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The Ennead (Greek, meaning a collection of nine
things) was a group of nine deities in Egyptian mythology. The Ennead were
worshipped at Heliopolis and consisted of the god
Ra, his children
Shu and
Tefnut, their children Geb and
Nut and their children
Osiris,
Isis,
Set
and
Nephthys.
Egyptian mythology established multiple such
groupings of deities, known as Pesedjets. The Pyramid Texts of the
5th and 6th dynasties mention the Great Pesedjet, the Lesser
Pesedjet, the Dual Pesedjet, plural Pesedjets, and even the Seven
Pesedjets.
The Greek term Ennead, denoting a group of nine, was coined by
Greeks exploring Egypt, its culture and religion, especially after
the conquest by Alexander the Great and during the subsequent rule
of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. Greek became the language of learned
studies and hence Greek terms were used by Greek and Roman authors
to describe Egyptian phenomena.
Among Egyptian pesedjets, the most important was the Great Pesedjet,
also called the Ennead of Heliopolis, after its centre of worship.
Heliopolis (Egyptian: Aunu, "place of pillars") was dedicated to the
worship of the god Atum and thrived from the Old Kingdom until its
decline under the Ptolemaic rulers.
Source: Wikipedia
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