Summary
Ra was the ancient Egyptian god of the sun, the creator and ruler of the gods, shown as a man with the head of a falcon crowned by a sun disc and a cobra. His centre was Heliopolis, now a district of Cairo. Each day Ra sailed across the sky in a boat, and each night he travelled through the underworld, fighting the serpent Apophis so that the sun could rise again. From the age of the pyramids, every pharaoh called himself “Son of Ra”.
Who Was Ra?
Ra (also written Re) was the most important god of Egypt for much of its history. As the sun, he gave light, warmth and life to the world, and in the creation story of Heliopolis he was the first king of gods and men. His usual form is a falcon-headed man wearing the sun disc encircled by a cobra, the uraeus.
Many gods were joined with Ra to share his power: Amun-Ra of Thebes, Ra-Horakhty (“Ra-Horus of the Horizon”, combining him with Horus) and Atum-Ra. At dawn he took the form of the scarab Khepri. See all the gods in ancient Egyptian gods.
The Journey of the Sun
Egyptians pictured the sun’s daily course as a voyage. By day Ra crossed the sky in his day boat; at sunset he boarded his night boat and sailed through the Duat, the underworld, for twelve hours of darkness. There he brought light to the dead, and every night the great serpent Apophis (Apep) tried to swallow his boat. Gods including Seth fought the serpent off, and at dawn Ra was reborn in the east.
This journey is painted hour by hour on the walls of the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, in books such as the Amduat and the Litany of Ra.
The Eye of Ra
The Eye of Ra was the sun’s fierce power, imagined as a goddess acting for him. In one myth, when people plotted against the ageing Ra, he sent his Eye as the lioness Sekhmet to punish them; she grew so bloodthirsty that Ra had to trick her with beer dyed red to look like blood. She drank, became calm, and turned into the gentle Hathor. The Eye of Ra is related to, but different from, the Eye of Horus.
8-Day Cairo, Siwa and White & Black Desert Adventure
Planning the trip itself? Start here.
View This TripRa and the Pharaohs
From the 4th Dynasty, the age of the pyramids, kings took the title “Son of Ra”, and many built Ra’s name into their own, like Khafre (Khaefra, “he appears like Ra”) and Menkaure. Kings of the 5th Dynasty built sun temples to Ra near Abusir, with a squat obelisk as the god’s symbol.
Obelisks themselves were sun symbols, their gilded tips catching the first light. The oldest obelisk still standing in Egypt, raised by Senusret I, rises at Heliopolis in the Cairo district of Matareya. Later, Ramesses II shared the sanctuary of Abu Simbel with Ra-Horakhty, Amun-Ra and Ptah.
Ra: FAQ
What is Ra the god of?
The sun, light, creation and kingship; he was seen as the ruler of the gods.
What does Ra look like?
Usually a man with a falcon’s head wearing a sun disc wrapped by a cobra.
Where was Ra worshipped?
Above all at Heliopolis, now in north-east Cairo, and in sun temples and every major temple of Egypt.
Who is the enemy of Ra?
The serpent Apophis (Apep), who tried to swallow the sun boat every night in the underworld.
What is the difference between Ra and Amun-Ra?
Amun-Ra is the Theban god Amun joined with Ra, the national god of the New Kingdom; Ra himself is the older sun god of Heliopolis.
