Ra
| Ra | |
| ラー | |
Artwork from Devil Children White Book | |
| Origin | Egyptian culture |
| Race(s) | Deity Shin Megami Tensei if...God Devil Children White BookTori Devil Children Light Book and Dark BookDevil Children Fire Book and Ice Book |
Ra is a Demon in the Megami Tensei franchise.
Profile
Origin
Ra[a] is the supreme god of the Egyptian pantheon. The god of the sun usually depicted as a man with the head of a falcon, Ra was the creator of the universe and life, having emerged from inside a lotus flower from the primordial waters of Nun. He travels in the solar barque through the sky, symbolizing the movement of the sun, and travels through the Duat at night to battle his eternal enemy Apep to protect all of creation, with the sunrise at dawn symbolizing his daily victory over the serpent. In these battles he was often accompanied by other gods, notably Bastet and Set.
Ra lost his status as king of the gods when Isis, after stealing some of his saliva, used it to create a snake that then bit Ra. As he had not created the snake himself, Ra could not cure himself of the venom. Eventually he acquiesced to Isis, giving her his true name so she would cure him and granting her absolute power over him. She used this new influence over Ra to force him to give up the throne, which was then claimed by either Osiris or Horus depending on the myth.
Due to his prominence across the millennia as the prime deity of Egypt, he was merged with a variety of other gods to conflate his role with that of the god worshiped by those in power. Notable examples include Amun-Ra, Atum Ra, and Ra-Horakhty, combinations with Amun, Atum, and Horus respectively. Ra-Horakhty is notable for being the most commonly accepted image of Ra, being a man with the head of a falcon wearing a sun disk.
The city of Iunu, more commonly known by the Greek name Heliopolis due to Ra being conflated with Helios in Greek culture, acted as Ra's centre of worship and was referred to as "The House of Ra".[1]
Design
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Ra's design from Shin Megami Tensei if... resembles depictions of Amun-Ra.
Gameplay
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Compendium
| Compendium Entries | |
|---|---|
| Devil Children White Book | ハヤブサの あたまをした たいようのカミ セカイをつくり しはいすると いわれているTranslation: The falcon-headed god of the sun. It is said that he created and rules over the world. |
| Devil Children Light Book and Dark Book | ハヤブサの 頭を した 太陽の神 正義をつかさどり 国を ほろぼす 悪は 絶対に 許さないTranslation: A falcon-headed god of the sun. He upholds justice and is intolerant of the evil that destroys his country. |
| DemiKids Light Version and Dark Version |
A falcon-headed demon that rules the sun and despises anything that's dark and evil. |
| Devil Children Fire Book and Ice Book | ハヤブサの 頭を した 太陽の神 正義をつかさどり 国を ほろぼす 悪は 絶対に 許さないTranslation: A falcon-headed god of the sun. He upholds justice and is intolerant of the evil that destroys his country. |
Game Appearances
Shin Megami Tensei V
Ra is treated not as an individual but as a title that is tied to the Winged Sun Crest, with whoever of the Egyptian gods holds the crest holding the title and power of Ra. It was once held by Amun Ra, however he lost the power of Ra and was denigrated to the demonic form of Amon. When Khonsu claims the Winged Sun Crest he takes the power of Ra and becomes Khonsu Ra. Khonsu planned to use the power of Ra to transform Miyazu Atsuta into a god through him dying and transferring the title of Ra onto her, as was done with the Pharoh, however she refuses as she would rather live her limited life with him than become a god.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
It is revealed that originally the title of Ra was held by Atum, however due to Marduk's curse on the Throne of Creation he was barred from claiming the Throne due to his linage as a serpent. This led to Atum relinquishing the power of Ra to Amun, who claimed the Throne as Amun Ra.[2] In the Canon of Creation Khonsu's plan to transform Miyazu into a god remains, however the Nahobino can choose to fulfil his plan by killing him and transferring the title and power of Ra onto Miyazu. Discussion with Isis after fulfilling Khonsu's plan reveals that Cleopatra once held the title of Ra which resulted in her deification.[3]
Nomenclature
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese
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ラー Rā | Ra |
Gallery
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Artwork from Devil Children White Book -
Sprite from the PlayStation version of Shin Megami Tensei if... -
Sprite from Devil Children White Book -
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Ra in Card FW-127 "Holy Anim" from Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children Card Game: Byakusei no Monshou -
Card SW-027 from Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children Card Game: Kakushin Joshou
Notes
References
- ↑ Histories 2.59, Herodotus. Greek.
- ↑ "Thoth: Long ago, Atum once arrived at the Empyrean, but he failed to take the throne. His attempt revealed a new truth to us: a curse placed upon the throne, rejecting any who bore the divine aspect of a serpent... A scheme weaved by the bull god and original ruler, Marduk. Thus, Atum gave up his divinity as the sun god, and instead passed the power of Ra to Amun." Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. Developed by ATLUS.
- ↑ "Isis: Miyazu has inherited the power of Ra and become the pharaoh. She's just like Cleopatra VII, also a former human from long ago. And like Cleopatra, she has been bound to another fate... How ironic." Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance.