4. BEGINNINGS: CREATIONS AND COSMOLOGIES

QUIZ Tuesday Jan 28 AT BEGINNING OF CLASS

10 Multiple choice, 10 Short answer questions

The Egyptian Gods

Characteristics

Fusion of gods:

“Fission” of gods into forms or aspects:

Mutual coexistence of gods and traditions

Prehistoric Egypt

Tribal groups along Nile

"Predynastic" Egypt

Predynastic figures:
Religious?

Neith

Beginnings:

Cosmology (beginnings of universe)

Heliopolis ("city of the sun")

Heliopolitan cosmology

Nothingness

Nun (Naun, Watery Abyss)

World without matter

"Primeval" or "Primordial"

Differentiation from Nothingness to Matter

From created to uncreated

Creation

Sun god

Heliopolitan Tradition
Atum --> Re, Khepri

Khepri // scarab beetle

Re as falcon

Atum

"Primeval Mound"

(Pyramid)

Creation as act of hatching, blooming

Lotus flower

Creation

Snakes, serpents: good and bad
Ouroboros

Apophis

Eye of Horus

Nun (Watery Abyss)

Atum --> Re

Sun god produces something from within himself: spit, tears, semen, etc.

Shu (air) + Tefnut (water)

Other sungod children: Thoth, Ma'at, Hathor, etc.

Geb (earth) + Nut (sky)

Seth + Nephthys, Osiris + Isis, Horus the Elder

+ other acts of creation (humans, animals, etc.)

Osiris as king

Murder by Seth

Plutarch

Anubis

Horus

Isis and Horus

Horus and Seth

3 important parts of story:
1.) Murder of Osiris
2.) Protection of Horus
3.) Struggle of Horus and Seth

Osiris at Abydos, other cult centers

Isis and magic

Isis and Nephthys

Creation myths/cosmologies

Helipolitan cosmology

Nun (Watery abyss) --> sun god

cyclical time

Hermopolis

So Hermopolitan cosmology

Ogdoad ("group of 8"):

Amun & Amunet ("hidden")
Heh/Huh & Hehet/Hauhet ("infinite", "boundary-less")
Tenem & Tenemet ("directionless"), alternate Nun and Naunet
Kek(u) & Kekut/Kuk & Kauket ("darkness")

Memphis

Memphite cosmology

Ptah

Speech as act of creation

Khnum, from Elephantine

Potter's wheel

Different creation traditions