Ancient Egyptians had several creation stories, told in different religious centers. They do not contradict each other so much as describe the same mystery in different ways. All of them begin with Nun, a dark, endless ocean of water that existed before anything else.
Heliopolis: Atum and the Ennead
In the version told at Heliopolis, near modern Cairo, a mound of earth rose from the waters of Nun, and on it appeared the god Atum. He created Shu, god of air, and Tefnut, goddess of moisture. They had two children, Geb, the earth, and Nut, the sky, who in turn had Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. These nine gods are called the Ennead. The pointed tops of pyramids and obelisks may recall that first mound.
Memphis: Ptah
At Memphis, priests taught that Ptah, the god of craftsmen, created the world by thinking of things in his heart and speaking their names. This idea of creation by the word is written on a stone slab, the Shabaka Stone, now in the British Museum.
Hermopolis and Thebes
At Hermopolis, creation began with eight gods of the primeval waters, the Ogdoad, four frogs and four snakes, who produced the egg or lotus from which the sun was born. At Thebes, today’s Luxor, priests made Amun, the hidden god, the creator of all. You can read these ideas in the temple walls of Karnak. Read more about the Egyptian gods and goddesses.
