THEORIES OF CREATION IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN RELIGION

Abstract

Theories of creation in ancient Egyptian religion consist of a set of religious ideas that emerged in each civilization as they appeared—similar to how they manifested in the Persian civilization, for example—to conceptualize the idea of creation and the origin of the universe. They concluded that the existence of cosmos and life is not merely a coincidence but is linked to nature. This led to reflections on life and the afterlife, recognizing that the universe must have a beginning. Several creation theories appeared, with the most famous four being:

• The Eye of Sun (Atum of Heliopolis),
• The Osirian (Hermopolitan) theory,
• The Memphis theory,
• The Theban (Theban) theory.

There are differences and similarities among them; for instance, the theory of the Eye of Sun assigned the creation of the universe to the deity Atum. The Memphis theory attributed it to the god Ptah. The Theban theory gave the deity Amun, who appeared during the Middle Kingdom and became Egypt's supreme god, the credit for creation. The Hermopolitan theory was somewhat different, attributing the creation to four gods headed by Atum—symbol of the primordial ocean—and described the process that made life possible.

All these are myths—forms of authority that comprehended existence and are part of the ancient Egyptian beliefs about the universe, its origin, and its history and culture. These myths should not be understood as efforts to logically explain the divine.