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How Did Religion Impact Ancient Egyptian Society

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Through the ages, religion consistently held a high place of importance in the ancient Egyptian civilization. Egyptians incorporated religious services and worship of their deities into almost every aspect of daily life in Egypt, from daily rituals to interactions with others. Thousands of gods and goddesses received worship from the people of Egypt; however, many gods and goddess never achieved a notable level of significance or impacted ancient Egyptian society like some Egyptian deities. Through the history of Egyptian religion, three deities steadily held a place of high importance and greatly impacted the basis of Egyptian society: Ra (god of the sun), Osiris (god of the underworld), and Isis (goddess of magic and motherhood). One of the most worshiped gods and centered deities of ancient Egypt was the sun god Ra. Though most commonly referred to as Ra or Re, the sun god went by many different names, often variations derived from the merging of Ra with another god or goddess such as Amun-Ra (“Ra (Re)”). Many Egyptians believed Ra to be the center of all creation and all other gods to be of …show more content…

Osiris was the eldest son of Geb, god of the earth, and Nut, goddess of the sky (“Osiris”). Throughout Egyptian art, Osiris was often depicted in the form of a human male with green skin adorning a pharaoh’s beard and the Atef crown while gripping a crook and flail in his hands (Alchin, “Osiris”). In accordance with Egyptian mythology, Osiris was once the ruler of Egypt until his brother Set murdered him out of envy for the throne; however, Osiris and his mummified body were resurrected by his wife Isis, allowing Osiris to take his place as god of the underworld and ruler of the dead (“Osiris”). As god of the underworld, Osiris oversaw the judgment of the deceased, judgment that would allow the deceased souls to be welcomed into or barred from Osiris’ kingdom (Hill,

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