The Ennead of Heliopolis (Lunu)

Atum (Tem, Temu)

Atum was the first and the most important Ancient Egyptian god to be worshiped in Lunu (Heliopolis, Lower Egypt) although in later times Ra rose in importance in the city, and eclipsed him to some extent. He was the main deity of Per - Term ("house of Atum") in Pithom in eastern Delta.

Atum was the creator god in Heliopolitian Ennead. The earliest record of Atum is the Pyramid Texts (inscribed in some of the Pyramids of the Pharaohs of dynasty five and six) and the Coffin texts (created soon after for the tombs of nobles).

Atum was the father of the gods, creating the first divine couple, Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture), from whom all the other gods are descended. He was also considered to be the father of the Pharaohs. Many Pharaohs used the title "Son of Atum" long after the power base moved to Lunu. Atum's close relationship to the king is seen in many cultic rituals, and the coronation rites.

Atum is most usually depicted in anthropomorphic form and is typically shown wearing the dual crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. One of the only details that distinguished him from a Pharaoh is the shape of his beard. He is also depicted with a solar disk and a long tripartite wig.  

Amon (Amen,Amun, Amoun)

Amon is the god of Thebes, he was shown as a human. He was viewed in Hermopolis as a primordial creation - deity. Amon was a Theban god of no more than local importance, but soon as the princes of Thebes had conquered their rival claimants to the rule of Egypt, and had succeeded in making their city a new capital of the country, their god Amon became a prominent god in Upper Egypt.

In spite of Amon's political ascension, he also enjoyed popularity among the common people of Egypt. He was called the vizier of the poor. It was said that he protected the weak from the strong and was an upholder of justice. Those who requested favors from Amon were required to demonstrate their worthiness or confess their sins first.

The word root amen means "what is hidden","what cannot be seen" and the like. The fact is proved by many examples which may be collected from all periods. Now, not only is the god himself said to be "hidden", and his form is to be "unknown". In time approaching the Ptolemaic period, the name Amon appears to have connected with the root men, "to abide, to be permanent" and one of the attributes which were applied to him was that of eternal.

Amon was represented on five forms:

1. As a man, when he is seen seated on a throne, and holding in one hand the ankh.
2. As a man with the head of a frog
3. As an ape
4. As a lion crouching upon a pedestrian 

Egyptian Mythology (introduction)

Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology) with the unification of the Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh.

The ancient Egyptian religion focuses largely on nature, beginning with the worship of animals. Animals were believed to represent the gods, who where imagined by individual tribes in early Egypt. In over time, these sacred gods began to take human form with more distinct characteristics, but most continued to be described with a head of an animal.

Egyptians believed that Earth was a large disc. The flat center was Egypt, and the mountains surrounding Egypt were the rim of the disc. The heavenly skies existed above the disc, and underneath was deep water, the underworld of the Egyptians

There are several creation myths of early Egypt. Some say that the god Ptah created the universe through thought alone, others say that the god Khnum created the disc of the world on a potter's wheel. The most popular myth, though, involved Ra appearing out of chaos and creating the cosmos through the birth of other gods.