Religion in ancient Egypt
There were numerous religious centers in ancient Egypt, and while they all worshiped RA (the sun), they supported different religious cosmogonies, often at odds with each other. The most important were Memphis, Heliopolis, Hermopolis, and Elephantine. At Heliopolis it was believed that Atum-Ra had self-created in the universal liquid caos (Nun) and then, masturbating, had created Shu and Tefnut (the air and the moist), that these had begotten Nut and Geb (heaven and earth) who, in turn, had the four children Osiris, Seth, Isis and Nephthys to complete the Heliopolis ennead.
In Hermopolis (in ancient Egyptian Khnum, like the god), on the other hand, the ogdoad was worshipped: eight gods joined in pairs who, in the primordial soup, joined to form the egg from which the sun, Atum and all the other gods originated. These were Nun and Naunet (the waters), Heh and Hanhet (space), Kek and Hehet (darkness), Amun and Amaunet (the unknown). Khnum was then the center of the worship of Thot, god of wisdom, later identified by the Greeks as Hermes (Hermes Trismegistus, thrice great) and, hence, the name Ermopolis.
The priests of Memphis, for their part, still preached another version, which can be read in the Shabaka stone and which proclaimed Ptah as the most powerful of the gods. In an attempt to prevail in importance over the clergy of Heliopolis, they predated the creation of the ennead by claiming that, in the chaos of the Nun, the "concept/thought" of Atum-Ra was in the heart of Ptah who by expressing it with his mouth made it real. Hence the importance of the naming of all things that really exist only if they have a name. This union of thought and word is then also found in the Greek "logos" and has surprising relevance also to the Christian
"in the beginning was the Word, the Word was in God and the Word was God"
I also recall that the etymology of the word "Coptic" is Ka-Ptah, the spirit of Ptah.
For the creation of humans one then has another myth. These are said to have originated from tears flowing from the udjat, the eye of Ra.
In Elephantine they worshipped as creator the ram-headed god Khnum, who would shape gods and men on his potter's wheel. Moreover, this was the god who governed the springs and floods of the Nile and, consequently, the origin and possibility of maintaining life in Egypt.
Then there were a host of other minor gods, sometimes worshipped only locally, so as all these religious beliefs coexisted, it was far from clear and straightforward. Therefore, one can understand how Akhenaten, perhaps also inspired by his consort Nefertiti, who came from Mithannia where the religion was monotheistic, decided to clean house and worship only Aton, the sun. Political/social motives most likely also entered into this, given the importance of the priestly clergy in the structure of Egypt where, almost always, the grand vizir and the high priest were the same person. This explains to us the doggedness in the restoration of the old religion after his death and which was probably also the cause of Tutankhamun's assassination.
