One of ancient Egypt’s most important myths of creation portrayed the earth as a mound, which rose from Nun, the Primordial Ocean and chaos. The mound was the ‘Ben-Ben’; a conical shaped stone, which would be venerated as the most sacred object in temples.

Out of the Nun, Re-Atum --the sun-god-- generated himself. He coughed or spitted out two offsprings: Shu, god of the air, and Tefnut, goddess of moisture. They, in turn, procreated Geb, the earth god, and Nut, the sky-goddess.

Shu lifted Nut so she became a canopy over Geb.

Geb and Nut begot Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys.

Osiris became the king of the earth and Isis the queen. Seth became jealous of his older brother Osiris and had him killed to become the king of the earth. Osiris went to the underworld.

When Isis discovered that Osiris had been killed she set out in a search of his body which she discovered washed ashore Byblos. She brought back the corpse to Egypt and remained in the marshes of the Delta, awaiting the birth of her child Horus, who seems to have been conceived after his father’s death.

Seth eventually discovered the body of Osiris. He cut up the body in 14 or 16 parts and scattered them all over Egypt. Isis again looked for the parts burying each part where she found it: the head in Abydos, the neck in Heliopolis, and so on. The only part missing was the virile member, which Seth had thrown into the river and had been devoured by the fish Oxyrhynchus.

Horus decided to avenge his father and killed Seth. He became the king of the earth and Osiris remained as the king of the underworld.

The daily passage of sun across the earth has various explanations in ancient Egypt. The most commonly accepted view has Re-Atum crosses the sky on a boat accompanied by his royal assembly.

At night the boat goes through the underground world (known as Duat). Another interpretation states that the body of the goddess Nut formed the sky, which spans the earth as an arch. Her head is on a level with the western horizon and her groin with the eastern one. Arms and legs extend beyond the horizon. The sun was consumed by the goddess every evening and traversed the body during the night, to be reborn at sunrise.