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| As a result of the New 52 in 2011, the entire line of DC characters was relaunched, incorporating properties belonging to the company's imprints: Wildstorm, Milestone, and Vertigo. As such, elements of this character's history have been altered in some way from the previous incarnation. For a complete list of all versions of this character, see our disambiguation page. |
The sun god Ra is the supreme deity of the Egyptian pantheon.
History
Ra as Amun
According to ancient Egyptian religion, Ra is the creator of the universe and the giver of life. As the ages passed, he also came to be known by other names, such as Atum-Ra and Amun-Ra,[1] as the gods Atum and Amun could be understood as aspects of Ra and, therefore, identified with him.
Ra is portrayed as a man with the head of a falcon, adorned with a sun disk with a cobra around it. Because he is a sun god with a falcon head, he is commonly confused with Horus. The main difference in their iconography is that Horus does not carry the sun disk on his head.
As Amun, Ra is one of Black Adam's benefactors,[2] granting him the power of strength. Black Adam is also blessed by Aten, the sun disk and god of light, who is also an aspect of Ra. As Atum,[3] Ra is the father of Shu, the primordial god of air who holds up the sky, another benefactor of Black Adam, and grandfather of Geb, the earth, and Nut, the sky.[4] Ra is also the father of Bastet, cat goddess defender of Ra, Sekhmet, lion goddess of war, and Maat, goddess of truth and justice.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Godly Physiology
- Cosmic Awareness: As a creator god, Ra has immeasurable understanding of the cosmos.
- Immortality
- Photokinesis: As the sun god, Ra blesses the world with his rays of light.
- Power Distribution: As Amun, Ra is one of Black Adam's benefactors, granting him the power of strength.
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Bow of Ra: A weapon created by Ra as a gift to the champion of the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall.
- Orb of Ra: This mystical artifact charged with the power of Ra[5] can grant and take away metamorphic powers from people, like the superhero Metamorpho.[6]
Notes
- This character or object is an adaptation of Ra, a character or object in traditional stories. These include, but may not be limited to religious texts, myth, and/or folk lore. More information on the original can be found at Wikipedia.org.
Related
- 3 Appearances of Ra (Prime Earth)
- 3 Images featuring Ra (Prime Earth)
- Quotations by or about Ra (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Ra (Prime Earth)
Footnotes