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In the earliest history of Egypt the gods were only represented
in the forms of animals or plants. At a later date those gods
were frequently combined with human forms. Thus the god Horus
was presented in the shape of a sparrow hawk or as a man with
a hawk's head. It would appear that the Egyptian religion extended
itself to the worship of many gods. In reality it was monotheistic
in the sense that all of these gods were a manifestation of the
Supreme Being in different roles. According to the story of Isis
and Osiris, Horus was conceived by Isis from the resurrected
soul of her husband Osiris and brought up to avenge his father's
murder. When he had accomplished this revenge he became King
of Egypt. In his honor, every successive king was seen as the
embodiment of Horus and was seated on a throne guarded by the
falcon's outspread wings. For centuries the Egyptians revered
him as a divine bird, the supreme master of the sky. His eyes
were particularly significant; sometimes compared to the sun
and the moon. A great temple at Edfu was dedicated to him. It
still remains one of the best preserved of Egyptian temples.
Two statues of the falcon god stand before it, carved in black
granite. |
