The Greek and Egyptian Gods and Goddesses were my introductions to the deities of the world. I remember learning about Ra, aka Re. With a falcon’s head and a man’s body, Ra rules the sun, sky, order, and kings. Egyptians once believed Ra’s sweat and tears made them. So they called themselves the “Cattle of Ra”.
Ra has no parents. He sprang into being on his own though he does have “siblings”. Apep (aka Apophis), the embodiment of chaos, Sobek, god of fertility and military expertise, and Serket, goddess of nature, medicine, and healing venom, are his brothers and sisters. It sucks that he will battle one every night. His consorts have been Hathor, a mother goddess, Sekhmet, a lioness goddess, and Bast, a cat goddess. As the head of the Egyptian deities, he has many children. Some are Hathor, Bast, and Sekhmet, but also Shu, Tefnut goddess of moisture, and Ma’at, the embodiment of justice, law, and truth.
Amun, king of the Egyptian deities, at times combines with Ra becoming Amun-Ra. Together they ruled everything the sun touches. Ra also combines with Horus and becomes Ra-Horus or Ra-Horakhty. Together they represent Ra as the Pharaoh. He also fuses with Sekhmet to punish or Hathor to spread love. Fusing with Horus, Amun, and Atum also said what part of the day Ra was shining on. So Ra-Horus is morning, Amun-Ra is noon, Atum-Ra the evening.
Ra not only rules the sun and makes sure it makes its way across the sky but also defends the world when the sun is down from Apophis. Apophis tries to destroy the world every night, and every night, Ra defeats him. Ra is a creator god and is given that power by Heka, who is not only the God of magic but is also magic itself.
What do you think of Ra? I think his appearance on Smite makes sense. However, I would love to see him harness the power of the sun to fight. Have you played as him? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, have fun storming the castle!
