Kapitel 1: Introduction

Horus is one of the most significant deities in ancient Egyptian mythology, known as the god of kingship, healing, protection, the sun, and the sky. He was worshipped from at least the late prehistoric Egypt until the Ptolemaic Kingdom and Roman Egypt. Horus is often depicted as a falcon-headed man, symbolizing his role as a sky god. The right eye of Horus represents the sun and his left eye represents the moon.There are various forms of Horus recorded in history, and these are treated as distinct gods by Egyptologists. These forms may represent different aspects of the same deity, emphasizing certain attributes or syncretic relationships. The most commonly encountered family relationship describes Horus as the son of Isis and Osiris, playing a key role in the Osiris myth as Osiris's heir and the rival to Set, the murderer of Osiris. In another tradition, Hathor is regarded as his mother and sometimes as his wife¹².Horus's name in hieroglyphs is associated with the pschent, the red and white crown, as a symbol of kingship over the entire kingdom of Egypt. The reigning king was often seen as a manifestation of Horus in life and Osiris in death. This connection between the pharaoh and Horus was so significant that the king's Horus name was one of his five royal names, appearing on monuments and tombs in a rectangular frame called a serekh¹.The mythology surrounding Horus is rich and complex, with many stories highlighting his importance in the Egyptian pantheon.