The Curse of Ra and the Origin of 365 Days of the Year

One of the richest and most interesting cultures, mythologically speaking, is Egyptian. There have always been myths about the curses of the Egyptian gods; In this video we will review a curse that was made by one of his gods and how they managed to evade it.

Classical Egyptian mythology

It all happened when Ra, the main deity of the Egyptian pantheon, was ruling in its human form; reveled in hunting, drinking and food. Ra had several children, and one of them was the goddess Nut.

One day an information came to God Ra: that one of the firstborns of the woman named Nut, was to rule Egypt; so Ra, enraged because he always considered reigning, cursed Nut and decreed that she could never have children, ever.

Nut saddened, he attended at Thot’s “God of Wisdom and Magic” to help him with his infinite and all-powerful knowledge, in order to nullify the terrible curse Ra had thrown at him. Thot knew that curse decreed by divinity could not be broken, it already came from the God of the gods, but perhaps if he could avoid it.

Thot, with his wisdom, went to Khonsu (god of the moon) and knowing that he liked the game, he refused to play senet; Khonsu, completely confident in his good, bet him an hour of his light, but Thot, playing cunningly, managed to beat him five consecutive days of beautiful moonlight.

Thot took those 5 days and added them to the days of the year, which at the time was 360 days, and there were a total of 365. Thus Nut in those 5 days managed to conceive Osiris, Neftis, Seth and Isis and, since those 5 days were not part of the days of the year.  Nut managed to avoid with Thot’s help the curse of the God Rá and Osiris was named one of the pharaohs of Egypt.

Of all the calendars found of ancient civilizations, the Egyptian is the first based on the Sun and being faithful to the Egyptian myth,it is the first to mention the 365 days, which build the present Gregorian calendar.