In all of Ancient Egypt, especially later in the Dynastic era, there was no deity greater than Ra. One of four creator gods in Egyptian myth, Ra (or Re) came to be the all-important and all-powerful sun-god.
Card Text
(2) Ra (Fire)
Egyptian • Inspiration • Deity
Ri': At the start of each round, if you have less life than all opponents and a special card in play, gain 1 life and deal 1 damage to an opposing warrior. You may use another inspiration this game.
Born every morning, dying every night, Ra the sun god traveled the heavens each day, fighting his great enemy Apep, the snake.
Illus.: Michael Komarck • Set 2 • 62/100
Warrior Pack
Ra comes with the Ramses II warrior pack.
From the FAQ
Card Restrictions, Types and Abilities
Normally, a warrior can only use one card of any given type, and several traits are restricted to 'one in play' as well. Several cards allow players to subvert these restrictions:
You may use another {card type or trait}
•If the phrase specifies a card type (Weapon, Inspiration, Armor or Special), you may use a second card of the specified type, but still must adhere to the limited traits rules.
•If the phrase specifies a trait (like Torso, Mystic, Sword, or Head), you may use second card with that trait regardless of what card type that second card is.
•Each use of 'another' means 'one besides this one', so multiple cards with these phrases do not allow the use of three or more such cards. Similarly, the combination of 'You may use another Inspiration' and another card that says 'You may use up to two Inspirations' (Such as Seti I) does not allow the use of a total of three Inspirations.
History in Brief
Multi-faceted Ra
In the beginning...
Depending on which city in predynastic Egypt you found yourself, that phrase could have been finished in at least four 'definitive' ways. On the island of Elephantine, Khnum molded humanity on his potter's wheel. In Hermopolis, Thoth created four immortal couples, from which sprang creation. In Ancient Memphis, Ptah spoke the words, and out came the whole of creation. In the city of Heliopolis, there was Atum. One fine day, the perfectly-formed sun-god (Atum) emerged from the Nile. He then "copulated with (his) hand," and the resulting emission became Shu and Tefnet. These two produced Geb and Nut (earth and sky), who gave birth to Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys. These nine became known as the Great Ennead, the big names in Egyptian mythology.
So where does Ra come in? Well, Atum was also the name of the sun god created by Ptah. And Heliopolis began referring to its sun god as "Ra." As early as the Second Dynasty, Ra was becoming the most important deity in Egypt. Not surprisingly, the Atum version of creation started to take precedence, and he became known as Ra-Atum. In his solar barge, Atum-Ra traveled across the sky during the day, and the dangerous Duat (underworld) by night. Thus did Ra-Atum die and become reborn on a daily basis.
But the merging didn't stop there. In Thebes and Hermopolis, the sun-god was Amun. Starting around the Middle Kingdom, Ra was joined with Amun. Like any good corporate merger, the resulting Amun-Ra was an even more powerful deity. He was lord of the battle, god of the sun, and creator of all. Then came the upstart. Eventually, Ra-Atum's great-grandson, Horus, grew in importance in Egyptian mythology. As pharaohs began to see themselves as the earthly incarnation of Horus, confusion started seeping in. The symbol of the Eye of Ra was soon more popularly known as the Eye of Horus. In fact, Horus was being seen as the important falcon-headed god...
Not surprisingly, this lack of continuity was solved with another merger. One solution was to say that Ra-Atum was the setting sun, and Ra-Horus as the rising sun. Another was to say that all the gods were but aspects of Ra. Then again, Ra could be the senile grandfather, tricked by Isis into giving her his secret name (and therefore his magic). One thing remained the same, though: the sun was Ra, and the sun was important in Egyptian mythology. Each day, Ra would traverse the sky, and each night he would traverse the Duat. If he overcame the evil serpent Apep, the sun would rise again the next day.
Trivia
Ra...
- supposedly appeared at the Battle of Kadesh to give his favored son, Ramses II, strength to overcome the crafty Hittites.
Links
- Ra on Wikipedia
- Ra in the Encyclopædia Anachronistica
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