or "Creator." Creator was to signify the "Almighty God." Very early in Egyptian history Ra was identified with Horus, who was a hawk or falcon-god that represented the loftiness of the skies. Ra is shown as a hawk headed man or as a hawk. Because the sun was a fire, the Egyptians realized that in order to travel through the waters of Heaven and the underworld, it required a boat, and so Ra was shown as traveling in a boat. During the day the boat was a great galley called Madjet ("becoming strong") and during the night, a small barge called Semektet ("becoming weak"). Ra was the father of Shu and Tefnut, grandfather of Nut and Geb, great-grandfather of Osiris, Set, Isis and Nephthys, and great-great-grandfather to Horus. In later periods (about Dynasty 18 on) Osiris and Isis became more popular, but he remained "Ra netjer-aa neb-pet" (Ra the great God, Lord of Heaven"). |