Ancient Egyptian gods

[David19]

Something i've wondered about the Egyptian gods is are they like a family of gods (like related) or is it more gods that come together to form like a group (or in human terms, like people coming together to form a business, and aren't related), it's just i've heard several thing's like they are a family and some that say they aren't, also do they always get on with each other, although i know Set and Horus fought (& Osiris?), would there still be 'bad blood' between them or is it more like sibling rivalry?, have you noticed, in your personal experience's, of any of the gods not getting on with each other?

Hope that made sense :).

[Zephyrstorm]

The answer is: Yes.
Some of them are family: for example: Aset, Wesir, Set, Heru-wer, Nebthet are all siblings.
But then you have Djehuty: who was there at the beginning of creation in one story, and was born of Set and Heru-sa-Aset in another story. ^_^

One of the challenges of studying Egyptian mythology is the realization that some of the myths contradicted each other, and it doesn't look like the people of Kemet had a problem with that.

In my opinion, and I'm not saying that I'm correct, but I don't see Set and either of the Herus having problems with each other. That "episode" in their lives is past, and it was, again in my opinion, about more than sibling rivalry in the first place. It was about Wesir being the best king that the Afterlife could have, and His sacrifice being necessary. It was also about Set challenging Heru-sa-Aset to grow up and fulfill His potential.

*shrug*

[David19]

Cool thanks, that's helped me out :), just one other question, i know the myths contradict each other, so do you take them literally (like did Set and Horus really fight, etc) or how do you know which one's are right.

Hope that made sense :).

[instinct]

i don't think we can really apply human terms to our gods too easily. they're different.

they're all part of Netjer though, so in a way, they are all one. I guess that makes then related :lol:

but in the myths.. ye, they're kinda a family. but the myths were written by humans. they are not fact. they are myths. handy stories to help us understand stuff :)

[Romani Vixen]

Not only are they all related, but they come together, and ... they are all One. Do some research on the concept of Netjer (alternative spelling Neter or NTR). The Hindu have a similar concept called Braman. The Gods are really one MASSIVE Singular Totality Divine... but they are different aspects of that Totality.

I view the mythologies as metaphor... so I don't take them litterally. As an example... in the beginning there was Nun (Chaos)... read the Big Bang. From Nun arose Ra ... that would be hydrogen and helium forming suns... and so forth. That is one reason that I love Kemetic Mythology... it's even in the right order!!! :D Oh.. and the Set/Heru thing is two metaphors... the constant back and forth of the desert and the black-fertile lands, as well as the battles of Upper and Lower Egypt.

[David19]

i understand that they all form netjer(sp), and are one, but are they also individual, since, like Brahman (and i don't know much about Hinduism) everything is a manifestation even humans, but humans are also individual beings so would it be the same for the gods (like do they have their own likes, dislikes, personalities, etc)

Hope that made sense :)

[Erincelt]

They are indeed quite individual and different (despite being all the same... ouch, my head...). This is "Joy" of monolatry and polyvalent logic. I guess one could say it is the Mystery aspect of Kemetic religion. ;)

[David19]

Ok, just so i understand, they are all part of Netjer and also individual gods, i think someone here came up with a way to understand it, that Netjer is like a corporation/company, and the gods are the people who work there (part of the company yet still individual with their own aims, etc), and that other gods (of other cultures, pantheons like Greek, Hebrew, Sumerian, etc) are like other 'offices', (like Yahweh has the Jewish/Christian/Islamic office, the Greek gods have the Greek office, etc).

I'm not sure if that made sense, or if sounds crazy :).

[Zephyrstorm]

It can be hard to wrap your mind around polyvalent logic, especially when you've been brought up in a culture that's very either/or, black/white in the way it can present things sometimes.

One of the ways that a friend explains the nature of Netjer is that the Gods are like people, complicated. we all have stories about ourselves that seem contradictory on the surface - moments when we acted in a way that was contrary to what we normally would have, moments that were just surreal...

I also like to use flowers as a metaphor. Each petal of a rose is unique, despite the similarity in color and the fact that they are all the same flower. Each petal is a God, and each petal has it's own unique features. This never changes the fact that the petals are united through their nature as part of the rose itself.
(ignoring of course things like falling petals, etc.)

[Redshire]

I wouldn't ignore the falling petal... if the analogy is to hold full weight, it should be compareable from begining to end, no? Perhaps we have yet not come to a point in time when one such "petal" has fallen, but when such a thing occurs, it may simply be the shedding of an old idea which in turn is broken down and benificial pieces of it are used to form new ideas.

all in all, to explain what I mean by "ideas" in relation to the Netjeru... the Netjeru (to me) are all ideas, concepts, archetypes, symbols, etcetera. BUT, and this is imperitive, THEY DO HAVE PERSONALITIES. They are real, they have thoughts, feelings, ways of Their own. Being that They are HUGE, fare more vast than any human can possibly comprehend. What I know as the Netjeru is but the tip of the divine and Universal iceberg, so to speak. :)

*sorry, I'm drunk at the moment, blah blah blah*


em hotep!

[HetHert]

Something i've wondered about the Egyptian gods is are they like a family of gods (like related) or is it more gods that come together to form like a group (or in human terms, like people coming together to form a business, and aren't related), it's just i've heard several thing's like they are a family and some that say they aren't, also do they always get on with each other, although i know Set and Horus fought (& Osiris?), would there still be 'bad blood' between them or is it more like sibling rivalry?, have you noticed, in your personal experience's, of any of the gods not getting on with each other?

Hope that made sense :).

Its both. In my search (and everyones search will be different and yeild different experiences) I have found that there are certain gods/esses that are a family...they have a family tree and they're stories are told as family affairs and occurances. Yet there are some that are self generated or are functions of another Gods/esses while maintaining their own God/esshood in their own right. The Egyptian Gods and Goddesses are somewhat difficult to try and grasp as a whole all at once...simply because there were so many of them.

There are distinctions such as a God/ess in a certain phase or aspect of themselves that will make combinations. What you have to remember is that each one is a representation of a function, energy, force and or occurance within the everyday life of the ancient way. Sopdet for instance is the star sirius as Isis during the time of the Inundation. Her rise marked the time of the flooding of the Nile that brought the waters to feed the river.

There are also different groupings of Gods for different regions. Memphis had their own story while Heliopolis had theirs. Loosely they can be tied together but their stories can be completely seperate.

The thing to always keep in mind is that the Egyptian pantheons had thousands of years worth of evolution...and therefore thousands of years to be interpreted and altered.