The Ennead of Heliopolis1
Edited by C. Lenze (July 2003)

Creation


Before the universe was created there was Nun (dark and limitless water) the "Father of Gods". Out of the water arose the creator of the world, Atum, on a pyramid like stone which became the dwelling place of the gods. Atum brought himself into existence. Standing on the raised mound Atum created the gods who created the universe. He was the supreme master of the forces and elements of the universe.2

Atum created Shu, god of the air and Tefnut, goddess of moisture.

"All manifestations came into being after I developed...no sky existed no earth existed...I created every being... I sneezed out Shu...I spat out Tefnut.... Shu and Tefnut produced Geb and Nut.... Geb and Nut then gave birth to Osiris...Seth, Isis, and Nephtys... ultimately they produced the population of this land."
-Papyrus Brehmer-Rhind3-

Shu and Tefnut then took time to explore the vast waters Nun and Atum sent one of his eyes (the Eye of Atum (also called the Eye of Ra) to find them and guide them home. Atum wept when they returned and from his tears came the children of the earth (men and beasts).

Shu and Tefnut were the parents of Geb and Nut. Geb, the god of the earth and Nut the goddess of the sky fell in love and were so tight in their embrace that their children, the sun, moon, and stars, had no room to emerge. Shu came between them and pushed Nut far away so that the stars, moon, and sun could find a place above the Geb (the earth)4. Nut, whose body is arched over Geb but separated from him, became a very important deity. She swallows the sun god at the end of every day. During the twelve hours of night he passes through her body and at dawn she gives birth to him again on the eastern horizon.

Here ends the Ennead of Heliopolis. At this point the Egyptian creation story merges with another series of stories known as the Osiris Cycle.

The Osiris Cycle

Nut gave birth to Osiris, Seth, Isis, and Nephtys. Osiris was the Nile god and became the god of the dead. He was born making love to his sister, Isis, who became his wife. (Isis is the goddess of fertile soil). Seth was the god of discord and disorder. He married his sister Nepthys.

Atum had given his rule of the earth to his only son, Shu; Shu in turn gave his rulership to his only son, Geb. When it came time for Geb pass on control of earth he had to choose between his two sons. He gave the Nile and its land (Egypt) to Osiris and gave the rest of the world to Seth. Seth was unhappy. He murdered his brother, cutting his body into pieces, and throwing them into the Nile. There, Osiris became the Nile River. Seth then became the sole ruler of all the earth.

Isis and Nepthys found the pieces of Osiris. Osiris arose from the dead, and impregnated his wife and then left for the home of Atum. Here Osiris became the god the righteous dead who would also go to the home of Atum when they died.

The son of Isis and Osiris was Horus the Pharaoh, (all future Pharaohs will associate with Horus or will be known as Horus. Therefore the Pharaoh is divine!). Isis hid Horus from his uncle, Seth, until he became a young man. She brought Horus before the Council of the Gods. Here she claimed lordship of the earth for her son as heir of Osiris. Geb was unable to make a decision. Seth, however, was tricked by Isis into admitting a son's rights were of greater value than a brother's. As a result of Horus became Pharaoh for ever. King of Egypt and Divine. (this divine rule of the Pharaohs lasted more than 3400 years.)5

Notes:

1.The term Ennead is Greek and mostly used when speaking of the nine gods of Heliopolis. The earliest written source of this creation story are the "Pyramid Texts of Dynasty V and VI". They are one of the largest collections of religious writings yet found.

2. When we think of Egypt we think of the Nile and the annual flooding that renews life in an otherwise desert landscape. Life comes only when the dry earth (Atum) appears out of the flood waters. This is the idea behind Atum, and the "Mound" of the Creator god.

3. The Ennead (Pesdjet) of Heliopolis, http://www.philae.nu/akhet/ennead1Myth.html (July, 2003)

4. Air (Shu), is often pictured between the Sky (Nut) and the earth (Geb) in hieroglyphics. Also note, that the earth was male and the sky was female according to the Egyptian!

5. At first, only the Pharaoh had a right to enter Heaven (Atum), but by 2200 BC the "Democratization of Heaven" came about. Other Egyptians began to gain access to the rituals that enabled a Pharaoh "salvation". At first this was by consent of Pharaoh, but shortly thereafter it was available to all who could afford the expensive rite of mummification.

QFR 2.1:

1. Why do you think Egyptians believed that the universe came out of water?

2. In most myths, we find the earth is female and the sky is male. In the Ennead, however, we have just the opposite. What insight about the value of women in Egyptian society does this reveal?

3. In the Ennead manyy of the god(dess)s(es) are born in pairs (male and female) What does this say about the Egyptian mindset? (In your answer remember that Seth and Nepthys were paired but Nepthys rejected Seth's advances. How does this help explain Seth's character?)