Raرع

Ra was the sun in its full power, and in Egyptian belief the very source of creation — in some myths, he brought the world and the other gods into being. He was usually shown as a man with a falcon's head crowned by the sun disk, encircled by a sacred serpent. As king of the gods, he ruled the cosmos, and his light sustained all life on earth. His chief cult centre was the city of Heliopolis, the "city of the sun."

The daily movement of the sun was explained as Ra's voyage in a sacred boat. By day he sailed the day-barque across the sky, bringing light to the world. At sunset he passed into the Duat, the underworld, sailing the night through its twelve dark hours and doing battle with the monstrous serpent Apophis, the embodiment of chaos. Victorious each night, Ra was reborn at dawn — a powerful symbol of renewal, order, and the triumph of light over darkness that lay at the heart of Egyptian religion.

The Egyptians saw the sun's phases as different forms of the god: Khepri, the scarab, at dawn; Ra at his midday height; and Atum, the old creator, at dusk. Over time Ra also merged with other great gods to share their power. Joined with Amun he became Amun-Ra, supreme king of the gods, worshipped at mighty Karnak; joined with Horus he became Ra-Horakhty, to whom the great temple of Abu Simbel was dedicated.

• Who he is: the sun god and king of the gods.
• Arabic name: رع (Ra).
• Shown as: a falcon-headed man crowned with the sun disk.
• The solar journey: sails the sky by day, the underworld by night, reborn at dawn.
• Enemy: the chaos-serpent Apophis, battled each night.
• Combined forms: Amun-Ra (with Amun) and Ra-Horakhty (with Horus).

Sources include standard works on ancient Egyptian religion and mythology.