Why Is Egyptian Myths Important

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Andrea Aguilera Ms. Louis Adv. English Period 4 15 November 2014 Egyptian Mythology Throughout history, ancient Egypt is best known for its complex and mysterious ways of life. Egyptian mythology provides researchers insight to ancient Egyptian life and culture. Egyptian myths gives a perception of what their beliefs were based on. This idea has led many to be under the impression that Egyptian culture has influenced modern society. Mythology itself is a collection of stories to explain nature, history, and customs. Legends are not just stories, they are the way the ancient people of Egypt expressed what they saw and felt with the limited knowledge they had. Egyptians needed a way to explain life so they made lores to clarify concepts…show more content…
There are many gods who were worshiped in this culture but the main gods/goddess were the ones who had a part taking in life and death myths. The father of the gods which is assumed to be the first god is Re (god of the sun). He is represented by the body of a male with the head of a falcon. From Re flourished other gods and goddesses that he created and gave meaning and purpose to. Another major god is Osiris, god of the afterlife. He is depicted as a man with green skin and mummy wrapped legs. He is looked up to because people believed he was the one who made their final judgment when they died. Osiris married his sister Isis, the god of health and marriage. She was a significant goddess to Egyptians because they prayed to her for improved health and the ideal marriage. With afterlife being such a major part of the society, Anubis was amongst the important gods. Anubis is the protector of the dead and has the head of a jackal. He guides the deceased through their journey in the underworld. In the process of mummification people wore jackal masks to protect their dead’s souls. These gods and goddesses among many more were the cause got. Along with these supernatural gods, Egyptians also viewed their pharaohs as gods. Even through pharaohs were said to be communicators between the supernatural and the ordinary people, people still took their every word as a word from god because they were “chosen”. Pharaohs inherited the throne by the passing it down to males in the family; which were believed to be the reincarnation of the god Horus. They were worshipped and treated like gods because of the supreme power that they had on the people. These “gods” had complete control of Egypt’s military, politics, and religious views. Society was expected to aby to these pharaohs rules because they were considered “the god on earth”. Due to their immense power pharaohs

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