Overview

Which gods created the world according to the ancient Egyptians? How did they explain the sun's movements and its disappearance at night? In what ways did mythology permeate their lives? And what did they believe happened in the afterlife? This handy guide to Egyptian mythology explores how the ancient Nile-dwellers explained the world around them. The text delves into the origins of life, the creation and evolution of the world, and the reigns of the gods on earth, before introducing us to the manifestations of Egypt's deities in the natural environment; the inventive ways in which the Egyptians dealt with the invisible forces all around them; and the trials and tribulations of the life hereafter.

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9780500251980

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Reviews

The Egyptian Myths: A Guide to the Ancient Gods and Legends uncovers it all.

'With academic authority and enjoyable style, assisted by numerous, well-chosen illustrations of gods and goddesses, Shaw's book is a lively introduction to its subject' - Current World Archaeology 'Provides an excellent introduction to the myths of ancient Egypt and is to be recommended to anyone who is trying to get their head around the subject' - Egyptian Archaeology 'The myths are presented here in a down-to-earth manner, consistent with the spirit of the texts, exposing the gamut of human emotion from the rage of the solar deity to the lamentations of the widowed Isis' - History Today

The myths are presented here in a down-to-earth and often humorous manner, consistent with the spirit of the texts, exposing the gamut of human emotion from the rage of the solar deity to the lamentations of the widowed Isis ... will be fitting additions to the library of the Nile traveller ... can be read with interest and pleasure in an armchair. With academic authority and enjoyable style, assisted by numerous, well-chosen illustrations of gods and goddesses, Shaw's book is a lively introduction to its subject. Beautifully set out on high quality paper ... and featuring some lesser known stories ... alongside more familiar myths, this is a good introduction to the complex mythology of the ancient Egyptians and their unique way of understanding the world around them. Most books on mythology present their material as archaic stories and that's that. But this author gives us the background to the myths and then explains how they were integrated into every aspect of the ordinary Egyptian's existence from birth to death--and beyond. Illustrations, diagrams and drawings, together with many extraordinarily powerful quotations from papyri, paint a picture of the dynamic forces that the gods represented and how their lives were played out in the various myths.

Author Information

Garry Shaw is Honorary fellow at the University of Liverpool.

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