Egyptians told several stories of how the world began, each tied to a great temple city. The oldest we can trace is the account of Heliopolis (Iunu), the city of the sun god you met in Many Gods, Many Forms. Its pieces appear already in the Pyramid Texts of the late Old Kingdom.
Before anything existed there was Nun: dark, endless, motionless water. From it the creator Atum ("the complete one") came into being by himself, standing on the first land. Atum produced the first pair of gods without a partner; the Pyramid Texts say he sneezed out Shu and spat out Tefnut.
| Generation | Gods | What they are |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atum | the creator, later joined with Ra as Ra-Atum |
| 2 | Shu and Tefnut | air and moisture |
| 3 | Geb and Nut | the earth and the sky |
| 4 | Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys | the gods of the Osiris story |
Key idea
Why it works
The Greeks called the group the Ennead, from their word for "nine"; the Egyptians said psḏt. The word could also simply mean "all the gods", and some lists add other gods such as Horus.
Worked example: Following the family tree
- Osiris’s parents are Geb and Nut.
- Geb and Nut are the children of Shu and Tefnut.
- So Shu and Tefnut are his grandparents.
Answer: Shu and Tefnut.
Worked example: Counting the Nine
- Count by generation: Atum (1).
- Shu and Tefnut (2), Geb and Nut (2).
- Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys (4).
- 1 + 2 + 2 + 4 = 9.
Answer: Nine.
Common mistake