the
group of nine gods (Ennead) of ancient
Egyptian religion originating from the city of Heliopolis, one of the
principal religious centers of the
period.
according to the
religion of ancient
Egypt a family of nine gods whose
main place of worship was in
northern Egypt at Heliopolis, the city of the
sun (named from helio meaning the
sun and polis meaning city). The city contained the
second largest temple of worship in the country, specifically for the
sun god Atum (also called Re), who was the first
god of this family. Atum created two other gods, Shu,
god of the air, and Tefnut, goddess of the dew, who together created twins, Geb representing the earth, and
Nut, representing the
heavens. These two gods had several
children including
Isis, Seth, Nephthys, and
Osiris, totaling nine gods known as the Great Ennead of Heliopolis. The
term ennead comes from the Greek
word ennea, meaning nine; however, it later came to
include other deities as well.