Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt

by Geraldine Pinch

Overview

From stories of resurrected mummies and thousand-year-old curses to powerful pharaohs and the coveted treasures of the Great Pyramids, ancient Egypt has had an unfaltering grip on the modern imagination. Now, in Egyptian Mythology, Geraldine Pinch offers a comprehensive introduction that untangles the mystery of Egyptian Myth.

Spanning Ancient Egyptian culture—from 3200 BC to AD 400—Pinch opens a door to this hidden world and casts light on its often misunderstood belief system. She discusses the nature of myths and the history of Egypt, from the predynastic to the postpharaonic period. She explains how Egyptian culture developed around the flooding of the Nile, or the "inundation," a phenomenon on which the whole welfare of the country depended, and how aspects of the inundation were personified as deities. She explains that the usually cloudless skies made for a preoccupation with the stars and planets. Indeed, much early Egyptian mythology may have developed to explain the movement of these celestial bodies. She provides a timeline covering the seven stages in the mythical history of Egypt and outlining the major events of each stage, such as the reign of the sun God. A substantial A to Z section covers the principal themes and concepts of Egyptian mythology as well as the most important deities, demons, and other characters. For anyone who wants to know about Anubis, the terrifying canine god who presided over the mummification of bodies and guarded burials, or Hathor, the golden goddess who helped women to give birth and the dead to be reborn, or an explanation of the nun, the primeval ocean from which all life came, Egyptian Mythology is the place to look.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195170245
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/08/2004
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	95,407
Product dimensions:	6.06(w) x 9.06(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

Geraldine Pinch is an Egyptologist at the Oriental Institute of Oxford University and a Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions. She is the author of Magic in Ancient Egypt and Egyptian Myth: A Very Short Introduction.

Table of Contents

	Chronology	xi
1	Introduction	1
	What Is a Myth?	1
	Myth and Geography	2
	History and the Sources of Egyptian Myth	4
	Protodynastic (Dynasty 0) and Early Dynastic Periods (Dynasties 1-2): c. 3200-2686 BCE	5
	Early Kings	5
	The King and the Gods	6
	Old Kingdom (Dynasties 3-6) and First Intermediate Period (Dynasties 7-11): c. 2686-2055 BCE	8
	The Pyramid Builders	8
	The Pyramid Texts	9
	Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period (Dynasties 11-17): c. 2055-1550 BCE	12
	The Coffin Texts	13
	Literature	16
	Magic and Popular Religion	17
	New Kingdom (Dynasties 18-20) and Third Intermediate Period (Dynasties 21-24): c. 1550-747 BCE	19
	Temples and Kings	21
	Underworld Books	24
	The Book of the Dead	26
	Mythology in Literature	28
	The End of the New Kingdom	30
	Late Period and Ptolemaic Period (Dynasties 25-30 and the Ptolemies): 747-30 BCE	31
	The Memphite Theology	32
	Persians and Greeks	34
	Alexandria and Memphis	35
	Priests and Temples under the Ptolemies	37
	Isis and Horus	39
	Roman Period: 30 BCE-395 CE	40
	Plutarch's Osiris	41
	Demotic Literature	42
	Land of Magicians	43
	Post-Pharaonic Egypt	45
2	Mythical Time Lines	57
	Linear Time	57
	Chaos	58
	Emergence of the Creator	59
	Creation	61
	Period of Direct Rule by the Creator Sun God	68
	Period of Rule by Other Gods	76
	Period of Rule by Kings	85
	Return to Chaos	89
	Cyclical Time	89
	The Egyptian Year	90
	The Solar Cycle	91
	The Journey of the Soul	93
3	Deities, Themes, and Concepts	99
	Aker	99
	Akhet	99
	Ammut	100
	Amun (Amon, Ammon, Amen)	100
	Anat (Anath, Anta)	102
	Andjety (Anedjeti)	102
	Anti (Anty)	103
	Anubis (Anpu, Inpw)	104
	Anuket (Anukis)	105
	Apis	105
	Apophis (Apep)	106
	Arsaphes	108
	Ash	108
	Astarte (Ashtarte)	108
	Aten (Aton)	109
	Atum (Atem)	111
	Baal	112
	Babi (Baba)	112
	Baboons	113
	Banebdjedet (Banebdjed)	114
	Bastet (Bast, Boubastis, Pasht)	115
	Bat	117
	Bata	117
	Benu Bird (Phoenix)	117
	Bes and Beset	118
	Birds	120
	Boats	121
	Cattle	123
	Crocodiles	126
	Djed Pillar	127
	Ennead of Heliopolis	128
	Eye of Ra	128
	Eyes of Horus	131
	Feline Deities	132
	Geb	135
	Hand of Atum	136
	Hapy (Hapi)	136
	Hathor (Hwt-hr)	137
	Hatmehyt	139
	Heh Gods	139
	Heka (Hika)	139
	Heqet (Heqat, Hekat)	139
	Heryshef (Arsaphes, Harsaphes)	141
	Hippopotamus Goddesses	141
	Horemakhet (Harmachis)	143
	Horus (Hor)	143
	Horus the Child (Harpokrates, Harpocrates)	146
	Hu	147
	Ihy	148
	Imhotep (Imouthes)	148
	Ipet (Opet)	149
	Isis	149
	Iusaas	152
	Khentamentiu (Khentamenti)	152
	Khenty-Khety	152
	Khepri (Khepry, Khopri)	152
	Khnum (Chnum)	153
	Khonsu (Khons, Chons)	155
	Kings and Princes	156
	Lotus	158
	Maat (Ma'et)	159
	Mafdet	161
	Magicians	161
	Mahes (Mihos)	163
	Mehet-Weret (Mehurit, Methyer)	163
	Mehit (Mehyt, Mekhit)	164
	Meretseger	164
	Meskhenet	164
	Min	164
	Montu (Mont, Month)	165
	Moon	166
	Mut (Mout)	168
	Nefertem (Nefertum)	169
	Nehebkau	169
	Neith (Neit)	169
	Nekhbet	170
	Nemty	171
	Neper (Nepri)	171
	Nephthys	171
	Nun (Noun, Nu)	172
	Nut (Nout)	173
	Ogdoad of Hermopolis	175
	Onuris (Anhur, Inhur, Inhert)	177
	Osiris	178
	Pakhet	180
	Primeval Mound	180
	Primeval Ocean	181
	Ptah	181
	Ra (Re, Pre)	182
	Raet-Tawy (Raiyet)	185
	Ra-Horakhty	185
	Renenutet (Ernutet, Hermouthis, Thermouthis)	185
	Satet (Satis) and Anuket (Anukis)	186
	Sekhmet (Sakhmet)	187
	Serqet (Serket, Selkis)	189
	Seshat (Sechat)	190
	Seth (Set, Sutekh)	191
	Seven Hathors	194
	Shai (Shay)	194
	Shed	195
	Shentayet	195
	Shezmu	195
	Shu (Schu, Chou) and Tefnut (Tefenet)	195
	Sia and Hu (Hw)	198
	Snakes	198
	Sobek (Suchos)	200
	Sokar (Soker, Sokaris)	202
	Sons of Horus	204
	Sopdet (Sothis)	205
	Sopdu (Sopedu, Soped)	205
	Sothis	206
	Souls of Pe and Nekhen	206
	Sphinx	206
	Stars and Planets	207
	Tatjenen (Tatenen)	209
	Taweret (Tweret, Taurt, Thoeris)	209
	Tayet	209
	Tefnut	209
	Thoth	209
	Two Ladies	211
	Wadjyt (Wadjet, Ouadjet, Uto)	213
	Wepwawet (Upwaut)	213
	Weret-Hekau	214
	Wosret	214
4	Egyptian Myth: Annotated Print and Nonprint Resources	215
	Print Resources	215
	General Works on Egyptian Culture	215
	Egpytian Religion and Myth	217
	Books and Articles on Egyptian Myth in other Languages	220
	English Translations of Ancient Texts	220
	A Selection of Literature Influenced by Egyptian Myth	222
	Nonprint Resources	224
	Videos	224
	Web Sites and CD-Roms	224
	Glossary	227
Appendix	Primary Sources	233
	Index	239
	About the Author	257