The Eye of Ra is one of the most important emblems of ancient Egypt and is associated with the solar god and creator of the Universe of the same name in Egyptian mythology.
A symbol of the sun and its destructive power, it also represented for the Egyptians one of the key elements in the creation of the world and in the maintenance of order in the Egyptian kingdom.
In some legends, the Eye of Ra symbolizes the goddess Sekhmet, or Tefnut, who was sent to Earth by the god Ra to destroy mankind, or the goddess Hathor.
God of the sun and creator of the Universe, Ra was therefore the most important and influential deity in ancient Egypt. He was considered the lord of infinity, the sovereign master of heaven and earth, the first god to come into existence before anything else, the one who created himself. Both father and ruler of all gods, he is the originator of life, light, and heat, and governs the seasons, years, days, and hours aboard his solar boat.
The main deity of the Old Kingdom, Ra was first worshipped in Heliopolis, but his importance was such that his cult spread in various forms throughout the country. There were a great many temples dedicated to Ra so that Egyptians could show their gratitude to the god who created and protected them. Thus, representations of the Eye of Ra, symbolizing his omnipotence, figured in great numbers in the tombs of the pharaohs, since, according to Egyptian tradition, Ra specifically awaited them in the afterlife so that they could reign at his side for eternity.
However, the Eye of Ra, or Udjat, meaning “that which is complete”, was also one of the forms that the goddess Hathor could take. It was free and could detach itself, sometimes against its master’s will. This is why, for a time, Ra was deprived of his eye. He then instructed Shu and Tefnut to go in search of it and retrieve it. They took so long to return that Ra found a replacement for the eye. But when they finally returned, the eye’s anger was such that Ra, to appease it, transformed it into a uraeus and placed it on its forehead, the devastating female cobra.
A symbol of the god Ra’s power, the uraeus also protected him from his enemies. This symbolism originated in an analogy between the burning of the serpent’s bite and the solar heat of the Eye of Ra. Placed on the Pharaoh’s headdress, the uraeus exerted the same protection on him as it did on Ra while symbolizing royal power. However, the gentle and peaceful Hathor could also take the form of the terrible lioness-headed goddess Sekhmet, also considered to be the Eye of Ra.
The Eye of Ra is often confused with the Eye of Horus, even though they are completely different the Eye of Horus is on the left and The Eye of Ra represents the right eye, Ra is the sun god, and his power is quite similar to that of the all-power
For this reason, they used it to protect them from enemies
Although there are many versions of the birth of the god Ra, cosmology, perhaps the most famous, states that at the beginning of everything Ra was born of himself, bringing the world out of darkness and chaos. It was from him, through his breath and thought, that the other divinities were born, breathing life into them and naming them successively. It is said that, after creating the Earth, the Universe, and the cosmos, Ra was so moved by the beauty of his creations that he shed a tear on the Earth: thus was humanity born.
Indeed, angered by mankind’s rebellion, Ra called his council together and, after questioning the gods in turn on what action should be taken against the men who had conspired against him, asked the advice of the other gods. Noun and the other gods advised him to send his “divine eye” to subdue mankind. Thus, in the myth of the Cow of Heaven, Sekhmet was depicted as the instrument of Ra’s vengeance against man’s insurrection against the order of the world. Legend has it that Sekhmet embodied the flamboyant Eye of Ra, and in this case, took on the appearance of Tefnut.
After approving the decision to exterminate mankind, Ra transformed Hathor’s personality, saluting her power and giving Sekhmet her name. However, once the warrior goddess had begun to destroy mankind with such violence that nothing could stop her, Ra, seeing the chaos on earth, reversed his decision and wanted to stop Sekhmet from killing all humans. So he prepared a red beverage to calm the bloodthirsty goddess. Deceived by the color of the liquid, Sekhmet quenched her bloodlust in a drunken stupor and abandoned her aggressive lioness attitude to take on the appearance of the divine Hathor.
