Picture from the "Book of the Dead". One of the two figures with an orange disk is Re-Harakhti, the other may be Re. The other two figures are pharaohs.
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy James Wasserman, The Egyptian Book of the Dead, Chronicle Books.

Re

Re was the sun-god and creator of our world. He has a head like a hawk or a ram. The god wore a disk like the sun on his head.

Re came out of the water and had two children. They became the sky and the clouds. Their kids then became Earth and space.

Re cried one day and humans came from his tears. He also made a lot of other things like our seasons. Re joins Horus to become god of the Sun and the heavens.

You might also be interested in:

Cool It! Game

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

The Four Seasons

It takes the Earth one year to travel around the sun one time. During this year, there are four seasons: summer, autumn, winter, and spring. Each season depends on the amount of sunlight reaching the...more

Nut

Nut was the Egyptian sky goddess. She was depicted as a naked giant woman who was supporting the heavens with her back. Her body was blue and covered by stars. The Sun was considered to be a child of the...more

Ahsonnutli

Ahsonnutli was the sky father and chief god of the Navajo. He created heaven, Earth, and the sky. The four main directions are believed to be supported by giants. Each direction has a specific color: white-east;...more

Amphitrite

In Roman and Greek mythology, Amphitrite was a beautiful sea nymph. Poseidon (Neptune), who was the god of the sea and earthquakes, fell in love with her at first sight. Amphitrite did not respond to his...more

Aphrodite

Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty. She was known to the Romans as Venus. To the perfection of her figure and the purity of her features she added an innocent grace. On her sweet face she...more

Apollo

In Greek mythology, Apollo was the son of Jupiter(in Greek Zeus) and Leto (Letona). He was the god of the Sun, logic, and reason, and was also a fine musician and healer. He was known as the god who could...more

Cancer

According to an ancient Greek legend, the figure of a gigantic crab was placed in the nighttime sky by the goddess Hera to form the constellation Cancer. Hera swore to kill Heracles, the most famous Greek...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA