As
Amun's cult grew bigger, Amun rapidly
became identified with the chief God that
was worshipped in other areas, Ra-Herakhty,
the merged identities of Ra, and Horus.
This identification led to a merger of
identities, with Amun becoming Amun-Ra.
As Ra had been the father of Shu, and
Tefnut, and the remainder of the Ennead,
so Amun-Ra was likewise identified as
their father. Ra-Herakhty had been a sun
god, and so this became true of Amun-Ra
as well, Amun becoming considered the
hidden aspect of the sun (e.g. during
the night), in contrast to Ra-Herakhty
as the visible aspect, since Amun clearly
meant the one who is hidden. This complexity
over the sun led to a gradual movement
towards the support of a more pure form
of deity. Thus the pharaoh, Amenhotep
IV introduced the worship of Aten, the
sun's disc itself, identifying it as Amun-Ra.
|
|
