Horus vs Ra: The Majesty of Two Mythical Eyes in Egyptian Mythology

The Eye of Horus symbol, a stylized eye with distinctive markings, was believed to have protective magical power and appeared frequently in ancient Egyptian art. It was one of the most common motifs for amulets, remaining in use from the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BC) to the Roman period (30 BC – 641 AD). Pairs of Horus eyes were painted on coffins during the First Intermediate Period (c. 2181–2055 BC) and Middle Kingdom (c. 2055–1650 BC). Other contexts where the symbol appeared include on carved stone stelae and on the bows of boats.

Because of this, the Scarab Beetle came to be the symbol of the heavenly cycle of regeneration and rebirth. In the funerary context, the Was Scepter was responsible for the well-being of the dead and hence was often included in sarcophagi decorations. Some Egyptians believe that since Thoth replaced Horus’s eye, the missing fraction was withheld by his magic.

The ancient Egyptian civilization is by far the oldest and the most advanced civilization o… The Egyptian gods numbered in the thousands, and they ruled over every aspect of life . The gods of Ancient Egypt each had their own individual power and reasons for the people to revere and worship them.

The main actor in this drama was the king of Egypt himself, who played the role of Horus. In the course of the ritual, the king would strike the hippopotamus with a harpoon. The destruction of the hippopotamus by the king commemorated the defeat of Set by Horus, which also legitimised the king. Yordan Zhelyazkov is a published fantasy author and an experienced copywriter. While he has degrees in both Creative Writing and Marketing, much of his research and work are focused on history and mythology. He’s been working in the field for years and has amassed a great deal of knowledge on Norse, Greek, Egyptian, Mesoamerican, Japanese mythology, and others.

Another difference between the Eye of Ra and the Eye of Horus is about the position of the eyes. The eye of horus free play Eye of Ra is believed to be the right eye of the Sun God, Ra, while the Eye of Horus is the left eye of the falcon-headed God of the Sky and Kingship, Horus. The Eye of Horus is one of the most popular and yet most misunderstood ancient Egyptian symbols.