The ancient Egyptians built temples for two reasons. There were funerary temples where the body of the deceased was prepared for the after life. Places were set for friends to eat food, statues were made so the spirits of servants could come join the deceased and food was provided so the spirit would be nourished in the afterlife. These were built on the west side of the Nile. Temples were also built to honor Gods. These were built on the east side of the Nile. The Egyptian Gods get a little complicated. Old gods were never discarded as new ones were added. The Greeks and Romans came and added their Gods. The temples could get pretty crowded with all of these supreme beings, but the Egyptians some how managed to keep harmony. Apparently Egyptian gods were happy with supreme power over their domain and didn’t have the ego that kept them striving to be the one and only god. Philae is near Aswan. It was built to honor Isis, who could be considered the goddess of love, to honor her dead, but not gone husband Osiris. There is also a temple to Horus, the loving son of Isis and Osiris. Well he is a loving son most of the time except for when he killed her in a fit of anger. And there is a temple to Hathor who is the goddess of fertility except when she gets angry. Then she turns into the lioness Sekhment who is the goddess of destruction. However, she can be calmed down with wine validating the poem by Ogden Nash that states: “Candy’s dandy, but liquor is quicker.” And you thought your family relations were complicated.
Yes, I must admit, that family has mine beat. Drama, drama, drama.
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