From early in their history, the Egyptians believed in the concept of life after death, which led them to perfect the art of embalming and drove them to build the magnificient pyramids and tombs. Their belief system was reflected in the nature and appearance of their deities.
The annual flooding of the Nile inspired many of the myths of ancient Egypt. The people there depended on the revival of the parched land for their livelihood, a concern that was reflected in the myth of Osiris, their dying and rising vegetation God, who finally retired from life to rule over the underworld. A preoccupation with death haunts Egyptian mythology, prompted by this sense of man's vulnerability in the face of forces beyond his control. Even the great sun God, Ra, was believed to die each evening and be born again at dawn!
It was on the fertile land produced by the Nile's annual floodings that Egypt's first city states grew up, each with its own Gods. Eventually, around 3100 BC, these seperate states were unified under a succession of pharoahs. Many of the local Gods were admitted into the national pantheon, giving rise to a vast and splendid array of deities who flourished virtually unopposed by alien beliefs. Seen as directly appointed mediators between the world of men and the Gods, the pharoahs gave a political and religious focus to Egyptian civilization and culture. Their power was such that it came to extend into Canaan and Syria.
Kitiana - Home of Myths, Legends and Stories.