Ra (/rɑː/; Ancient Egyptian: rꜥ; also transliterated rꜥw, Ancient Egyptian pronunciation:

[ˈɾiːʕuw]; cuneiform: 𒊑𒀀 ri-a or 𒊑𒅀ri-ia; Phoenician: 𐤏𐤓, romanized: rʿ) or Re (/reɪ/; Coptic: ⲣⲏ,
romanized: Rē) was the ancient Egyptian deity of the Sun. By the Fifth Dynasty, in the 25th
and 24th centuries BC, he had become one of the most important gods in ancient Egyptian
religion, identified primarily with the noon-day sun. Ra ruled in all parts of the created world:
the sky, the Earth, and the underworld. He was believed to have ruled as the first pharaoh of
Ancient Egypt. He was the god of the sun, order, kings and the sky.

Ra was portrayed as a falcon and shared characteristics with the sky-god Horus. At times,
the two deities were merged as Ra-Horakhty, "Ra, who is Horus of the Two Horizons". When
the god Amun rose to prominence during Egypt's New Kingdom, he was fused with Ra as
Amun-Ra.

The cult of the Mnevis bull, an embodiment of Ra, had its center in Heliopolis and there was
a formal burial ground for the sacrificed bulls north of the city.

All forms of life were believed to have been created by Ra. In some accounts, humans were
created from Ra's tears and sweat, hence the Egyptians call themselves the "Cattle of Ra".
In the myth of the Celestial Cow, it is recounted how humankind plotted against Ra and how
he sent his eye as the goddess Sekhmet to punish them.

Religious roles

According to Egyptian myth, when Ra became too old and weary to reign on Earth he
relinquished and went to the skies. As the Sun god one of his duties was to carry the Sun
cross the sky on his solar barque to light the day. But when the sun set and twilight came he
and his vessel passes through the akhet, the horizon, in the west, and travels to the
underworld. At times the horizon is described as a gate or door that leads to the Duat. There
he would have to sail on the subterrestrial Nile and cross through the twelve gates and
regions. On the course of the underworld journey, he transformed into his Ram headed form.
Every night Apophis attempted to attack Ra and stop the sun-boat's journey. After defeating
the snake, Ra would leave the underworld, returning emerging at dawn, lighting the day
again. He was said to travel across the sky in his falcon-headed form on the Mandjet Barque
through the hours of the day, and then switch to the Mesektet Barque in his ram-headed
form to descend into the underworld for the hours of the night.

The Sun as a creator

The Sun is the giver of life, controlling the ripening of crops that were worked by man.
Because of the life-giving qualities of the Sun, the Egyptians worshipped the Sun as a god.
The creator of the universe and the giver of life, the Sun or Ra represented life, warmth and
growth. Since the people regarded Ra as a principal god, creator of the universe and the
source of life, he had a strong influence on them, which led to him being one of the most
worshipped of all the Egyptian gods and even considered King of the Gods.
At an early period in Egyptian history, his influence spread throughout the whole country,
bringing multiple representations in form and in name. The most common form combinations
are with Atum (his human form), Khepri (the scarab beetle) and Horus (the falcon). The form
in which he usually appears is that of a man with a falcon's head, which is due to his
combination with Horus, another sky-god. On top of his head sits a solar disc with a cobra,
which in many myths represents the Eye of Ra. At the beginning of time, when there was
nothing but chaos, the sun-god existed alone in the watery mass of Nun which filled the
universe. The universe was enrapt by a vast mass of primordial waters, and the Benben, a
pyramid mound, emerged amid this primal chaos. There was a lotus flower with Benben, and
from this, when it blossomed, emerged Ra. "I am Atum when he was alone in Nun, I am Ra
when he dawned, when he began to rule that which he had made." This passage talks about
how Atum created everything in human form out of the chaos and how Ra then began to rule
over the Earth where humans and divine beings coexisted. He created Shu, god of air, and
the goddess of moisture, Tefnut. The siblings symbolized two universal principles of humans:
life and right (justice). Ra was believed to have created all forms of life by calling them into
existence by uttering their secret names. In some accounts humans were created from Ra's
tears and sweat.

According to one myth, the first portion of Earth came into being when the sun god
summoned it out of the watery mass of Nun. In the myth of the Celestial Cow (the sky was
thought of as a huge cow, the goddess Meht-urt) it is recounted how humankind plotted
against Ra and how he sent his eye, as the goddess Sekhmet, to punish them. Extensions
of Ra's power were often shown as the Eye of Ra, which were the female versions of the
sun-god. Ra had three daughters Bastet, Sekhmet and Hathor, who were all considered the
Eye of Ra, who would seek out his vengeance. Sekhmet was the Eye of Ra and was created
by the fire in Ra's eye. She was violent and sent to slaughter the people who betrayed Ra,
but when calm she became the more kind and forgiving goddess Hathor. Sekhmet was the
powerful warrior and protector while Bastet, who was depicted as a cat, was shown as
gentle and nurturing.

In the underworld

Ra was thought to travel on the Atet, two solar barques called the Mandjet (the Boat of
Millions of Years) or morning-boat and the Mesektet or evening-boat. These boats took him
on his journey through the sky and the Duat – twelve hours of night which is also the literal
underworld of Egypt. While Ra was on the Mesektet, he was in his ram-headed form. When
Ra traveled in his sun-boat, he was accompanied by various other deities including Sia
(perception) and Hu (command), as well as Heka (magic power). Sometimes, members of
the Ennead helped him on his journey, including Set, who overcame the serpent Apophis,
and Mehen, who defended against the monsters of the underworld. When Ra was in the
underworld, he would visit all of his various forms.

Apophis, the god of chaos (isfet), was an enormous serpent who attempted to stop the
sun-boat's journey every night by consuming it or by stopping it in its tracks with a hypnotic
stare. During the evening, the Egyptians believed that Ra set as Atum or in the form of a
ram. The night boat would carry him through the underworld and back towards the east in
preparation for his rebirth. These myths of Ra represented the sun rising as the rebirth of the
sun by the sky-goddess Nut; thus attributing the concept of rebirth and renewal to Ra and
strengthening his role as a creator god as well.

When Ra was in the underworld, he merged with Osiris, the god of the dead.