5. January 20 ORGANIZATION OF THE GODS

Textbook Returns: make sure you have textbooks bought before October 10

Quiz Monday September 26
Based on lectures, use overhead terms from online syllabus to study

Be here, be on time, no late quizzes!

Creation myths/cosmologies

Heliopolitan cosmology

Nun (watery abyss) --> sun god

"Eternity"

2 kinds of time: linear and cyclical

Hermopolis

So Hermopolitan cosmology

Ogdoad ("group of 8"):

Amun & Amunet ("hidden")
Heh & Hehet ("boundary-less")
Tenem & Tenemet ("directionless")
Keku & Kekut ("darkness")

Memphis

Memphite cosmology

Ptah

Speech as act of creation

Khnum, from Elephantine

Potter's wheel

Divine relations, kingship

Creation of humans, other things?

Myth:
"Destruction of Humanity"
aka "Book of the Heavenly Cow"

Sun god Re

Nun

"Eye of Re" = Sakhmet / Hathor

Blood/blood-colored beer

Festival of Drunkenness

2nd part of myth: "Retirement" of sun god
"Heavenly cow"

Gods set up human government, administration, etc.

Human government, administration, etc.mirrors divine

Organization and hierarchy of gods

Groups of gods

Based on existing social structures

Family groups

Tribal groups

Pairs of gods

Parent/child, sibling/sibling

"married" pairs:
-Separate entities (Osiris & Isis, Amun & Mut)
-similar entities (Amun & Amunet)

-t or -et feminine ending in Egyptian

Amun & Mut, Amun & Amunet

Polygamy

Osiris & Isis

Brother-sister marriage

Khnum

Wife Satet, daughter Anuqet

or

Wives Satet and Anuqet

Triad:

Khnum, Satet, Anuqet

Osiris, Isis, Horus

Amun, Mut and Khonsu

"Unmarried" gods and goddesses

Pairs
(often personifying related concepts)

Singles
(often foreign and/or magical)

Larger groups: 4 or 5
Osiris, Isis, Seth, Nephthys, Horus the Elder

Eight: Ogdoad again

Common: group of 9 gods
"Ennead" (group of 9) = 3 triads

Larger groups:

Multiples of 3 and/or 7

42 (judges of the dead)

49 (guardian spirits)

Organization of gods

Hierarchy

Ranking

Greater, lesser, intermediate

Factors for ranking?

Seniority

Powers

Local importance

Visual representation of ranking:

Size (bigger = more important)

Position (Most important god in front, equals often facing)

Divine "court" of important gods
(like "court" of a king)
Example "Ennead" of Re

Laws of the gods

Legal "courts"

(reflect ancient Egyptian litigiousness?)

Ma'at / "order"

Administration of the gods

Government, laws, regulations

Messengers

Servants

Foreign gods

Example of goddesses Astarte and Anat

Seth and Hathor (Egyptian) often associate with foreign gods

Don't forget quiz Monday!