Shu and Tefnut, the first children of Ra-Atum, loved each other deeply. In time, Tefnut gave birth to twins. The elder twin was Geb, the god of the earth, and the younger was Nut, the goddess of the sky. Geb loved his sister, the beautiful Nut, and for many ages they embraced each other. The sky pressed against the earth, and there was no space between them for anything to live and grow.

Finally, Ra-Atum became jealous of the great love Nut bore for Geb, and he ordered their father, Shu, to separate them. The mighty god of the air trampled Geb beneath his feet. Then he lifted Nut upon the palms of his hands and held her high above her brother. Although Nut was pregnant, Ra-Atum laid a curse upon her so that she could not give birth on any day of the year. Geb struggled beneath his father’s feet, and Nut leaned down toward him, but they could not reach one another.

Meanwhile, the Creator had given life to many other beings, and among these was Thoth, the wisest of the gods. Thoth looked up at the beautiful body of Nut arching above the world, and he loved and pitied her. He decided to help the unhappy goddess and at once invented the game of draughts. Thoth challenged the gods to play against him with time as the stake. Gradually, the wise god won enough time to create five extra days. The length of the year had been fixed by the Creator at three hundred and sixty days, but Thoth added the time he had won, creating five additional days. These days did not fall under the curse of Ra-Atum, so Nut was finally able to give birth to her children.

On the first day, she bore a child who was already crowned, and he was called Osiris. On the second day came Haroeris, and on the third, after a great deal of pain, Seth was born. The fourth and fifth days saw the birth of two daughters, Isis and Nephthys. Osiris and Isis had fallen in love while still in their mother’s womb and later became husband and wife. Seth and Nephthys were also eventually married, but there was never any love between them.

The two daughters of Nut were very different in character. Isis was brave and cunning, the Mistress of Magic, wiser than millions of men, while Nephthys was loyal and gentle. The brothers Osiris and Seth were even more different. Osiris was handsome, noble, and generous. Seth bore the head of a savage beast, and it reflected his nature, for he was greedy and cruel and could never forgive Osiris for being the elder brother and destined for kingship.

Ra-Atum, together with Shu and Tefnut, his children; Geb and Nut, his grandchildren; and Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys, his great-grandchildren, were honoured as the nine great gods known as the Ennead. Many other gods and goddesses were also called into existence by the Creator, and he filled the sky above the earth and the world below it with spirits, demons, and lesser deities.

Last of all, he created mankind. Some said that humanity had sprung from the tears of joy shed by Ra-Atum when Shu and Tefnut were brought back to him through the waters of Chaos. Others told how the first human had been fashioned by Khnum, the ram-headed god, upon his potter’s wheel. When the Creator had breathed life into his new creatures, he made a land for them to inhabit: the kingdom of Egypt.

Ra-Atum protected Egypt with barriers of desert, but he created the River Nile so that its waters would flood the land and rich crops would grow. Then he made the other countries, and for them he placed a Nile in the sky, which we call rain. He called the seasons and the months into being and clothed the earth with trees, herbs, and flowers. Finally, he made every kind of insect and fish, bird and animal, and gave them the breath of life.

Each day, Ra-Atum walked through his kingdom or sailed across the sky in the Boat of Millions of Years. Whenever they saw the sun, all the living creatures in Egypt rejoiced and praised their Creator. To hold back the forces of Chaos and champion order and justice, Ra-Atum established kingship. He himself became the first and greatest King of Egypt and ruled for countless centuries in joy and peace.