Pantheons of the Ancient Mediterranean: Crash Course World Mythology #7

Summary

This Crashcourse Mythology episode explores pantheons, intricate families of gods, starting with ancient Sumer and Egypt. It delves into the gods' roles in natural and human phenomena, highlighting myths' cultural significance. The Egyptian pantheon's fluidity and the story of Osiris illustrate the importance of myths in understanding a culture's view of life and death.

Takeaways

• 😇 Pantheons are complex families of gods with intricate relationships, often involving violence and incest.
• 🏛 In polytheistic cultures, gods are immortal personifications of human desires to overcome death and disintegration.
• 🌿 Gods often represent the creative force in myths, personifying aspects of nature and human nature.
• 🌐 Pantheons help explain the origins of the world and reflect a culture's understanding of itself and the cosmos.
• 🔮 The Sumerian pantheon includes deities representing natural forces, with a focus on earth and sky over human emotions.
• 🌟 The Egyptian pantheon is even more complex, with variations depending on the source and location within Egypt.
• 👥 The Ennead of Heliopolis includes Atum, who creates other gods through his creative actions, representing the heavens and creation.
• 🌱 The Egyptian gods Geb and Nut, representing earth and sky respectively, are parents to other gods, reflecting a reversal of traditional roles.
• 👦👧 Osiris and Isis are prominent Egyptian gods, associated with the afterlife, grain, and the moon, with a popular mystery cult.
• 🐍 Seth, the god of evil and darkness, is the antagonist to Osiris and Isis, representing jealousy and conflict within the family of gods.
• 🦅 Horus, associated with the sun and kingship, is the spiritual force behind the pharaohs and represents light overcoming darkness.

Q & A

What is a pantheon in the context of mythology?

A pantheon refers to a family of gods, often in polytheistic cultures. These families can be complex, involving various relationships such as grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, and children, and are often characterized by a mix of violence and incest.

What does David Leeming suggest about the role of gods in mythological traditions?

According to David Leeming, gods are seen as immortal and are personified projections of the human mythmaker's dreams of overcoming the effects of physical laws that require death and disintegration.

How do gods represent creative force in myths?

In creation stories and other myths, gods are often personifications of aspects of nature and human nature, such as the sun, winds, impatience, and love, and they represent the creative force that brings and sustains life.

What does the pantheon of Sumer represent?

Sumer’s pantheon represents the most important natural forces in the lives of Ancient Mesopotamians, with deities often associated with elements like earth, sky, and water.

Who are the first pair of deities mentioned in the Sumerian pantheon?

The first pair of deities in the Sumerian pantheon are the earth goddess Ki and the sky god An.

What is the significance of Enki and his sister Ningikuga in the Sumerian pantheon?

Enki, the trickster god, and his sister Ningikuga, the goddess of the reeds, are significant as they create Ningal, the Moon Goddess, who then has three children with Nanna, the Moon God.

What does the Egyptian pantheon illustrate about the complexity of their mythological system?

The Egyptian pantheon illustrates the complexity of their mythological system by showing that there is no standard version of the pantheon, with myths changing depending on who is writing them, where, and when.

What is the Ennead or Nine Gods in the Egyptian pantheon?

The Ennead, or Nine Gods, is a core group of deities in the Egyptian pantheon, formed in Heliopolis by 2700 BCE and found in the Pyramid Texts. It includes gods like Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Horus.

Why is the story of Osiris and Isis significant in Egyptian mythology?

The story of Osiris and Isis is significant as it illustrates central facets of Egyptian culture, such as the idea of Osiris as king and god, the role of mummification, and the promise of eternal life.

How does the Egyptian pantheon reflect the importance of the sun in their culture?

The Egyptian pantheon reflects the importance of the sun through the roles of gods like Ra, who represents both the sun and creation, and Horus, who represents both the sun and kingship, suggesting that the sun was important for its eternal cycle of death and rebirth.

What is the role of Anubis in the story of Osiris?

In the story of Osiris, Anubis, with the help of Thoth and Horus, helps Isis and Nephthys piece Osiris back together, perform the funeral rites, and thus plays a crucial role in the resurrection of Osiris.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Introduction to Pantheons and Sumerian Mythology

In this introductory segment, Mike Rugnetta sets the stage for a deep dive into pantheons, which are complex families of gods. He humorously highlights the tangled relationships and the often violent and incestuous nature of these divine beings. The focus then shifts to the pantheons of polytheistic cultures, emphasizing their role in personifying the creative force of life and nature. David Leeming's perspective is introduced, suggesting that pantheons are metaphors for humanity's quest to understand existence and assign ultimate cause. The segment concludes with a teaser about the Sumerian pantheon, one of the oldest recorded, which includes deities like the earth goddess Ki, sky god An, and the trickster god Enki. The pantheon's structure and the gods' responsibilities are briefly outlined, hinting at the cultural significance of these deities.

05:01

🔮 Exploring the Egyptian Pantheon and the Myth of Osiris

This paragraph delves into the intricacies of the Egyptian pantheon, which is noted for its complexity and lack of a standard version. The Ennead, or Nine Gods, is highlighted as the core of Egyptian religious belief, with Atum (also known as Re, Ra, Khepri, and sometimes Amun or Amun-Ra) at the top. The creation story involving Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, and Nut is recounted, leading to the birth of Osiris and Isis, among others. The narrative focuses on the well-known gods Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Horus, detailing their roles and relationships. The story of Osiris's death, dismemberment, and eventual revival by Isis is told, emphasizing the themes of death, rebirth, and the promise of eternal life. The fluidity of the Egyptian pantheon and the importance of the sun and kingship are also discussed, providing insights into the cultural and religious beliefs of ancient Egypt.

10:02

🐍 The Fluidity of Egyptian Mythology and the Role of Gods

In this final paragraph, the fluidity of the Egyptian pantheon is emphasized, showcasing how gods can perform multiple roles and change over time. The story of Osiris is revisited, highlighting his transformation from the father of civilization to the ruler of the underworld, a role later taken by Anubis. Seth is portrayed as the eternal antagonist, embodying evil and jealousy. The narrative also touches on the importance of mummification and the belief in eternal life, as illustrated by the resurrection of Osiris. The paragraph concludes by suggesting that the specific stories and myths are as significant as the roles of the gods themselves, hinting at the broader themes of mythology and the human desire to understand the world and the afterlife.

Keywords

💡Pantheon

A pantheon refers to a group of all gods of a particular religion, culture, or belief system. In the context of the video, it is central to understanding the mythological systems of ancient cultures, as it represents the complex family structures and relationships among deities. The script discusses pantheons from Sumer and Egypt, illustrating how these divine families embody the natural forces and aspects of human nature important to their respective cultures.

💡Polytheistic

Polytheistic describes a belief system that includes the worship of multiple gods. The video emphasizes that pantheons are characteristic of polytheistic cultures, where gods are seen as immortal beings personifying various forces and aspects of life. The term helps to contrast these cultures with monotheistic ones, where belief is centered on a single deity.

💡Personification

Personification is the attribution of human characteristics or qualities to non-human entities. The script explains that gods in mythological traditions are personifications of the human mythmaker's dreams and aspects of nature or human nature. This concept is crucial for understanding how ancient cultures used gods to explain and navigate the world around them.

💡Ontological and Teleological

Ontological pertains to the nature of existence or reality, while teleological relates to the study of purpose or ends. The script uses these terms to describe how pantheons serve as metaphors for human attempts to understand existence and assign ultimate causes to phenomena. This concept is integral to the discussion of how pantheons reflect a culture's self-perception and worldview.

💡Ancient Sumer

Ancient Sumer refers to one of the earliest civilizations, located in the region of Mesopotamia. The script discusses the Sumerian pantheon as one of the oldest recorded, highlighting its representation of natural forces and the significance of gods like Enki and Inanna within the culture's mythology.

💡Egyptian Pantheon

The Egyptian pantheon denotes the collection of gods worshipped in ancient Egypt. The video script describes its complexity and the variations in myths and gods depending on time and location. Key gods like Atum, Ra, Osiris, and Isis are mentioned, showing how they embody concepts of creation, life, death, and rebirth central to Egyptian culture.

💡Ennead

The Ennead refers to a group of nine deities in the Egyptian pantheon, central to the religious beliefs of Heliopolis. The script uses the term to describe the core of Egyptian religious texts, such as the Pyramid Texts, and to illustrate the genealogy and roles of gods like Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, and Nut.

💡Mummification

Mummification is the process of preserving a body, often through drying and wrapping in linen bandages, which was a common burial practice in ancient Egypt. The script relates this practice to the myth of Osiris, whose body was pieced back together and mummified, symbolizing the promise of eternal life for the Egyptians.

💡Osiris

Osiris is a prominent god in the Egyptian pantheon, associated with the underworld, grain, and resurrection. The script narrates the story of Osiris's murder by Seth and his subsequent revival, which underscores the Egyptian belief in eternal life and the role of mummification in achieving it.

💡Isis

Isis is an ancient Egyptian goddess of the earth and the moon, and the wife of Osiris. The script describes her role in the myth of Osiris, where she searches for his scattered body parts, performs the rites of mummification, and resurrects him, embodying themes of love, death, and rebirth.

💡Seth

Seth is depicted as a god of evil and darkness in the Egyptian pantheon, and the nemesis of Osiris. The script recounts his role in the murder of Osiris and his symbolic representation of chaos and disorder, which contrasts with the order and life associated with other gods like Osiris.

Highlights

Pantheons are complex families of gods with intricate relationships.

Pantheons represent a culture's attempt to explain the world and assign ultimate cause.

Gods are often personifications of natural and human aspects, such as the sun or love.

Sumerian pantheon focuses on natural forces and has a large number of deities.

An and Ki are primary deities in the Sumerian pantheon, representing earth and sky.

Enki and Ningikuga are siblings who create Ningal, the Moon Goddess.

Nanna and Ningal's children include Utu, Inanna, and Ereshkigal, representing the sun, love, and the underworld.

Inanna's marriage to Dumuzi, son of Enki, highlights the pantheon's complex familial ties.

Egyptian pantheon is more complex and varies depending on the source.

The Ennead, or Nine Gods, is a core pantheon in Heliopolis, headed by Atum or Ra.

Atum creates Shu and Tefnut, representing life spirit and world order, through a creative cough.

Geb and Nut, children of Shu and Tefnut, represent earth and sky, respectively.

Osiris and Isis are well-known Egyptian gods associated with the underworld and the moon.

Seth, the god of evil, is the nemesis of Osiris and Isis.

Horus, conceived by Isis after Osiris's death, represents light and defeats Seth's darkness.

The story of Osiris's death and revival illustrates central facets of Egyptian culture, including the importance of mummification.

The fluidity of the Egyptian pantheon allows gods to perform multiple roles, as seen with Osiris and Anubis.

Pantheons are not just explanations of natural phenomena but also reflect the stories that matter to a culture.

Transcripts

Hey there, I’m Mike Rugnetta and this is Crashcourse Mythology and today we’re going

to start looking at pantheons.

Pantheons are families of gods, and those families are complicated.

Really complicated.

A whole tangle of grandparents and parents and uncles and aunts and nieces and nephews

and a couple of children of mortal women who were raped and a pretty staggering amount

of violence and incest to just round everything off.

They have amazing feasts, but honestly, can you imagine Thanksgiving with these people?

I mean Thoth, you had a mistress and a wife and you somehow gave birth to yourself.

How is that not awkward?

INTRO

The pantheons we are going to examine are

families of deities from cultures that are usually considered polytheistic, meaning that

they worshipped more than one god.

In most mythological traditions, the gods are seen as immortal, and according to David

Leeming, “they are personified projections of the human mythmaker’s dreams of overcoming

the inevitable effects of the physical laws that require death and disintegration.”

Yeah.

We went dark pretty quick.

In creation stories and other myths, gods represent the creative force that brings and

sustains life.

In many myths, gods are “personifications of aspects of nature and of human nature – the

sun, the winds, impatience, love.”

Pantheons, David Leeming argues, help us to explain how and why the world we know came

into being, and can tell us a lot about a culture.

Leeming writes: “All pantheons are ontological and teleological;

that is they are metaphors for the human attempt to make sense of existence itself and to assign

ultimate cause.

To “read” a pantheon is to read a culture’s sense of itself and of the nature of the cosmos.”

But can pantheons explain the naked mole rat?

Let’s find out together.

If you thought that I was going to start with the Greeks, ha!

Gotcha!

High five Thoth.

But we’re not starting with Egypt either.

Sorry.

We’re going to start with one of the oldest pantheons we have records for, the family

of Gods from ancient Sumer in Mesopotamia.

Sumer’s pantheon represents the most important natural forces in the lives of Ancient Mesopotamians,

and there are a lot of deities here, so strap in.

Try to pay attention to everyone’s responsibilities, and note what kinds of things don’t have

gods.

All right.

Here we go.

The first pair of deities are the earth goddess, Ki, and the sky god, called An.

An mates with Ki, AND Nammu, goddess of primal waters.

An and Nammu’s children are Enki, the trickster god, and his sister, Ningikuga the goddess

of the reeds.

An and Ki, the more significant duo, begat Ninlil, the air goddess, and Enlil the air

god.

Ninlil and Enlil give birth to Nanna, the Moon God.

Enki and his sister Ningikuga create Ningal, the Moon Goddess.

Ningal and Nanna then have three children.

Utu, the sun god, Inanna, the “Great Goddess of Heaven and Earth”, and Ereshkigal, the

Queen of the Underworld.

Ereshkigal’s “husband” is Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven.

And Inanna marries the Shepherd Dumuzi.

Dumuzi, it turns out, was the son of Enki, the trickster god, and his consort, the sheep

goddess Sirtur.

It may be worth nothing that yes: a sheep goddess DID give birth to a shepherd.

So that is the basic pantheon of Sumer, but what does all this tell us about Mesopotamia?

First it suggests that, at least in terms of their myths, natural phenomena--like the

earth and sky--take precedence over human actions and emotions--like love.

I mean, only two of the original Mesopotamian gods, Enki the trickster and Inanna, also

the goddess of love, are described as ruling over aspects of human nature.

And the sheep?

Well, we tend to think agriculture when we talk about the Fertile Crescent, but the fact

that their pantheon features Sheep and a Bull rather than a harvest deity might recall an

earlier life as herders.

Or perhaps the Bull is symbolic not only of masculinity but also of farming.

This is the fun part of pantheons specifically and mythology generally; you can read them

in many ways.

No, Thoth that’s not a joke about hieroglyphics.

And this leads us to our next, significantly more complex family of gods, the Egyptian

pantheon.

Right off the bat I’m going to say that the Egyptian pantheon is even more confusing

than your average confusing pantheon.

But surprise, surprise, it’s also just as incestuous.

First off: There is no standard version of the Egyptian pantheon.

the myth changes depending upon who is writing it.

And where.

And when.

For example, in the story of Isis and Osiris, our most complete source isn’t even Egyptian,

it’s the Greek biographer Plutarch, who wrote in the first and second centuries CE,

well after Egypt had become Hellenized, and then Romanized.

In his version of the Isis and Osiris myths, he gives Egyptian gods Greek names.

For example, he refers to Thoth as Hermes, he does still give you credit for inventing

darts, though, so.

There are also different versions of the pantheon depending on where you are in Egypt.

For the most part we’ll be sticking with the group of gods worshipped at the city of

Heliopolis and headed by Atum or Ra, but we’ll give a nod to the fact that in Thebes the

pantheon was led by Amun.

And we can’t forget the attempted monotheism of Akhenaton.

That was classic.

But just to make this even trickier, a lot of the Egyptian sources we have for myths

are fragmentary and spread out over thousands of years.

So, for simplicity, we’re going to settle on the Nine-God pantheon that forms the core

of Egyptian religious belief, and it … doesn’t include Thoth.

Sorry, buddy.

Anyway, the Ennead, or Nine Gods, was in place in Heliopolis by 2700 BCE and is the one found

in the Pyramid Texts, which might be the oldest surviving set of religious texts in the world.

At the top of this pantheon is Atum, aka Re aka Ra, aka Khepri aka Amun or sometimes Amun-Ra,

depending on where in Egypt you are.

This is why we’re simplifying!

Atum is the great eye of the heavens and of creation.

He was the spitter in our Egyptian creation story.

So Atum’s creative cough creates Shu, the life spirit, and Tefnut, the world order or

cosmos.

This brother and sister pair mate, and give birth to Geb and Nut.

Geb is the spirit of life and Nut is an Egyptian Great Mother goddess.

The two are separated by their father, Shu, and Geb becomes Earth while Nut becomes the

sky and the stars, which is a neat reversal of the whole earth mother sky father thing.

Like their parents, brother and sister Geb and Nut become the mother and father of the

rest of the gods in this pantheon.

Their children, Osiris and Isis are probably the best known Egyptian gods, other than hawk-headed

Ra.

Osiris, god of the underworld and grain, kind of like a Demeter/Hades combo, was probably

the most popular of the Egyptian gods-because who doesn’t like food and death?

He dies and is revived, which happens more than you’d expect, in myth.

Actually, maybe just as much as you’d expect in myth.

Isis is a goddess of the earth and the moon, and is married to Osiris.

The mystery cult of Isis was popular well beyond Egypt, into Roman times.

And if you’re not sure what a mystery cult, guess what, that’s the point.

The second son and third child from the Geb-Nut pairing is Seth.

Seth is a god of evil and darkness and is the nemesis of Isis and Osiris.

He is married to his sister, Nephthys, a goddess of death and dusk, because you know, if you’re

going to be married for all eternity, it’s nice to share interests.

And the final piece of this puzzle is young Horus, not to be confused with old Horus,

or the guy from WarHammer.

He was conceived miraculously by Isis and Osiris after the latter’s death, and he

has aspects of a sun god.

He’s a light that defeats Seth’s darkness.

Most important though, Horus, who is often depicted with the head of a falcon (not a

hawk, not an ibis) is the spiritual force behind the pharaohs.

I know you’re wondering when we’re going to talk about Anubis, Bastet, and Sekhmet,

but remember, for the sake of comparative simplicity, we’re sticking by this nine-god

pantheon.

So what conclusions can we draw from the basic pantheon?

There are multiple versions of sun gods and with Ra representing both the sun and creation,

and Horus representing both the sun and kingship, we can infer that the sun was important to

the Egyptians, probably as much for its eternal cycle of death and rebirth as for its providing

life-giving energy.

Ancient Egyptian culture is commonly said to focus on death, and that’s not wrong,

although death to the Egyptians probably didn’t hold the same terror that it does for many

in the modern world.

I think the most distinct example of this necro-centric ideal is the pyramids, and the

mummified corpses and jars full of organs found within them, but also this week’s

featured myth, the story of Isis and Osiris.

Take it away, Thoughtbubble.

Osiris was much beloved by the people of Egypt; he showed them how to cultivate grain, gave

them laws, and taught them to honor the gods.

His brother, Seth, was envious, but wouldn’t try anything while Osiris was away teaching

civilization to the world.

But when Osiris returned, Seth and seventy-two accomplices had a plan.

A plan involving...furniture.

They had secretly measured Osiris’s body and built a beautiful chest to his exact dimensions.

At a party celebrating Osiris’s return, Seth suggested that whoever fit in the chest

would receive it as a gift.

Osiris gave it a shot, and when he lay down in the box, the conspirators nailed it shut

and sealed it with lead.

They threw it in the river and, it floated out to sea.

Isis, Osiris’s wife, went looking for her husband, and found the chest near the

land of Byblos, where a great tree had grown up around it, encasing the coffin in its trunk.

She cut away the wood around the coffin and lay upon it, wailing with such grief and power

that the king’s younger sons died of fear.

Isis soon left the chest to visit Horus, and Seth found the coffin while boar hunting.

He cut up Osiris’s body into 14 pieces, and scattered them far and wide.

Isis, discovering what Seth had done, set out to search for the pieces.

She found thirteen of them, but not what Izanami might have described as “his excess.”

She buried the pieces where she found them, which is why there are so many graves for

Osiris in Egypt.

Seth couldn’t find the true grave of Osiris, and Osiris would be worshipped throughout

Egypt.

Win/Win.

Except for, the fact that he was dead.

Or WAS HE?

Thanks, Thoughtbubble.

This is one version of the story, but in another version, upon finding the body of Osiris,

Isis and her sister Nephthys wept such a loud lamentation that Ra the sun god took pity

on them and sent down Jackal-headed Anubis to help Isis and Nephthys.

The two sisters, with the help of Anubis, Thoth and Horus pieced Osiris back together

and wrapped him in linen bandages and performed the funeral rites.

Isis flapped her wings over the body and Osiris revived.

From then on he became the king of the dead, ruling in the underworld.

So this myth illustrates some central facets

of Egyptian culture.

One is the idea of Osiris as king and god, much like the pharaohs.

Another is the role of mummification in Egyptian life., Or death., or well, actually: both.

The binding of Osiris and his revival is a promise to Egyptians of eternal life.

According to David Leeming, Egyptians, “believed that every man would live eternal in the other

world if only his surviving friends did for his body what the gods had done for the body

of Osiris; … as Osiris died and rose again from the dead, so all men hoped to rise like

him…”

This myth also suggests that in Egypt, the pantheon is somewhat fluid, with gods performing

numerous roles.

Osiris goes from being the father of civilization to the ruler of the underworld, a role that

in later Egyptian mythology will be taken over by Anubis, while Seth is the source of

evil and trouble, the jealous younger brother always trying -- and sometimes succeeding

– to take the place of his older brother.

We have a tendency to view pantheons as explanations of natural phenomena that correspond between

particular gods and particular aspects of nature, like the sun’s rising and setting.

But often the gods resist falling into such restrictive roles.

And as myths like Isis and Osiris show, it’s the particular stories that matter to people,

as much as if not more than who is the goddess of what and why.

Just ask Saga, Norse goddess of storytelling. We're going to meet her really soon.

But until then. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next week.