Egyptian Mythology

In the beginning

Only the ocean existed. Then Ra, the sun god, came out of an egg that appeared on
the surface of the water. He brought forth Four (4) children, the Gods Shu and Geb,
and the Goddess Tefnut and Nut. Shu and Tefnut became the atmosphere. They
stood on Geb, who became the earth, and raised up Nut, who became the sky. Ra
ruled over all.

Geb and Nut had two (2) sons, Seth and Osiris, and two (2) daughters, Isis and
Nepthys. Osiris succeeded Ra as King of Earth, helped by Isis, his sister-wife. Seth,
however, hated his brother and killed him. Isis then embalmed her husbands body
with the help of the God Anubis, who consequently became the God of Embalming.

The powerful charms of Isis resurrected Osiris, who became King of the Netherworld,
the land of the dead. Horus, who was the son of Osiris and Isis, later defeated Seth
in a great battle and became King of earth.

The creation

At first, there existed only a vast, dark, watery chaos- Nun. From this primordial
ocean, a hillock arose, much as land appeared within the receding floodwaters of the
Nile. The creative force was either Nun himself or an Unseen, self- created god. This
god then brought into being the air, the sky, the earth, and all the inhabitants
thereof.

The creative force was identified by each religious center as their own god. Atum of
Heliopolis, Ptah of Memphis, Thoth of Hermopolis, and Amun of Thebes.

For example, Atum is said to be self-created, yet in other passages, he is the son of Nun
By the 5th Dynasty, Atum had been assimilated to Re, and the sun was worshipped as AtumRe. But Re, the midday sun had been born of Nut, who was granddaughter of Atum. Even
the high priests of Heliopolis couldnt make such circular mythology run in straight lines,
mere laymen
Egyptian Creation Myth
According to Egyptian mythology, the Sun god Ra had four children. In this painting his son
Shu stands on another son, Geb, who became the Earth. Shu, god of the air, raises up Ras
daughter Nut, who became the sky.
The Filipino Mythology
BATHALA OR ABBA
The highest ranking deity of the ancient Tagalogs was called Bathala or Abba. Like other
divinities the world over Bathalas origin was not known. He merely appeared one day (his
coming was said to have been heralded by flood, fire, and turbulent earthquakes) and
announced his lordship over mankind.

So great and powerful was Bathala that no one dared to question his demand for obedience
and reverence from man. Because historians and writers often refer to this deity as the god
of the ancient Filipinos, Bathala gradually became the accepted representative deity of the
whole nation, overwhelming all other divinities in importance.
Bathala was said to be the creator of all things- the sea, the sky, the earth, and all the
vegetation around us. He dwelt in the highest realm of the ethereal space called
Kaluwalhatian or sky. Just and merciful, he was said to be the sustainer, keeper, nourisher,
and protector of the mankind. Sometimes he seemed very human.
He welcomed gifts from people with deep appreciation and was pleased when men were
helpful and obedient to his moral laws. He was lavish in his love toward those who kept his
commandments and paid him homage.
To a certain extent, however this kindness made some of his favorites resigned to their
subordinate status always depending upon him to do things for them- and many others
more courageous and daring, albeit wary in their attitude. From this outlook came the
Bathala Na or let the future care philosophy of life.
This underlies the major character trait of Filipinos- the tendency to take unnecessary risk in
difficult situations, and to be venturesome, reckless, or courageous in time of danger. While
Bathala was said to be compassionate and forever understanding to contrite hearts seeking
forgiveness, he was equally exacting and unforgiving in his punishment to sinners.
He did not hesitate to send thunder and lightning to strike the transgressors of his laws. He
presided over the lesser divinities who cared for the needs of the people and guarded the
general welfare of the reverent families. His power and goodness were devoted to the
interests of the people to whom he was the almighty protector!
Lesser Divinities Assisting Bathala
As creator of the material world Bathala had many minor divinities assisting him. Among
these lesser deities who lived in the sky were:
1. Indianale, goddess of the labor and good deeds;
2. Dumangan, deity of the good harvest,
3. Amanikable, Lord of the sea; and many others.
Indianale married Dumangan and they had two children,
1. Dumakulem, a strong, agile hunter who became the guardian of created mountains,
and
2. Anitun Tabu, the fickle-minded goddess of the wind and rain;
3. Amanikable, the husky, ill-tempered ruler of the sea, was said to have never married
after his love was spurned by a beautiful mortal maiden, Maganda. In his frustration,
Amanikable swore vengeance against all mortal beings. That is the reason why, the
old folk say, he sends turbulent waves and horrible tempest every now and then to
wreck boats and to drown men.

Bathala has Three (3) daughters with a mortal woman:

1. Mayari, goddess of the moon. The most beautiful divinity in the court of Bathala.
Mayari had two charming sisters,
2. Tala, goddess of the stars,
3. Hanan, goddess of the morning.
4. They were said to be the daughters of the Bathala by a mortal wife who died after
had given birth to these three beautiful goddesses. So Bathala took the three sisters
to the sky who made them members of his celestial court.
The children of the gods and goddesses were considered lesser importance and with more
limitations of powers.
Dumangan, the god of good harvest
Ikapati, the goddess of fertile fields and healthy flocks.
Mapulon, god of seasons.
Ikapati was said to had married Mapulon. They had a daughter named
1. Analogay, who became the goddess of lost things. When Analogay
attained maidenhood, she married Dumakulem, son of Indianale and
Dumangan, by whom she had two children,
1. Apolake, who became god of the sun and patron of warriors,
and
2. Dian Masalanta, who became goddess of lovers.
2. From the union of these gods and goddesses came the order and regularity of the
Tagalog world. However, as life became more and more complex as a result of the
expanding social relationship among the worshippers, Bathala sent down to earth the
anito (ancestral spirits) to help these different divinities minister to the needs of the
people on earth.
3. However, as time went on, these anito became the interceding spirits between men
and the gods. They were the ones to whom sacrifices were offered whenever the
people desired something. These sacrifice were performed by the catalonan or
priest. Among the principal anito of bathala were Tawotawo, Al Priapo, and
Mailupa.
4. Like modern Christians, the early Tagalogs believed in life after death! In fact, the
belief in transmigration of soul was one of the chief reasons why these people offered
sacrifices and performed all sorts of religious ritual. The earthly belongings of a
deceased person were buried with him because it was believed that the spirit of the
said person would need these things during his journey to the other world. In some
groups, slaves were buried with their masters, and the dead mans wife in others.

5. The ancient Tagalogs also believed in the final judgment of men-that is, the punishing
of the evil and the rewarding of the good. The souls good men were said to be taken
to a village of rest called Maca, which resembled the Christian Paradise, where they
enjoyed eternal peace and happiness. However, those who deserved punishment
were brought to kasamaan, the village of grief and affliction where they were
tortured forever. These souls were kept there by the chief deity named Sitan.
Sitan was assisted by many mortal agents. The most wicked among them was
Mangagaway. She was the one who responsible for the occurrence of the disease. She was
said to posses a necklace of skulls, and her girdle was made up of several severed human
hands and feet. Sometimes, she would change herself into a human being and roam about
the countryside as a healer. She could induce maladies with her charms.
The second agent of Sitan was called Manisilat. She was sometimes known as the goddess
of broken homes. She was said to be restless and mad whenever there was a happy home,
She would disguise as a woman healer or an old beggar, enter the dwelling of her
unsuspecting victims, and then proceed with her diabolical aims. With the aid of her charms
and magic powers, she would turn the husband and wife against each other. She was most
happy when the couple quarreled and she would dance in glee when one of them would
leave the conjugal home.
The third Agent of Sitan was known as mankukulam, whose duty was to emit fire at night,
Especially when the night was dark and the weather was not good. Like his fellow agents, he
often assumed human form and went around the village pretending to be a priest-doctor.
Then he would wallow in the filth beneath the house of his victim and emit fire. If the fire
was extinguished immediately, the victim would die.
The fourth Agent was called Hukloban. She has the power to change herself into any form
she desired. In fact, some people said that she had greater power than Mangagaway. She
could kill anyone by simply raising her hand. However, if she wanted to heal those whom
she had made ill by her charms, She could do so without any difficult. It was also said of her
that she could destroy a house by merely saying that she would do so.
INTRODUCTION TO NORSE MYTHOLOGY
The world of Norse Mythology is a strange world. ASGARD, the home of the Gods, is unlike
any other heaven men have dreamed of. No radiancy of joy is in it, no assurance of bliss. It
is a grave and solemn place, over which hangs the threat of an inevitable doom. The gods
know that a day will come when they will be destroyed. Sometime they will meet their
enemies and go down beneath them to defeat and death. Asgard will fall in ruins. The
cause of forces of good are fighting to defend against the forces of evil is hopeless.
Nevertheless, the gods will fight for it to the end.
Necessarily, the same is true of humanity. If the gods are finally helpless before evil, men
and women must be more so. The heroes and heroines of the early stories face disaster.
They know they cannot save themselves, not by courage or endurance or great deed. Even
so, they do not yield. They die of resisting. A brave death entitles them- at least the heroesto a seat in VALHALLA, one of the Halls in Asgard, but there too they must look forward to
final defeat and destruction. In the battle between good and evil they will fight on the side
of the gods and die with them.

The Creation
Far to the North was NIFLHEIM, the cold realm of death or the world of the dead, and far to
the South was MUSPELHEIM, the Land of Fire. From Niflheim twelve (12) rivers poured
which slowly up with ice. From Muspelheim came fiery clouds that turned the ice to mist.
Drops of waters fell from the mist and out of them there were formed the FROST MAIDENS
and YMIR, the First Giants. His son was ODINS father, whose mother and wife were Frost
Maidens.
Odin and his brothers killed Ymir. They made the earth and sky from him, the sea from his
blood, the earth from his body, and the heavens from his skull. They took sparks from
Muspelheim and placed them in the sky as the sun, moon and the stars. The great wall that
the gods built out of Ymirs eyebrows defended the place where mankind was to live. The
space within was called MIDGARD, the earth as an intermediate world between Asgard,
abode of the gods, and the underworld Nifelheim or Hel. Here the first man and woman
were created from trees, the man from as ash, the woman from an elm.
ASK, was the name of the first man and EMBLA, the first woman on earth. They were the
parents of all mankind. In the world were also DWARFS- ugly creatures, but masterly
craftsmen, who lived under the earth; and ELVES, lovely spirits, who tended the flowers and
streams. Their home was ELFHEIM.
The YGGDRASIL, a wondrous ash-tree supported the universe. It struck its roots
through the worlds. It is also said that one of the roots goes up to Asgard. Beside
this root was a well of white water, the URDAS WELL, so holy that none might drink
of it. The three (3) NORNS guarded it. They were URDA (The Past), VERDANDI
(The Present), and SKULD (The Future).
Another well beneath another root of Yggdrasil was the WELL OF KNOWLEDGE or
WISDOM. MIMIR the Wise guarded this Well of Knowledge.

The FROST GIANTS and the MOUNTAIN GIANTSwere the enemies of

all that is good. They lived in JOTUNHEIM. They were brutal powers of earth, and in
the inevitable contest between them and the divine power of heaven, brute force
would conquer.

The Norse Gods

In Greek mythology, all the Olympians were immortal and invincible. They could never feel
the glow of courage; they could defy danger. When they fought they were sure of victory
and no harm could ever come near them. It was different in ASGARD- the home of the gods,
and they not only were an ever-present danger, but knew in the end complete victory was
assured to them. JOTUNHEIM- a city were the GIANTS- the active, persistent enemies of the
AESIR- as the gods were called, lived and dwelt.
1. ODIN- King of the Gods. God of the Sky, War, Wisdom, Poetry, and Magic. Chief and
Ruler of Asgard. Like Zeus, Odin was the Sky- father. He is strange and solemn
figure, always aloof. Even when he sits at the feast of the gods in his golden palace,
GLADSHEIM, or with the heroes of VALHALLA, he eats nothing. He gives the food set

before him to the Two (2) Wolves who crouch at his feet. Wednesday is Odins day.
The southern form of his name was WODEN.
2. Odin
3. Odin, father and ruler of the Norse gods, always wore his golden helmet and carried
his magic sword. His two ravens, Hugin ("Thought") and Munin ("Memory"), bring him
news from all over, and his two wolves, Geri ("Greedy") and Freki ("Gobbler") wait at
his feet.
Two (2) Wolves of Odin
1. GERI- the Ravenous.
2. FREKI- the Greedy.
Two (2) Ravens of Odin
1. HUGIN (Thought)
2. MUNIN (Memory)
(They fly each day through the world and bring him back news of all that men do.)
2. FRIGGA- Wife of Odin. Queen of the gods. Goddess of the Sky, Nature, Marriage,
and Home.
Frigga with some of her handmaidens
3. HEL or HELA- Goddess of the Dead and the Ruler of Niflheim.
4. FREYA- The Goddess of Love and Beauty. Friday is generally held to have been
named for her. Like her brother Frey, she is also known as the Goddess of Fertility.
5. AEGIR- God of the Sea, Rivers and Rain.
6. VOLUND- God of Crafts and Invention.
Five (5) Important Gods
1. BALDER- God of the Sun, Light, Joy, and Wisdom. The most beloved of the gods, on
earth as in heaven. His death was the first of the disasters, which fell upon the gods.
Son of Odin and Frigga.
2. THOR- God of Thunder, Lightning, Storms, Agriculture and Protector of Men for whom
Thursday is named. The strongest of the Aesir. His wife was SIF- the goddess of the
wheatfields.
3. FREY- God of the Rain, Fertility, Love, and Marriage. Cared for the fruits of the earth.
4. HEIMDALL- the Warder of BIFROST, the Rainbow Bridge that led to Asgard.
5. TYR- the God of the War, for whom Tuesday is named.

6. Tyr, the bravest of all the gods.

Other Norse Gods
1. HERMOD- Son of Odin and Frigga. The Swiftest of foot among the Norse gods.
2. BRAGI- God of Poetry.
3. HODER- The blind God of Darkness, brother of Balder, whom with Lokis traitorous
deeds incidentally, killed his brother, Balder.
4. IDUNA- Wife of Bragi and Keeper of the Apples, which preserves the Youth of the
Gods.
5. SURT- God of the Fire and Ruler of Muspelheim.
6. GERDA- Wife of Freyr.
7. MIMIR- God of Wisdom and Knowledge.
8. LOKI- God of Culture and a Trickster.
9. SIF- Goddess of the Wheatland and wife of Thor
10. ULL- God of Winter, Hunting, Archery, Death and Skiing
11. UTGARD- LOKI- A Giant and the Ruler of Jotunheim.
12. VIDAR- son of Odin, who stabbed Fenris to death after swallowing Odin.
13. VALKYRIES- were Maidens and attendants of Odin. They waited on the table in
Asgard and kept the drinking horns full. Their chief task was to go to the battlefield
and decide at Odins bidding who should win and who should die, and carry the brave
dead to Odin. Val means Slain and the VALKYRIES were the CHOOSERS OF THE
SLAIN and they brought the dead heroes to the HALL OF THE SLAIN.
14. The Valkyries. They were fierce warrior women who fly through the air on
horseback
Places in Norse Mythology
1. NIFLHEIM- Land of the Dead and was ruled by HEL or HELA and no gods had any
authority there not even Odin.
2. MUSPELHEIM- Land of Fire and their ruler was

SURT.

3. ELFHEIM- Land of the Elves

4. JOTUNHEIM- Land of the Giants and was ruled
5. GLADSHEIM- The Golden Palace of ODIN.
6. ASGARD-

Home of the Gods.

by UTGARD-LOKI.

7. MIDGARD- The Battlefield for Men.

8. VALHALLA- The Place for the Heroes and Heroines.
9. VIGRID- A Place where the Gods will be Defeated.
10. VINGOLF- A Home of the Goddesses in Asgard.
11. RAGNAROK- A Day of Doom.
THE EGYPTIAN GODS
1. NATIONAL GODS- were generally cosmic deities- often anthropomorphicrepresenting wind, earth, sky or sun. Linked to multiple religious centers, they were
worshipped by the Pharaoh and his court.
2. LOCAL GODS- they were worshipped by the Fellahin. Local gods were descendants
of early tribal totems, were often depicted as animals.
3. AMUN- the unseen one, he was an obscure deity of Thebes until the Middle Kingdom
when political power of Theban Pharaohs elevated him to national status.
4. ANUBIS- this Jackal or Fox, the God of Embalming, was the Lord of the Hollowed
Land. God of the Dead. Son of Nephtys from Osiris.
5. ANUKIS- Goddess of the First Cataract Area, wife of Khnum and mother of Satis.
6. APIS- the Sacred Bull of Ptah, who resided at Memphis. His godly spirit inhabited a
black bull marked with white triangle on its forehead and a crescent on its flank.
7. APOPHIS- the Symbol of Chaos, who was also the serpent demon threatening the
sun during its journey through Duat. Defeated by the Powers of Order, he was
chained and transfixed with knives. The blood that gushed from his wounds dyed the
evening and morning skies red.
8. ATON- the sun at its zenith, with its scent strong, bright rays streaming down from
his red disk to nourish the land, his- life giving beams ending in human hands.
Embodied in the concept of Re until singled out from the other Sun- gods by
Akheneton.
9. ATUM- Sun-deity who was the early god of Heliopolis. As the Lord of Two Lands he
wore the double crown of the Upper and Lower Egypt.
10. BASTET- the early dynastic Cat-goddess of the Delta who was worshipped for virility,
strength, and agility.
11. BES- the god of music and dance. Originally a Lion-god always shown full face and
as a dwarf with round ears. Protector of the Royal family. Also attended women in
childbirth and watched over the newborn.
12. BOTU- the Cobra-goddess of the Delta became the national goddess of Lower Egypt.
13. GEB- son of Shu and God of the Earth, married to his sister Nut.

14. HAPI- God of Nile and its flood, he watered the Meadows and the Desert Oases and
brought the Dews.
15. HATHOR- Goddess of Love and Joy. She was the universal Mother Goddess gives
birth to the sun god and suckled Horus and its human representative, the reigning
Pharaoh. Daughter of Re and Nut.
16. HORUS- this Falcon or Hawk was the Sky-god of the early Nile Valley dwellers. His
eyes were the sun and the moon. Lord of the Sun and the Light. Son of Osiris and
Isis.
17. ISIS- Goddess of the earth, Moon, Nature, and magic. The sister and wife of Osiris.
She became identified not only as the mother of the king but also a great mother
goddess. Helped Osiris civilize the world, institutes marriage, and taught women the
domestic arts. As an enchantress, she restored Osiris to life and defended Horus with
her spells from Seth.
18. KONSU- the Traveler who crossed the night sky as the Moon God. Lord of Truth
gave oracles and cast spells over evil spirits. Son of Amun and Mut and became the
source of Fertility and Growth, and a Giver of Life.
19. KHNUM- the Ram-headed god dwelt at the 1st Cataract.
20. MERTSEGER- Mistress of the west, this Cobra-goddess ruled from pyramid- shaped
peaks of the west across the Nile from Thebes. She pursued the sinful, punishing
with illness and death those who refused to pay her respect.
21. MIN- God of Fertility who was worshipped as a Giver of Sexual Prowess.
22. MONTU- God of War, the Warrior God of the imperial pharaohs. This Ancient
Southern God rose to national prominence during the 11th Dynasty when his local
princes became king.
23. MAAT- the Goddess of Truth and Balance.
24. MUT- a pre-dynastic Vulture-goddess of Thebes became divine mother and during the
New Kingdom was linked with Nehkbet as Protectress of Upper Egypt. Married to
Amun and became the Mistress of Heaven wore a Vulture headdress and a uraeus
surmounted by the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.

NEITH- Goddess of weaving and Protectress of the Canopic Jars. Wore the red crown
of Lower Egypt. Huntress of the Delta, or a Warrior Goddess also known as the Great
Goddess or Mother of the Gods.

NEHKBET- Vulture-goddess of Al-Kab, she usually appeared as a Vulture or a woman

with a vulture headdress.

NEPTHTYS- Goddess of the Dead. Sister of Isis and wife of Seth.

NUN- God of Chaos.

NUT- sister and wife of Geb and Goddess of the Sky and Chilbirth. Each evening Nut
swallowed the setting sun.

OSIRIS- God of Fertility, the Nile, Vegetation, the Dead and the Good. An ancient
Corn-god, Osiris with Isis civilized mankind by teaching agriculture.

Egyptian mythological figure Osiris lived in the fabled underworld as the ruler of the
dead. He is shown here, center, with the jackal-headed Anubis, another god of the
dead.

PTAH- the Creator God of Memphis, as a Divine Artificer, he was a skilled engineer,
stonemason, metal worker and artist.

RE- the Sun itself and the God of that Sun. God of the Sun, the Sky, and the Creator
God.

SEHKMET- the Lioness, violent counterpart of Bastet. The desert winds were her hot
breath.

SERAPIS- was a Composite God created with attributes of Osiris and Apis, bull of
Memphis.

SELKET- Goddess of Fertility was one of four protectresses of the source of the Nile.

Egyptian Goddess Selket

Gold leaf covers this statue of the goddess Selket, found in the tomb of King
Tutankhamun of Egypt. Selket, the goddess who heals bites and stings, is portrayed
as a beautiful woman with a scorpion on her head.

SESHAT- Goddess of Writing.

SETH- brother of Osiris, was the Upper Egyptian counterpart to Horus of the Lower
Egypt. The Evil God.

SHU- God of the Wind. Son of Re and father of Geb and Nut. Was the air or more
esoterically emptiness. God of Wind.

SOBEK- A Crocodile-god who was worshipped in the Fayyum. A Hawk-headed

crocodile.

TAWERET- A Hippopotamus God of Childbirth.

TEFNUT- Goddess of Moisture. Wife and sister of Shu, she bore Geb and Nut. She was
often equated with the moon.

THOTH- God of Learning and Magic. The master of words and thus of magic, he was
worshipped by scribes, who claimed he invented mathematics, astronomy and
engineering.

Isis. The gold pectoral of the winged goddess Isis, Goddess of the Earth, Moon,
Nature, and Magic, sister and wife of Osiris, holding a life sign in her right hand and a
sail for the breath of life in her left.

The Goddess Hathor.

The unusual rock- crystal ball with the head of the goddess Hathor.

4 Pairs of Gods & Goddesses

1. Nun and Naunet Water

2. Huh and Hauhet Eternity
3. Kuk and Kauket Darkness
4. Kerk and Kerhet or Amun and Amaunet the Unseen, the Air or Wind.
5. The Scale of Justice.
6. Anubis weighed the deceaseds heart on the scales of justice against the feather of
Maat. Ibis- headed Thoth recorded the verdict: if the heart failed the test it was fed
to the lion-monster. Maat (inset) was the Goddess of Truth and Balance.