The Gods of Egypt
The mythology of ancient Egypt — the sun rising out of the primordial waters, the birth of the first nine gods, the murder and resurrection of Osiris, the war of Horus and Set, and the judgment of the dead before the scales of Ma'at.
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From the Waters of Nun to the Scales of Ma'at
The Waters of Nun
Before the world there was only Nun, the dark limitless water. From it a mound rises, and upon it the first god — Atum, the sun — brings himself into being and speaks creation into the void.
The Company of Nine
From Atum come Shu the air and Tefnut the moisture; from them Geb the earth and Nut the sky, locked in an embrace until they are wrenched apart. So the Ennead, the great company of nine gods, is born — and with Nut's children, the story truly begins.
The Sun's Nightly Journey
Every night the sun-god Ra sails his boat through the twelve hours of the underworld, where the monstrous serpent Apophis waits to swallow him. Only if the gods defeat the serpent will the sun rise again at dawn.
The Secret Name of Ra
The aging Ra hides his true name, the source of all his power. The cunning goddess Isis fashions a serpent to poison him and will not heal him until, in agony, he surrenders the secret name — and with it, mastery over the gods.
The Destruction of Mankind
When humankind plots against the old sun-god, Ra sends his Eye as the lioness Sekhmet to slaughter them. Her rage cannot be stopped — until the gods flood the fields with red-dyed beer and trick her into sparing the world.
The Murder of Osiris
Osiris rules Egypt as its first great king, until his jealous brother Set seals him in a coffin and casts him into the Nile — then, when Isis recovers the body, hacks it into fourteen pieces and scatters them across the land.
Isis the Searcher
Isis wanders all Egypt gathering the scattered pieces of her husband. With magic she binds him whole, revives him long enough to conceive a son, and hides in the marshes to raise the child who will avenge him: Horus.
The Contendings of Horus and Set
For eighty years Horus and Set battle for the throne of Egypt — in the courtroom of the gods, in contests of strength and cunning, and in open war — until the gods at last award the crown to the son of Osiris.
Lord of the Dead
Osiris does not return to the world of the living. Instead he becomes king of the dead, ruler of the green fields of the afterlife — the god who proves that death can be defeated and the promise every Egyptian clings to.
The Weighing of the Heart
The dead are led before Osiris, where Anubis weighs the heart against the feather of Ma'at and Thoth records the verdict. A heart heavy with sin is fed to the devourer Ammit; a light one passes into the Field of Reeds.
Thoth and the Words of Power
Thoth, ibis-headed god of writing, moon, and magic, invents the hieroglyphs and records the deeds of gods and men. Around him gather the tales of magicians and hidden books whose words can raise the dead and part the waters.
The Many Gods
Beyond the great myths stretches a vast pantheon — Ptah who thought the world into being, Amun the hidden king, Hathor of love and music, Bastet, Sobek, Khnum, and the animal gods worshipped in every corner of the Two Lands.