Ra

“Hail to you, Ra, perfect each day,
Who rises at dawn without failing, toiling to travel the world!
Your warm rays are on all faces,
Gold does not match your splendor,
Self-created you fashioned your body,
Creator uncreated!
Unique One, One Who Traverses Eternity,
Caring for millions, He Who Makes Grain Grow,
Your splendor is greater than the hues of the sky.
When you cross the sky all faces see you,
Daily you give of yourself at dawn." - Hymn to Ra

Ra was the supreme sun god, and the embodiment of the rising sun. For the ancient Egyptians, the sun most basically represented light, warmth, and growth. This made Ra very important, and it is probably therefore no coincidence that he came to be seen as the ruler of all.

Ra illuminated the sky with the "gold of his face" and sailed across the sky in his boat each day, bringing sunlight to the world. The “Eye of Ra” was another name for the sun. The heavens were called the “House of Ra.”

The pharaohs of Egypt held the title “Son of Ra,” as kings claimed their origin with the gods, and by the 5th Dynasty the name of “Ra” was incorporated into the throne name of every king from that point onwards.

Ra himself was said to begat every pharaoh by coupling with the queen mother. After death, the pharaoh was said to ascend into the sky to join the "entourage of Ra."

The Hymn of Adoration to Ra says: "Homage to you, Ra the Shining Sun. Your beauties are in my eyes; glory comes into being over my skin. The stars which never rest sing praises to you; the stars which never perish adore you. You rise, you shine on the back of your mother, crowned as King of the Gods. Your voice goes out to the earth, flooded in silence. May you glorify my spirit; may you make Osiris, my soul, divine. You are adored in peace, Lord of Gods; you are exalted by your wonders. May you pour out radiance on my body.”

Ra was thought to be the son of Neith. He was the father-husband of Bast and Hathor. Occasionally his mother-daughter was considered to be Nut or Selket. Ra was sometimes thought to be the father of Shu, Tefnut, Horus, Heket, Ma’at, Taweret, Nekhbet, Anubis, Wadjet, Sah, and Sekhmet.