In ancient Egyptian religion, no deity was more revered than the sun god Ra. As a creator god associated with light, life, and fertility, Ra was believed to rule over all that exists.

Depicted with a falcon head crowned by a sun disk, Ra’s cult rose to prominence in ancient Egypt by the Fifth Dynasty, worshipped as the supreme power. Ra’s followers considered him the cosmic heart whose rays nourished the living realm.

Myths portrayed Ra as self-created, born from a lotus flower that emerged from the primordial waters. From there, he created his children Shu and Tefnut, who birthed the first terrestrial life.

Each dawn as the sun rose, Ra was said to be reborn and resume his journey across the sky. At sunset he entered the underworld, uniting with the dead during the night to rise again at dawn.

Ra’s cult center was Heliopolis, where obelisks representing sun rays connected sites honoring major solar deities. Followers offered prayers and sacrifices to Ra to uphold natural order and the cycle of life.

Despite the rising prominence of newer gods like Amun, Ra maintained his supreme status through syncretism. He was combined with other sun gods, most notably as Amun-Ra.

Even as ancient Egyptian religion faded, Ra’s cosmic power and mystery sustained. Versions of his name were even worked into Christian texts to replace that of God. An ancient deity cloaked in sunbeams, Ra remains eternal.

The enduring awe of Ra reflects the profound spiritual significance ancient Egyptians placed on the sun’s life-giving light. Ra rose as the cosmic incarnation of this divine force that still dances across the modern world.