Horus, god of Egypt

Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses for kids - Horus, the falcon god

The Mythology & History of ancient Egypt surrounding the Egyptian solar god Horus and protector of the monarchy

 

Horus, god of Egypt
Discover the legends and myths and religious beliefs surrounding Horus, the Egyptian solar falcon god, protector of the monarchy who symbolized courage.  The rulers of Egypt were ‘followers of Horus’. Horus was one of the most ancient gods and was depicted as a falcon, or in human form with the head of a falcon. The sun and the moon were said to be his eyes and the image of the "Eye of Horus" became a powerful amulet among the ancient Egyptians. There were various manifestations of Horus and the different forms of Horus mentioned in Egyptian texts are numerous including names such as Horus the Elder, Horus the Child and Horus the Uniter. Additional, interesting facts and information about ancient Egypt, and its mysterious gods and goddesses, is also available via:

Who was Horus?
Horus was the Egyptian solar god and protector of the monarchy who symbolized courage and victory. Although he was represented as many different manifestations he is famous for the mythology relating to the 'Osiris myth' in which he took revenge on the evil Set for murdering Osiris and usurping his throne. Horus then became the mythical king of Egypt.

Facts about Horus
The following facts and profile provides a fast overview of Horus:
 

 

Horus Profile & Fact File

 

Egyptian Name:Horus
Role & Function:The function of Horus is described as being the solar god and protector of the monarchy, courage & vanquishing enemies
 
Status:Horus was a member of the Ennead of Heliopolis. He also featured in various Triads of Egyptian gods
 
Symbols:The Wedjat, later called the Eye of Horus, the falcon
 
Alternative Names:Horus the Elder, Horus the Child and Horus the Uniter. He was also known as Heru, Hor, Harendotes (Horus the Avenger), Harsomtus, Harpocrates and the Lord of the Two Lands
 
Name of Father:Osiris
Name of Mother:Isis
Names of Children:Ihy, Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef, Qebehsenuef, the Four Sons of Horus, the protectors of canopic jars used in mummification
 
 

The Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

 

Horus in Egyptian Mythology
Horus, the Egyptian solar god, the protector of the monarch and the vanquisher featured in the stories, myths and legends in Egyptian Mythology, in particular with the myth surrounding Osiris. In the creation myth of the gods of the Ennead of Heliopolis Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris, the mythical king and queen who ruled Egypt. Set, the brother of Osiris and Isis, murdered Osiris and usurped the throne of Egypt. Isis impregnated herself from the corpse of her husband and subsequently gave birth to Horus in secrecy at Khemmis in the Nile delta. She hid the child from Set in the papyrus swamps. When Horus became older he battled with the evil Set and vanquished him, then took his rightful place as the ruler of Egypt and the kingdoms of both Upper and Lower Egypt were united. During their battle, which lasted for eighty years, Set had torn out the left eye of Horus (the moon) which he was forced to return it by a council of the gods.

Horus the Uniter
The victory of Horus over the evil Set resulted in the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. The Egyptian pharaoh was believed to be an incarnation of the god and formed part of his name. The pharaoh was said to become Horus after death. His role in the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt is clearly indicated by the Pshent double crown he wears.

The Sons of Horus
He was closely connected with the Underworld and performed duties of a friendly nature for the dead. The Sons of Horus whose names were Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef and Qebehsenuef also performed funerary duties in respect of mummification. They were the guardians of the special containers, called canopic jars, that held the liver, lungs, stomach and intestines were placed in special containers called canopic jars. Qebehsenuef was depicted as a mummified man with the head of a hawk who protected the intestines. Hapy was depicted as a mummified man with the head of a baboon and protected the lungs. Duamutef was depicted as a mummified man with the head of a jackal and protected the stomach. Imsety was depicted as the mummified man-headed god who protected the liver.

Manifestations of Horus
In the passing of time ancient Egyptian myths emerged detailing different manifestations of Horus referring to his birth and secret rearing by Isis, his battle against Set, his position at Heliopolis, associated with the rising sun, and linked with Ra, the Supreme Solar God in the sun cult. Others referred to avenging his father's murder, as symbol of resurrection, linked with the setting sun and his role in uniting Upper and Lower Egypt.

Reference to Horus in the Coffin Texts
The Coffin Texts are a collection of ancient Egyptian funerary spells written on coffins beginning in the First Intermediate Period which were partly derived from the earlier pyramid texts. A combination of the Pyramid texts and the Coffin texts eventually formed the famous Book of the Dead. A passage from the Coffin Texts (passage 148) describes Horus in his own words:

"I am Horus, the great Falcon upon the ramparts of the house of him of the hidden name. My flight has reached the horizon. I have passed by the gods of Nut. I have gone further than the gods of old. Even the most ancient bird
could not equal my very first flight. I have removed my place beyond the powers of Set,
the foe of my father Osiris. No other god could do what I have done.
 I have brought the ways of eternity to the twilight of the morning. I am unique in my flight.
My wrath will be turned against the enemy of my father Osiris
and I will put him beneath my feet in my name of 'Red Cloak'."

The 'Eye of Horus'
The "Eye of Horus" was one of the most important Egyptian Symbols symbolizing of royal power, protection and good health. It is depicted as a human eye and symbolically with the long tail and brows which are the markings of a hawk. It was a fetish that was believed to embody magical powers and offer magical protection. It also had the power to heal the living and protect the dead.

The Sons of Horus and the Eye

 

Horus

  • Interesting research information and Facts about the Egyptian hawk headed god
  • Horus, the Egyptian solar god and protector of the monarchy
  • Stories and Legends in Egyptian Mythology associated with Horus
  • Facts and information about the gods and deities of of classical Egypt for schools, research and kids
  • The Egyptian solar god and protector of the monarchy

The Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

 

Facts about Horus in Egyptian Mythology
Discover interesting information and research facts about Horus, the Egyptian solar god and protector of the monarchy. The facts about Horus provides a list detailing fascinating additional info to increase your knowledge about Horus in Egyptian Mythology.

Mythology and Facts about Horus

Picture of Horus and his name in hieroglyphs

Fact 1:The idea of Horus as the Pharaoh was superseded by the concept of the Pharaoh as the son of the solar Ra during the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt in the period called the Old Kingdom
 
Fact 2:Described as a sky god, this also included jurisdiction over the sun and the moon
 
Fact 3:He was also revered as a god of war and hunting, due to the myth concerning his vanquishing of Set
 
Fact 4:In some myths the goddess Hathor is regarded as his mother and sometimes as his wife
 
Fact 5:He was the protector, teacher and guide to the pharaoh
 
Fact 6:In his manifestation of Ra-Harakhte, a combining with the god Ra, he was the god of the sun and took it on its daily path across the sky and represented as a falcon-headed man wearing the solar disk and the double crown
 
Fact 7:There were at least fifteen distinct forms of the god. When the Greeks conquered Egypt under Alexander the Great, they transformed the Egyptian Horus into their Hellenistic god known as Harpocrates meaning "Horus the Child").
 
Fact 8:His name in Hierolglyphics looked like this - look carefully at the picture of the god and you will see his symbol in the hieroglyphs
 
 

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