reply to post by Rapha
Interesting. Except... wrong.
Egyptian mythology is the oldest of the ones you listed. Their worship went through periods (Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom, Ptolemy, etc).
Each kingdom reflected a change in values and worship. The Old Kingdom represented the rule of solar deities. Horus the Elder is the oldest, then
comes the trinity of Khepra-Re-Atum, followed by the unification of Egypt under Horus of the Two Horus, or Ra-Herakhty (Ra-Horus). Osiris' importance
was as the deceased Pharaoh, while Horus represented the living Pharaoh, and the Pharaoh himself was an avatar of Ra. Neither was "more
important."
In the Middle Kingdom there were as many as "seventy Pharaohs in seventy days." It was a time of invasion, upheaval, and unrest. There was no
certain mythology, or divine ruler.
The New Kingdom put three new rulers on the throne: Amun, the Aten and then Amun-Ra. Amun became the state god, and accrued a massive priest cast,
which began to get powerful and wealthy, threatening even the Pharaoh. The Aten was an attempt by Pharaoh Akhenaten to recapture the importance of the
Pharaoh's position from the growing power of the Priests of Amun. The Aten was a monotheistic deity, and Egypt did not respond well. Afterward,
Tutankhamun, Akhenaten's son, was made Pharaoh, and his High Priest, of Amun, reinstated Amun as the god Amun-Re this time. Amun-Re was a philosophic
All-Father figure. This was Egypt's last, most bountiful period.
So, neither Ra nor Osiris, like you said, were the most potent or important. Thoth, Amun, Ra, Horus, and a small selection of others shared equal
power, worship, authority, and longevity.
The Greek pantheon had three ruling forces: Ouranos representing primal nature; Kronos representing the Titans; and finally Zeus representing the
Olympians. These traditions represented a shift in power from nature worship, to cyclical elements, and ending with personal virtues.
Ouranos was the ancient deity representing the sky, his wife was Gaia, the ancient deity of the Earth. About them were born Erebus, the darkness and
waters of space, and Tartarus, the pits of the Underworld. These deities coupled and gave birth to monstrous beings of primal chaos and power. All of
this original hierarchy represent disorder, and the Chaos at the beginning of existence. Over time, these forces tempered out though, and the Titans
were born. Ouranos, who disliked the Titans, threatened to torture them all, until Gaia asked them to defend themselves. Only Kornos responded. Using
a sickle made by Gaia he castrated Ouranos, removing the fertile nature of chaos, and instilling a new reign: that of cycles and evolving powers: the
Titans.
The Titans numbered twelve. Kronos was their king, who stood for the passage of time; days, months, years, ages. Oceanus, the Titan of the sea,
represented the tidal events which shaped Greek living. Hyperion, the titan of light, represented the passage of darkness/light which advanced time.
Coeus represented the axis on which the heavens (stars) rotated, this allowed for the seasons to occur. Iapetus was the titan of mortal life, and the
span which all mortal things existed for. Finally, Croeus, the final Titan exists solely to balance out 12 titans and 12 Olympians, allowing for the
end of the age of Titans (a measurement of time in-and-of itself). The female Titan forms represented the same cyclical motions as their male
counterparts. All 12 Titans standing not for chaos, but for ordered laws.
Finally, the Olympians, lead by Zeus, overthrew the Titans, ending the Golden Age. The Olympians, numbering 12 as well, represent not chaotic
elements, or ordered cycles, but human qualities and characteristics. Zeus is pride, the animal nature, authority, and power. Hermes is intelligence,
communication, and science. Hephaestus is metallurgy and workmanship. Artemis is hunting, and weapon skills. Ares represents tact, war, and bravery.
Aphrodite represents beauty, indulgence, vanity and the like. Athena represents wisdom, mathematics, and high virtue. Poseidon represents sexual
potency and other sensual aspects. Hades represents the darker aspects of humans, the shadow or daimon. Apollo represents the artistic side, prophecy,
poetry, language, and music.
Each age of mythology represents a changing of mythological importance, not a balance between power and worship, as you've suggested.
~ Wandering Scribe