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:This page is about the Egyptian deity. For the fantasy character, see Horus (Warhammer 40,000).

Horus (Also Heru-sa-Aset, Hrw, Hr, and Hor-Hekenu) is the falcon-headed god of ancient Egyptian mythology. He was the son of Osiris and Isis. (the river and land gods)

Like many other gods the nature of what he was and the legends and stories that went with him changed over the course of history. Horus was an amalgamation of other, related deities, all of whom were sun gods and associated with the royal prerogative and the sky. Because Horus was a combination of other gods, it is rarely correct to refer to "Horus" as Horus was as much a family of related deities (though many had differing parentages) unified in one being; something similar occurs in many Christians' interpretation of the one God who manifests in three parts.

Heru-ur (also called Harmerti) is the oldest version of Horus, and was a falcon creator-god who was known for restraining Apep. His eyes were the sun and the moon; during a new moon, he was blind and was called Mekhenty-er-irty ("he who has no eyes") and upon the return of his sight, he was called Khenty-irty ("he who has eyes"). While blind, Horus was quite dangerous, sometimes attacking his friends after mistaking them for enemies. He was a son of Geb and Nut and was the patron god of Letopolis .

As a child, Horus was called Har-pa-khered ("Horus the child" and called Harpocrates by the Greeks) and was a son of either Osiris and IsisThis article is about the goddess. For other meanings, see Isis (disambiguation Isis (Greek version; Egyptian is Aset is the goddess of motherhood and fertility in ancient Egypt. She is a life-death-rebirth deity (see Legend of Osiris and Isis), as well a or BanebdjetetIn Egyptian mythology, Banebdjetet (Ba Neb Tetet, Banebdedet, Baneb Djedet) is the ram-god, husband of Hatmehit and father of Har-pa-khered. His cult was centered at Mendes. When Horus and Set battled for the throne of Egypt, he recommended that the gods and HatmehitIn Egyptian mythology, Hatmehit or Hatmehyt was a fish- goddess, wife of Banebdjetet and mother of Har-pa-khered. The center of her cult was in Mendes.. He was depicted as a naked boy with a finger in his mouth, sitting on a lotusAmerican Lotus The term lotus may refer to: The Indian lotus of the genus Nelumbo (see Nymphaeaceae). Particularly the sacred lotus plant of Hinduism and Buddhism, Nelumbo nucifera''. All parts of nucifera are edible and the plant is a popular ingredient with his mother. In this form, he was a fertility god and was depicted with a cornucopiaThe cornucopia also known in English as the " Horn of Plenty", is a symbol of prosperity and affluence, dating back to the 5th century BC. In Greek mythology, Amalthea brought Zeus up on the milk of a goat. In return Zeus gave her the goat's horn. It had. Har-pa-Khered became very popular during the time of the Roman Empire60 and 400 with major cities. During this time only Dacia and Mesopotamia were added to the Empire but were lost before 300. The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman state in the centuries following its reorganization under t, when he was depicted riding a gooseAnser Branta Chen Cereopsis † see also: Swan, Duck Anatidae Goose (plural geese is the general English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes the swans, which are mostly larger than gees or ramRAM or Ram or ram can mean A ram is an entire male sheep. A castrated male sheep is a wether''. In astronomy, the constellation of Aries. In Hinduism, Ram is the Hindi form of the name of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu or God. Alternatively, Ram is a generic t (note Banebdjetet, his father, was a ram god).

Later Horus became absolutely aligned as a son of the dead body of Osiris and Isis (alternatively: he emerged from Saosis' acacia tree). This is very often cited as "the" Horus in many scholarly works. In truth, this Horus was called Har-sa-iset or Harsiesis.

As Har-nedj-itef (Harendotes in Greek), Horus was Osiris' bodyguard in the underworld, called the Duat.

As Behedti, Horus was the patron deity of Behdet (cur: Edfu), where he was strongly associated with the falcon.

As Chenti-irti, Horus was a falcon-god of law and order.

Later still he became associated with the sun god Ra where they combined especially at Heliopolis and became Ra-Herekhty (also Ra-Heru-akhety, Her-akhety ("Horus of the two horizons"), Har-em-akhet ("Horus upon the horizon"), Horakhety, Harmachis ( Greek)), god of the morning sun.

Anhur was Horus as a union with Shu.

In the 3rd millennium BC, Set became the patron god of the pharaohs (replacing Horus in the form of Har-mau or Harsomtus) after overthrowing Horus in the form of Har-wer or Haroeris. Later a story became popular that Set had killed Horus' father Osris , and Set was thought of more and more as an evil god. So Har-mau was again made the pharaohs' patron in this myth: A war between Set and Horus ensued, lasting for eighty years. Har-mau tore off one leg and the testicles of Set, who in turn took out Har-mau's left eye (hence he is referred to as "the one-eyed god"). His eye was later returned to him. Horus won the war (with the support of Neith) and became the ruler of Lower and Upper Egypt. Seth was castrated or killed or moved in with Ra and became the voice of thunder.

Horus was the father of the four gods associated with the canopic jars of Egyptian funerary beliefs: Imset, Hapi, Duamutef, and Kebechsenef.

Egyptian gods Egyptian mythology Solar gods

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