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| quote = His name is thought to mean "creative power", and as a proper name "Creator".
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The chief [[Cult (religious practice)|cult]] centre of Ra was [[Heliopolis (ancient)|Heliopolis]] (called ''Iunu'', "Place of Pillars", in Egyptian),<ref name="autogenerated1">The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, George Hart ISBN 0-415-34495-6</ref> where he was identified with the local sun-god [[Atum]]. Through Atum, or as Atum-Ra he was also seen as the first being and the originator of the [[Ennead]], consisting of [[Shu (Egyptian deity)|Shu]] and [[Tefnut]], [[Geb]] and [[Nut (goddess)|Nut]], [[Osiris]], [[Set (mythology)|Set]], [[Isis]] and [[Nephthys]].
In later Egyptian dynastic times, Ra was merged with the [[god]] [[Horus]], as Re-Horakhty ("Ra, who is Horus of the Two Horizons"). He was believed to rule in all parts of the created world the [[sky]], the [[earth]], and the [[underworld]].<ref name="autogenerated1"/> He was associated with the [[falcon]] or [[hawk]]. When in the [[New Kingdom]] the god [[Amun]] rose to prominence he was fused with Ra as [[Amun-Ra]]. During the [[Amarna Period]], [[Akhenaten]] suppressed the cult of Ra in favour of another solar deity, the [[Aten]], the deified solar disc, but after the death of [[Akhenaten]] the cult of Ra was restored.
The cult of the [[Mnevis]] [[bull]], an embodiment of Ra, had its centre in [[Heliopolis (ancient)|Heliopolis]] and there was a formal [[burial ground]] for the sacrificed bulls north of the city.
All forms of life were believed to have been created by Ra, who called each of them into existence by speaking their secret names. Alternatively humans were created from Ra's tears and sweat, hence the Egyptians call themselves the "Cattle of Ra." In the myth of the Celestial Cow it is recounted how mankind plotted against Ra and how he sent his eye as the goddess [[Sekhmet]] to punish them. When she became blood thirsty she was pacified by mixing beer with red dye.
== Vai trò ==
==Sự thờ cúng==
[[File:Ra Barque.jpg|thumb|250px|Thần Ra trên [[Solar deity|con thuyền Mặt trời]].]]
The chief [[cult]] centre of Ra was [[Heliopolis (ancient)|Heliopolis]] (called ''Iunu'', "Place of Pillars", in Egyptian),<ref name="autogenerated1"/> where he was identified with the local sun-god [[Atum]]. Through Atum, or as Atum-Ra he was also seen as the first being and the originator of the [[Ennead]], consisting of [[Shu (Egyptian deity)|Shu]] and [[Tefnut]], [[Geb]] and [[Nut (goddess)|Nut]], [[Osiris]], [[Set (mythology)|Set]], [[Isis]] and [[Nephthys]].
His local cult began to grow from roughly the [[Second dynasty of Egypt|second dynasty]], establishing Ra as a sun deity. By the [[Fourth Dynasty of Egypt|fourth dynasty]] the pharaohs were seen to be Ra's manifestations on earth, referred to as "Sons of Ra". His worship increased massively in the [[Fifth Dynasty of Egypt|fifth dynasty]], when he became a state deity and pharaohs had specially aligned pyramids, obelisks, and [[Egyptian sun temple|solar temples]] built in his honor. The first [[Pyramid Texts]] began to arise, giving Ra more and more significance in the journey of the pharaoh through the underworld.
The [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]] saw Ra being increasingly combined and affiliated with other chief deities, especially Amun and Osiris.
During the [[New Kingdom]], the worship of Ra became more complicated and grander. The walls of [[tomb]]s were dedicated to extremely detailed [[Written language|texts]] that told of Ra's journey through the underworld. Ra was said to carry the prayers and blessings of the living with the [[soul]]s of the dead on the sun boat. The idea that Ra aged with the sun became more popular with the rise of The New Kingdom.
Many acts of worship included hymns, prayers, and spells to help Ra and the sun boat overcome Apep.
Though worship of Ra was widespread, his cult center was in Heliopolis in [[Lower Egypt]]. Oddly enough, this was the home of the Ennead that was believed to be headed by Atum, with whom he was merged. The Holiday of 'The Receiving of Ra' was celebrated on May 26 in the [[Gregorian calendar]].
The rise of [[Constantine I and Christianity#Christian Emperorship|Christianity in the Roman empire]] caused an end to the worship of Ra by the citizens of Egypt,<ref>Quirke, S. (2001). The cult of Ra: Sun-worship in ancient Egypt. (pp. 144). New York: Thames and Hudson.</ref> and as Ra's popularity suddenly died out, the study of Ra became purely for academic knowledge even among the Egyptian priests.<ref>Müller, M. (2002). Ra. In D. B. Redford (Ed.), The ancient gods speak: A guide to Egyptian religion (pp. 328). New York: Oxford University Press, USA.</ref>
==Trong văn hóa đại chúng==
Trong nhiều tác phẩm giả tưởng dành cho thiếu niên của [[Rick Riordan]], ''[[The Serpent's Shadow]]'' (2012), ''[[The Throne of Fire]]'' (2011), a sequel to ''[[The Red Pyramid]]'' (2010), the benevolent god Ra was overthrown by [[Isis]]. Then Horus replaced Ra as "ruler" of the gods.
Ra was also the main villain of the 1994 film ''[[Stargate (film)|Stargate]]''. In it, he was an alien that enslaved Ancient Egyptians and brought them to a planet half-way across the universe using the device known as a Stargate.
In addition, Ra was referenced in the 4Kids television show, [[Yu-Gi-Oh!|Yu-Gi-OH]]. Starting in the second season, the Egyptian God Cards were introduced into the plot, one being [[Egyptian God cards|The Winged Dragon of Ra.]]
==Mối liên hệ với các vị thần khác==
[[File:Horus and Amon - Ramses IV tomb.jpg|thumb|250px|Thần Ra và Thần [[Amun]], trong Lăng mộ của [[Ramses IV]].]]
Cũng như nhiều vị thần Ai Cập được tôn thờ, bản sắc của Thần Ra thường được kết hợp với các thần khác, tạo thành một sự hòa trộn giữa các vị thần.
;[[Amun]] và [[Amun-Ra]]
Amun was a member of the Ogdoad, representing creation energies with [[Amaunet]], a very early patron of [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]]. He was believed to create via breath, and thus was identified with the wind rather than the sun. As the cults of Amun and Ra became increasingly popular in Upper and [[Lower Egypt]] respectively they were combined to create Amun-Ra, a solar creator god. It is hard to distinguish exactly when this combination happened, but references to Amun-Ra appeared in pyramid texts as early as the fifth dynasty. The most common belief is that Amun-Ra was invented as a new state deity by the Theban rulers of the [[New Kingdom]] to unite worshipers of Amun with the older cult of Ra around the eighteenth dynasty.
;[[Atum]] và [[Atum-Ra]]
:Atum-Ra (Ra-Atum) là một vị thần được tổng hợp và hình thành từ hai vị thần hoàn toàn riêng biệt, tuy nhiên Ra chia sẻ nhiều điểm tương đồng với Atum hơn so với Amun. Atum được liên kết chặt chẽ hơn với ánh nắng mặt trời, và cũng là thần sáng tạo của Ennead. Cả Ra và Atum được coi là cha đẻ của các vị thần và các vị vua, và được tôn thờ rộng rãi. Trong thần thoại cổ xưa, Atum là cha đẻ của Tefnut và Shu, và ông được sinh ra từ [[đại dương]] [[naunet|Nun]].
==Đọc thêm==
{{commons category}}
* Collier, Mark and Manley, Bill. ''How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs: Revised Edition''. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.
* Salaman, Clement, Van Oyen, Dorine, Wharton, William D, and Mahé, Jean-Pierre. ''The Way of Hermes: New Translations of the Corpus Hermeticum and The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius''. Rochester: Inner Traditions, 1999.
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