| Ra | |
|---|---|
 Ra and Imentet from the tomb of Nefertari, 13th century BC | |
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Other Names |
Re |
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First Appearance |
Egyptian Myth |
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Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
Ra was the ancient Egyptian deity of the Sun. By the Fifth Dynasty, in the 25th and 24th centuries BC, he had become one of the most important gods in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the noon-day sun. Ra ruled in all parts of the created world: the sky, the Earth, and the underworld. He was believed to have ruled as the first pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. He was the god of the sun, order, kings and the sky.
Ra was portrayed as a falcon and shared characteristics with the sky-god Horus. At times, the two deities were merged as Ra-Horakhty, "Ra, who is Horus of the Two Horizons". When the god Amun rose to prominence during Egypt's New Kingdom, he was fused with Ra as Amun-Ra.
The cult of the Mnevis bull, an embodiment of Ra, had its center in Heliopolis and there was a formal burial ground for the sacrificed bulls north of the city.
All forms of life were believed to have been created by Ra. In some accounts, humans were created from Ra's tears and sweat, hence the Egyptians call themselves the "Cattle of Ra". In the myth of the Celestial Cow, it is recounted how humankind plotted against Ra and how he sent his eye as the goddess Sekhmet to punish them.
According to Egyptian myth, when Ra became too old and weary to reign on Earth he relinquished and went to the skies. As the Sun god one of his duties was to carry the Sun cross the sky on his solar barque to light the day. But when the sun set and twilight came he and his vessel passes through the akhet, the horizon, in the west, and travels to the underworld. At times the horizon is described as a gate or door that leads to the Duat. There he would have to sail on the subterrestrial Nile and cross through the twelve gates and regions. On the course of the underworld journey, he transformed into his Ram headed form. Every night Apophis attempted to attack Ra and stop the sun-boat's journey. After defeating the snake, Ra would leave the underworld, returning emerging at dawn, lighting the day again. He was said to travel across the sky in his falcon-headed form on the Mandjet Barque through the hours of the day, and then switch to the Mesektet Barque in his ram-headed form to descend into the underworld for the hours of the night.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Ra from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Gods of the Egyptians; or, Studies in Egyptian Mythology (1904)
- The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians (1914)
- Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt by Lewis Spence (1915)
- Ancient Egyptian Legends (1920)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Jungle Comics #142: A safari finds its way into the Kingdom of Ra, descended from ancient Egypt and ruled by Queen Sheba. Sheba, following the suggestions of her advisor, Toru, imprisons the safari. Toru also advises the sacrifice of Sheba's sister, Landra. Landra flees into the jungle and meets Ann. Sheba's forces take Landra and Ann back to the kingdom; Kaänga follows. Using the mammoths trained for use by Sheba's forces, Kaänga destroys the kingdom's walls and kills Toru. He and Ann depart and Sheba promises to be a better queen.
- Startling Comics #34: Peter Ward is an Egyptologist who discovers he’s the reincarnation of Kor, an ancient Egyptian priest of the sun god Ra.