Egyptian myths were stories that explained the gods' roles in nature. The stories have multiple perspectives and teach about mysterious divine events that have been described multiple ways. These version conflict with each other and today it is unknown which ones are true. Most of the stories were not written all at once, and were written as mini episodes that tell a larger myth. Almost all that is known about Egyptian mythology comes from hymns which tell us the roles specific deities had. These roles ranged from ritual and magical texts which describe actions related to mythic events, and from funerary texts which mention the roles of many deities in the afterlife. Also some information came from allusions in secular texts.Finally, Greeks and Romans also recorded some of the myths late in Egyptian history.
Just like the Christians have the bible, Egyptians have creation stories or myths. According to these stories, the world emerged as a dry space in the primordial ocean of chaos. Since the sun is one essential thing we need to live on earth; the first rising of Ra is the being of this emerging. Different variations of the myth describe the process of creation in conflicting ways.The most important of all Egyptian myths was the myth of Osiris and Isis. This myth talks about Osiris, a.k.a. the divine ruler, who was murdered by his jealous brother Set. His brother was a god often associated with chaos. Osiris' sister and wife Isis resurrected him so that he could conceive an heir, Horus. Osiris then entered the underworld and became the ruler of the dead. When Horus grew up he fought and defeated Set to become king himself. Set's association with chaos, and the identification of Osiris and Horus as the rightful rulers, provided a rationale for Pharaonic succession and portrayed the Pharaohs as the upholders of order. At the same time, Osiris' death and rebirth were related to the Egyptian agricultural cycle, in which crops grew in the wake of the Nile inundation, and provided a template for the resurrection of human souls after death.
Mesopotamian Mythology
Mesopotamian religion was polytheistic and had many different deities, both male and female. Not only was Mesopotamian religion polytheistic it was also henotheistic, it had certain gods viewed as superior to others by their followers. These followers were usually from a particular city or city-state that held that deity as its patron deity. The Mesopotamian gods had many similarities with humans, and acted like humans. Examples are requiring food and drink, as well as drinking alcohol and they could even become drunk, at the same time they were thought to be perfect. Not only were they seen as perfect but more powerful, all-seeing and all-knowing, unfathomable, and, above all, immortal. One of their most well known traits was a brightness which surrounded them. It caused awe and reverence among men. In many cases, the various deities were family relations of one another. Many Mesopotamian, of all classes, had names that were devoted to a certain deity. This practice appeared to have begun in the third millennium B.C.E. with the Sumerians, later on other cultures also used this.