Dons Notes In Red!
One in the Same Re, Amen-Ra, (Ra), Ceops, Khufu, Christ?
Including Many Other Names And Forms, that we all can find and add to this page. Feedback
RE (Ra, Amon-Ra, Amen Ra) Myths or Reality?Symbols: Bennu (phoenix), obelisk, pyramid, Udjat (Eye of Horus), sun, falcon, bull
Cult Center: Heliopolis
Pictures Of Amen In Egyptology.
The sun god of Annu (Heliopolis, near modern-day Cairo), he became a state deity in the Fifth Dynasty. Some traditions made him the creator of men, and the Egyptians called themselves "the cattle of Re".
His name is thought to mean "creative power", and as a proper name "Creator". Very early in Egyptian history, Re was identified with Horus, who as a falcon-god represented the loftiness of the skies. He was represented as a hawk-headed man or as a hawk. A combination of the two, Ra-Hoor-Khuit, "Re, who is Horus of the Horizons" showed the two as manifestations of the singular Solar Force. Re was the father of Shu and Tefnut, grandfather of Nut and Geb, great-grandfather of Osiris, Seth, Isis, Nephthys and great-great-grandfather of Horus.Seeing as that the sun was a fire, the Egyptians believed that in order to travel through the waters of heaven and the underworld, one required a boat and so Re traveled in one. In the day, the boat was a great galley known as "Madjet" ("becoming strong") that rose in the east from behind "Manu" the mountain of sunrise and passed between two sycamores. As the sun set the boat Re used was a mall barge called "Semektet" ("becoming weak").
The course that the boat took was determined by the goddess Ma'at. During his travels he had plenty of company. Several gods took the journey with him and their job was to help navigate the boat and thus make it's passage successful. Thoth and Ma'at stood on either side of Horus, who steered the boat and wasm also apparently the captain of the ship. In front of the boat swam two pilot fishes known as "Abtu" and "Ant". Other passengers include: Geb, Hu, Sia (intelligence) and Hike (magic). At night the god Upuaut (the Opener of Ways) stood a the prow.
The journey was not an easy one though. Monsters would constantly try to stop the boat. Among these were Sebau, Nak, and Apep. Apep was the most powerful of these. He was a personification of darkness and Re had to fight him successfully every morning before he could rise from the east. Apep was pictured as a serpent or as a crocodile. Alternately, either Thoth or Seth defended the barque against him. When Apep was successful, stormy weather would ensue. A solar eclipse occurred when Apep actually swallowed the barque. There was a book written about Apep called The Book of Overthrowing Apep which gives spells and information on how to defeat him. These spells were recited daily in the temple of Amon-Re in Thebes.
In later periods when Isis and Osiris overtook him in popularity, he remained "Re retjer-aa neb-pet" ("Re, the great God, Lord of Heaven") whether worshipped in his own right or later on, as half the Lord of the Universe, Amen-Re.All content and _images © April Arnold, 1997-2001, All Rights Reserved
LAST UPDATED: Saturday, January 06, 2001 16:20:51
Ra as the emination of Khufu
Khufu
Protected by Khnum
(aka Cheops, Suphis)
Builder of the Great Pyramid Founder of the Giza Plateau Khufu (2589-2566 BC) was the 4th Dynasty (2613-2498) pharaoh who built the Great Pyramid of Giza. Originally, the Great Pyramid stood 481 feet (146.6 m) tall. Although commonly called Cheops (and also Suphis) because of the late Greek influence on Egypt, the name Khufu is the original ancient Egyptian name for this king as demonstrated by his own cartouche. He reigned for approximately 24 years.
Although the Great pyramid has such fame, little is actually known about its builder, Khufu. Ironically, only a very small statue of 9 cm has been found depicting this historic ruler. This statue, pictured above and below, was not found in Giza near the pyramid, but was found to the south at the Temple of
Osiris at Abydos, the ancient necropolis.
According to various inscriptions, Khufu probably did lead military into the Sinai, and raids into Nubia and Libya. Khufu was the son of another great pyramid builder, King Sneferu. Khufu’s mother’s name was Hetepheres.
Although King Sneferu was remembered as a benevolent and beneficent ruler, Khufu is believed by some to have been a more ruthless and cruel despot. He was rumored in later times to have been prone to enjoying the fantastic stories of the reigns of his predecessors, as well as tales of magic and the mystical. His fame lasted throughout Egyptian history and he still had a funerary cult as late as the Saite Dynasty (26th Dynasty).Of course, whether or not he was a cruel ruler, he did command a tremendous ability to organize and mobilize worker. There was an extremely large amount of manpower necessary to build the Great pyramid and its surrounding complex and tombs. Certainly Khufu would have had the benefit of witnessing the previous pyramid projects of his father, Sneferu. The Great Pyramid stands witness to the ability of Khufu to lead and coordinate his people. Current theories espouse that the building of the Great Pyramid was not achieved by slave labor. Instead, the project defrayed taxes, which were paid in the form of goods and services as there was no monetary system. Also, due to the annual inundation of the Nile there was always a yearly segment of the population that had some time that they could not spend in their homes. Curiously, although his father was probably buried in Dahshur, Khufu chose the Giza plateau to situate his pyramid, temples, and perhaps, his tomb. Also curiously, he did not choose the highest spot on the plateau, which was later used by his son and successor, Khafre. This gave Khafre's pyramid the illusion of being taller, when in fact the Great Pyramid is the actually the taller pyramid.
Top of Page
In addition to the splendor of the Great Pyramid, an exciting ancient wooden boat was found sealed in a pit at the base of the Great pyramid. This boat was interred in pieces and has since been reassembled, restored and housed in a climate controlled museum over the site of the original pit.
Khufu had several sons and his immediate successor was his son Djedefre (Radjedef). Curiously, Djedefre also chose to build his pyramid at a location other than that of his fathers. Instead Djedefre was buried to the north at a site now known as Abu Roash. A remaining son of Khufu - Khafre, was to join his father building his pyramid at the higher spot in on the Giza plateau. Although Khufu's pyramid is actually bigger than Khafre's, the higher ground provides the illusion that Khafre's pyramid is taller.
After the death of Khfare, his son Menkaura built his smaller pyramid at Giza, eventually completing the last of the famous pyramids at Giza.
By Andrew Bayuk
Read MORE about Khufu HERE
JESUS AS HELIOS, GOD OF THE SUN Source: Christ helios in mosaic start of
the third century from Pre-Constantinian necropolis beneath St Peter's in the Vatican; from Pierre
du Bourguet, Early Christian Art trans., Thomas Burton (New York; Reyna Co.
GUARDIAN'S EGYPT
A huge site by Andrew Bayuk with lots of
information and links to other Egypt resources
on the web.1ANCIENT EGYPT
A guide to the ancient sites and history of Egypt
by Mark Millmore. 2MYSTERIES OF EGYPT
Information about the civilization and
monuments of ancient Egypt. From the
Canadian Museum of Civilization. 3ARCHAEOLOGICAL ODYSSEY
Ethan Gelber explores the historical heritage of
Egypt. From the Great Outdoor Recreation
Pages. 4EGYPTWORLD
A beautiful and educational site from
ThinkQuest. 5NOVA: MYSTERIES OF THE NILE
A beautiful site that uses QuickTime to explore
monuments of ancient Egypt. 6LIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT
An online exhibit from the Carnegie Museum of
Natural History. 7LIFE AND DEATH UNDER THE PHARAOHS
An informative site that accompanies an
exhibition. 8Other Links
Ceops and Pyrimids: http://members.aol.com/larrypahl/gr-pyr1.htm
http://goodfelloweb.com/giza/index.htmlEgypt links: Ancient Egypt http://www.culturefocus.com/egypt.htm
http://www.culturefocus.com/egypt_pyramids.htm
BI666 Links, Return to What is Ra?
Mail For BI666 & Third Covenant, mailto: dbaffirm@lycos.com
|
