Research - Nephthys "Lady of the Mansion"

"It seems that she was originally conceived of as the female counterpart of Set. He represented the desert, while she represented the air."

Nephthys was an ancient goddess, who was referenced in texts dating back to the Old Kingdom. She was a member of the Ennead of Heliopolis as the daughter of Geb and Nut and the sister of Osiris, Isis and the and wife of Set. When the Ennead and Ogdoad merged, Nephthys was given a place on Ra's boat so that she could accompany him on his journey through the underworld.
Nephthys is the Greek pronunciation of her name. To the Ancient Egyptians she was Nebthwt meaning "the Mistress of the House".


As a goddess of the air, she could take the form of a bird, The Egyptians thought that all vultures were female  and that they were spontaneously created from the air. While the care shown by a mother vulture for her child was highly respected, the Egyptians also recognized that vultures fed on carrion and associated them with death and decay. As a result, Nephthys became a goddess of death and mourning.


Later myths claimed that she was the mother of Anubis by Osiris. This came about because Anubis' position as the god of the dead was usurped by Osiris.
According to one myth Nephthys disguised herself as Isis to get the attention of her neglectful husband Set, but instead seduced Osiris (who apparently did not realise that it was Nephthys).


Isis and Nephthys were very close despite Nephthys' alleged infidelity with Osiris (the husband of Isis) and her marriage to Set (the murderer of Osiris).
Nephthys protected the body of Osiris and supported Isis as she tried to resurrect him. The goddesses are so similar in appearance that only their headdresses can distinguish them and they always appear together in funerary scenes. 
Together Isis and Nephthys could be said to represent day and night, life and death and growth and decay.

Research - Seth "God of Chaos"

"He was the brother of Osiris and Isis, as well as the husband of Nepthys. He murdered his brother Osiris, then battled with his nephew Horus to be the ruler of the living."

Regarded as the Lord of Lower Egypt, Seth was represented by a big-eared imaginary animal with red hair resembling a donkey or maybe an aardvark. He was associated with the desert and storms.


Seth was the brother of Osiris, Isis as well as Nephthys who was also his wife. Nephthys' son, Anubis was born from her trist with Osiris. Seth never had any children, as emphasis of his association with the barren desert and of his status as the antithesis of the fertile Osiris. During his battles with Horus, the goddess Neith suggested a compromise by giving Horus the throne, and Seth the Semetic goddesses Astarte and Asat


Seth is most famous for the fratricide of his brother Osiris and the attempted murder of his brother's son, Horus. Horus survived though and avenged his father's death by ruling all of Egypt and exiling Seth to the desert for all time. The decision to banish Seth came from a counsel of the gods, ruled by Re.

Research - Isis "Mother Of Horus"

"Isis, Mistress of Magic... Unlike her twin sister Nephthys, Isis is one of the most famous goddesses of ancient Egypt. Her worship originated in Africa, albeit in a different form with the original myths of the goddess long forgotten. Her fame quickly spread to all corners of the Roman empire."

Isis was the husband of Osiris, Nephthys and Seth, the daughter of Nut and Geb and the mother of Horus the Child.

Isis is depicted as a woman wearing a vulture head-dress and the solar disk between a pair of horns (which is sometimes underneath the symbol of her name , the throne). Occasionally she wears the double-crowns of the North and the South with the feather of Ma'at, or a pair of ram's horns. Isis as a woman (not a goddess) is portrayed with the ordinary head-dress of a woman, but with the uraeus over her forehead.

As the wife of Osiris, Isis assisted her husband during his earthly reign. In the Pyramid Texts, allusions are made that indicate that Isis foresaw her husband's murder. Following his death, Isis tirelessly searched for his body so that he may be properly buried and may rest in peace in the Underworld. Through her magic, she brought Osiris back to life so that he could impregnate her with their son Horus.

Research - Osiris "God Of The Afterlife"

"A god of the earth and vegetation, Osiris symbolized in his death the yearly drought and in his miraculous rebirth the periodic flooding of the Nile and the growth of grain. He was a god-king who was believed to have given Egypt civilization."

In his original form, a green-skinned man dressed in the raiment of a pharaoh. Following the Legend of Osiris, he appears as a green-skinned man in the form of a mummified pharaoh. He is often depicted wearing the atef crown with a pair of ram horns at its base.

Throughout the height of Egyptian civilization, Osiris was the primary deity. In power, he was second only his father, Ra, and was the leader of the gods on earth. He was the husband of Isis and the father of Horus. Osiris resided in the underworld as the lord of the dead, as after being killed by Set, even though he was a god, he could no longer dwell in the land of the living.

After Osiris was killed, Isis resurrected him with the Ritual of Life, which was later given to the Egyptians so that they could give eternal life to all their dead. The spells and rituals cast by Isis, plus many others given to the people by the gods over the centuries, were collected into The Book of Going Forth by Day, colloquially known as The Book of the Dead.

In the underworld, Osiris sits on a great throne, where he is praised by the souls of the just. All those who pass the tests of the underworld become worthy to enter The Blessed Land, that part of the underworld that is like the land of the living, but without sorrow or pain.

Symbols: crook and flail, djed, White and Atef Crowns, bull, mummified form, throne, Bennu (phoenix)

Research - The Story of Isis and Osiris

In the days before Re had left the earth, before he had begun to grow old, his great wisdom told him that if the goddess Nut bore children, one of them would end his reign among men. So Re laid a curse upon Nut - that she should not be able to bear any child upon any day in the year.


At last Khonsu would play no more. Then Thoth the thrice-great in wisdom gathered up the light which he had won and made it into five extra days which for ever after were set between the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. The year was of three hundred and sixty days before this, but the five days which were added, which were not days of any year, were ever afterwards held as days of festival in old Egypt.Full of sorrow, Nut went for help to Thoth, the thrice-great god of wisdom and magic and learning, Re's son, who loved her. Thoth knew that the curse of Re, once spoken, could never be recalled, but in his wisdom he found a way of escape. He went to Khonsu, the Moon-god, and challenged him to a contest at draughts. Game after game they played and always Thoth won. The stakes grew higher and higher, but Khonsu wagered the most, for it was some of his own light that he risked and lost.


But, since his match with Thoth, Khonsu the moon has not had enough light to shine throughout the month, but dwindles into darkness and then grows to his full glory again; for he had lost the light needed to make five whole days.


On the first of these days Osiris, the eldest son of Nut, was born, and the second day was set aside to be the birthday of Horus the Elder. On the third day the second son of Nut was born, dark Seth, the lord of evil. On the fourth her daughter Isis first saw the light, and her second daughter Nephthys on the fifth. In this way the curse of Re was both fulfilled and defeated: for the days on which the children of Nut were born belonged to no year.


When Osiris was born many signs and wonders were seen and heard throughout the world. Most notable was the voice which came from the holiest shrine in the temple at Thebes on the Nile, which today is called Karnak, speaking to a man called Pamyles bidding him proclaim to all men that Osiris, the good and mighty king, was born to bring joy to all the earth. Pamyles did as he was bidden, and he also attended on the Divine Child and brought him up as a man among men.


When Osiris was grown up he married his sister Isis, a custom which the Pharaohs of Egypt followed ever after. And Seth married Nephthys: for he too being a god could marry only a goddess.


After Isis by her craft had learned the Secret Name of Re, Osiris became sole ruler of Egypt and reigned on earth as Re had done. He found the people both savage and brutish, fighting among themselves and killing and eating one another. But Isis discovered the grain of both wheat and barley, which grew wild over the land with the other plants and was still unknown to man; and Osiris taught them how to plant the seeds when the Nile had risen in the yearly inundation and sunk again leaving fresh fertile mud over the fields; how to tend and water the crops; how to cut the corn when it was ripe, and how to thresh the grain on the threshing floors, dry it and grind it to flour and make it into bread. He showed them also how to plant vines and make the grapes into wine; and they knew already how to brew beer out of the barley.


When the people of Egypt had learned to make bread and cut only the flesh of such animals as he taught them were suitable, Osiris, went on to teach them laws, and how to live peacefully and happily together, delighting themselves with music and poetry. As soon as Egypt was filled with peace and plenty, Osiris set out over the world to bring his blessings upon other nations. While he was away he left Isis to rule over the land, which she did both wisely and well.


But Seth the Evil One, their brother, envied Osiris and hated Isis. The more the people loved and praised Osiris, the more Seth hated him; and the more good he did and the happier mankind became, the stronger grew Seth's desire to kill his brother and rule in his place. Isis, however, was so full of wisdom and so watchful that Seth made no attempt to seize the throne while she was watching over the land of Egypt. And when Osiris returned from his travels Seth was among the first to welcome him back and kneel in reverence before "the good god Pharaoh Osiris".


Yet he had made his plans, aided by seventy-two of his wicked friends and Aso the evil queen of Ethiopia. Secretly Seth obtained the exact measurements of the body of Osiris, and caused beautiful chest to be made that would fit only him. It was fashioned of the rarest and most costly woods: cedar brought from Lebanon, and ebony from Punt at the south end of the Red Sea for no wood grows in Egypt except the soft and useless palm.


Then Seth gave a great feast in honour of Osiris; but the other guests were the two-and-seventy conspirators. It was the greatest feast that had yet been seen in Egypt, and the foods were choicer, the wines stronger and the dancing girls more beautiful than ever before. When the heart of Osiris had been made glad with feasting and song the chest was brought in, and all were amazed at its beauty.


Osiris marveled at the rare cedar inlaid with ebony and ivory, with less rare gold and silver, and painted inside with figures of gods and birds and animals, and he desired it greatly.


"I will give this chest to whosoever fits it most exactly!" cried Seth. And at once the conspirators began in turn to see if they could win it. But one was too tall and another too short; one was too fat and another too thin - and all tried in vain.


"Let me see if I will fit into this marvelous piece of work," said Osiris, and he laid himself down in the chest while all gathered round breathlessly.


"I fit exactly, and the chest is mine!" cried Osiris.


"It is yours indeed, and shall be so forever!" hissed Seth as he banged down the lid. Then in desperate haste he and the conspirators nailed it shut and sealed every crack with molten lead, so that Osiris the man died in the chest and his spirit went west across the Nile into Duat the Place of Testing; but, beyond it to Amenti, where those live for ever who have lived well on earth and passed the judgments of Duat, he could not pass as yet. Seth and his companions took the chest which held the body of Osiris and cast it into the Nile; and Hapi the Nile-god carried it out into the Great Green Sea where it was tossed for many days until it came to the shore of Phoenicia near the city of Byblos. Here the waves cast it into a tamarisk tree that grew on the shore; and the tree shot out branches and grew leaves and flowers to make a fit resting place for the body of the good god Osiris and very soon that tree became famous throughout the land.


Presently King Malcander heard of it, and he and his wife, Queen Astarte, came to the seashore to gaze at the tree. By now the branches had grown together and hidden the chest which held the body of Osiris in the trunk itself. King Malcander gave orders that the tree should be cut down and fashioned into a great pillar for his palace. This was done, and all wondered at its beauty and fragrance: but none knew that it held the body of a god. Meanwhile in Egypt Isis was in great fear. She had always known that Seth was filled with evil and jealousy, but kindly Osiris would not believe in his brother's wickedness. But Isis knew as soon as her husband was dead, though no one told her, and fled into the marshes of the delta carrying the baby Horus with her. She found shelter on a little island where the goddess Buto lived, and entrusted the divine child to her. And as a further safeguard against Seth, Isis loosed the island from its foundations, and let it float so that no one could tell where to find it.


Then she went to seek for the body of Osiris. For, until he was buried with all the needful rites and charms, even his spirit could go no farther to the west than Duat, the Testing-Place; and it could not come to Amenti.


Back and forth over the land of Egypt wandered Isis, but never a trace could she find of the chest in which lay the body of Osiris. She asked all whom she met, but no one had seen it - and in this matter her magic powers could not help her.


At last she questioned the children who were playing by the riverside, and at once they told her that just such a chest as she described had floated past them on the swift stream and out into the Great Green Sea.


Then Isis wandered on the shore, and again and again it was the children who had seen the chest floating by and told her which way it had gone. And because of this, Isis blessed the children and decreed that ever afterwards children should speak words of wisdom and sometimes tell of things to come.


At length Isis came to Byblos and sat down by the seashore. Presently the maidens who attended on Queen Astarte came down to bathe at that place; and when they returned out of the water Isis taught them how to plait their hair - which had never been done before. When they went up to the palace a strange and wonderful perfume seemed to cling to them; and Queen Astarte marveled at it, and at their plaited hair, and asked them how it came to be so.


The maidens told her of the wonderful woman who sat by the seashore, and Queen Astarte sent for Isis, and asked her to serve in the palace and tend her children, the little Prince Maneros and the baby Dictys, who was ailing sorely. For she did not know that the strange woman who was wandering alone at Byblos was the greatest of all the goddesses of Egypt. Isis agreed to this, and very soon the baby Dictys was strong and well though she did no more than give him her finger to suck. But presently she became fond of the child, and thought to make him immortal, which she did by burning away his mortal parts while she flew round and round him in the form of a swallow. Astarte, however, had been watching her secretly; and when she saw that her baby seemed to be on fire she rushed into the room with a loud cry, and so broke the magic.


Then Isis took on her own form, and Astarte crouched down in terror when she saw the shining goddess and learned who she was.


Malcander and Astarte offered her gifts of all the richest treasures in Byblos, but Isis asked only for the great tamarisk pillar which held up the roof, and for what it contained. When it was given to her, she caused it to open and took out the chest of Seth. But the pillar she gave back to Malcander and Astarte; and it remained the most sacred object in Byblos, since it had once held the body of a god.


When the chest which had become the coffin of Osiris was given to her, Isis flung herself down on it with so terrible a cry of sorrow that little Dictys died at the very sound. But Isis at length caused the chest to be placed on a ship which King Malcander provided for her, and set out for Egypt. With her went Maneros, the young prince of Byblos: but he did not remain with her for long, since his curiosity proved his undoing. For as soon as the ship had left the land Isis retired to where the chest of Seth lay, and opened the lid. Maneros crept up behind her and peeped over her shoulder: but Isis knew he was there and, turning, gave him one glance of anger - and he fell backwards over the side of the ship into the sea.


Next morning, as the ship was passing the Phaedrus River, its strong current threatened to carry them out of sight of land. But Isis grew angry and placed a curse on the river, so that its stream dried up from that day.


She came safely to Egypt after this, and hid the chest in the marshes of the delta while she hastened to the floating island where Buto was guarding Horus.


But it chanced that Seth came hunting wild boars with his dogs, hunting by night after his custom, since he loved the darkness in which evil things abound. By the light of the moon he saw the chest of cedar wood inlaid with ebony and ivory, with gold and silver, and recognized it.


At the sight hatred and anger came upon him in a red cloud, and he raged like a panther of the south. He tore open the chest, took the body of Osiris, and rent it into fourteen pieces which, by his divine strength, he scattered up and down the whole length of the Nile so that the crocodiles might eat them.


"It is not possible to destroy the body of a god!" cried Seth. "Yet I have done it - for I have destroyed Osiris!" His laughter echoed through the land, and all who heard it trembled and hid.


Now Isis had to begin her search once more. This time she had helpers, for Nephthys left her wicked husband Seth and came to join her sister. And Anubis, the son of Osiris and Nephthys, taking the form of a jackal, assisted in the search. When Isis traveled over the land she was accompanied and guarded by seven scorpions. But when she searched on the Nile and among the many streams of the delta she made her way in a boat made of papyrus: and the crocodiles, in their reverence for the goddess, touched neither the rent pieces of Osiris nor Isis herself. Indeed ever afterwards anyone who sailed the Nile in a boat made of papyrus was safe from them, for they thought that it was Isis still questing after the pieces of her husband's body.


Slowly, piece by piece, Isis recovered the fragments of Osiris. And wherever she did so, she formed by magic the likeness of his whole body and caused the priests to build a shrine and perform his funeral rites. And so there were thirteen places in Egypt which claimed to be the burial place of Osiris. In this way also she made it harder for Seth to meddle further with the body of the dead god.


One piece only she did not recover, for it had been eaten by certain impious fishes; and their kind were accursed ever afterwards, and no Egyptian would touch or eat them. Isis, however, did not bury any of the pieces in the places where the tombs and shrines of Osiris stood. She gathered the pieces together, rejoined them by magic, and by magic made a likeness of the missing member so that Osiris was complete. Then she caused the body to be embalmed and hidden away in a place of which she alone knew. And after this the spirit of Osiris passed into Amenti to rule over the dead until the last great battle, when Horus should slay Seth and Osiris would return to earth once more.


But as Horus grew in this world the spirit of Osiris visited him often and taught him all that a great warrior should know - one who was to fight against Seth both in the body and in the spirit.


One day Osiris said to the boy: "Tell me, what is the noblest thing that a man can do?"


And Horus answered: "To avenge his father and mother for the evil done to them."


This pleased Osiris, and he asked further: "And what animal is most useful for the avenger to take with him as he goes out to battle?"


"A horse," answered Horus promptly.


"Surely a lion would be better still?" suggested Osiris.


"A lion would indeed be the best for a man who needed help," replied Horus; "but a horse is best for pursuing a flying foe and cutting him off from escape."




Horus gathered his forces and prepared to begin the war. And Re himself, the shining father of the gods, came to his aid in his own divine boat that sails across the heavens and through the dangers of the underworld.When he heard this Osiris knew that the time had come for Horus to declare war on Seth, and bade him gather together a great army and sail up the Nile to attack him in the deserts of the south.


Before they set sail Re drew Horus aside so as to gaze into his blue eyes: for whoever looks into them, of gods or men, sees the future reflected there. But Seth was watching; and he took upon himself the form of a black pig - black as the thunder-cloud, fierce to look at, with tusks to strike terror into the bravest heart.


Meanwhile Re said to Horus: "Let me gaze into your eyes, and see what is to come of this war." He gazed into the eyes of Horus and their color was that of the Great Green Sea when the summer sky turns it to deepest blue.


While he gazed the black pig passed by and distracted his attention, so that he exclaimed: "Look at that! Never have I seen so huge and fierce a pig."


And Horus looked; and he did not know that it was Seth, but thought it was a wild boar out of the thickets of the north, and he was not ready with a charm or a word of power to guard himself against the enemy.


Then Seth aimed a blow of fire at the eyes of Horus; and Horus shouted with the pain and was in a great rage. He knew now that it was Seth; but Seth had gone on the instant and could not be trapped.


Re caused Horus to be taken into a dark room, and it was not long before his eyes could see again as clearly as before. When he was recovered Re had returned to the sky; but Horus was filled with joy that he could see, once more, and as he set out up the Nile at the head of his army, the country on either side shared his joy and blossomed into spring.


There were many battles in that war, but the last and greatest was at Edfu, where the great temple of Horus stands to this day in memory of it. The forces of Seth and Horus drew near to one another among the islands and the rapids of the First Cataract of the Nile. Seth, in the form of a red hippopotamus of gigantic size, sprang up on the island ofElephantine and uttered a great curse against Horus and against Isis:


"Let there come a terrible raging tempest and a mighty flood against my enemies!" he cried, and his voice was like the thunder rolling across the heavens from the south to the north. At once the storm broke over the boats of Horus and his army; the wind roared and the water was heaped into great waves. But Horus held on his way, his own boat gleaming through the darkness, its prow shining like a ray of the sun.


Opposite Edfu, Seth turned and stood at bay, straddling the whole stream of the Nile, so huge a red hippopotamus was he. But Horus took upon himself the shape of a handsome young man, twelve feet in height. His hand held a harpoon thirty feet long with a blade six feet wide at its point of greatest width.


Seth opened his mighty jaws to destroy Horus and his followers when the storm should wreck their boats. But Horus cast his harpoon, and it struck deep into the head of the red hippopotamus, deep into his brain. And that one blow slew Seth the great wicked one, the enemy of Osiris and the gods - and the red hippopotamus sank dead beside the Nile at Edfu. The storm passed away, the flood sank and the sky was clear and blue once more. Then the people of Edfu came out to welcome Horus the avenger and lead him in triumph to the shrine over which the great temple now stands. And they sang the song of praise which the priests chanted ever afterwards when the yearly festival of Horus was held at Edfu:


"Rejoice, you who dwell in Edfu! Horus the great god, the lord of the sky, has slain the enemy of his father! Eat the flesh of the vanquished, drink the blood of the red hippopotamus, burn his bones with fire! Let him be cut in pieces, and the scraps be given to the cats, and the offal to the reptiles!


"Glory to Horus of the mighty blow, the brave one, the slayer, the wielder of the Harpoon, the only son of Osiris, Horus of Edfu, Horus the avenger!"


But when Horus passed from earth and reigned no more as the Pharaoh of Egypt, he appeared before the assembly of the gods, and Seth came also in the spirit, and contended in words for the rule of the world. But not even Thoth the wise could give judgment. And so it comes about that Horus and Seth still contend for the souls of men and for the rule of the world.


There were no more battles on the Nile or in the land of Egypt; and Osiris rested quietly in his grave, which (since Seth could no longer disturb it) Isis admitted was on the island of Philae, the most sacred place of all, in the Nile a few miles upstream from Elephantine. But the Egyptians believed that the Last Battle was still to come - and that Horus would defeat Seth in this also. And when Seth was destroyed forever, Osiris would rise from the dead and return to earth, bringing with him all those who had been his own faithful followers. And for this reason the Egyptians embalmed dead and set the bodies away beneath towering pyramids of stone and deep in the tomb chambers of western Thebes, so that the blessed souls returning from Amenti should find them ready to enter again, and in them to live for ever on earth under the good god Osiris, Isis his queen and their son Horus.

http://www.egyptianmyths.net/mythisis.htm

Research - Ancient Egyptian Mythology

Egyptian mythology is the collection of legends from ancient Egypt's history, which describe the actions of the Egyptian gods as a means of understanding the reality of the universe. Myth appears frequently in Egyptian writings and arts, particularly in stories and in religious material such as hymns, ritual texts, funerary texts, and temple decoration.
These sources rarely hold a complete account of a myth and often describe only small fragments. This lack of narrative in myth-related writings has prompted a debate among scholars about whether cohesive myths existed in ancient Egyptian culture.

Inspired by the cycles of nature, the Egyptians saw time in the present as a series of patterns, where the earliest periods of time were linear. Myths are set in these earliest of times, and myths set the pattern for the cycles of the present. Current events repeat the events of myth, and in doing so renew maat, the fundamental order of the cosmos.
The most important episodes from the mythic past are the creation myths, in which the gods form the universe out of primordial chaos; the stories of the reign of the sun god Ra upon the earth; and the Myth of Osiris and Isis, concerning the struggles of the gods Osiris, Isis, and Horus against the disruptive god Set. Events from the present that might be regarded as myths include Ra's daily journey through the world and its otherworldly counterpart, the Duat.
Recurring themes in these mythic episodes include the conflict between the upholders of maat and the forces of disorder, the importance of the pharaoh in upholding maat, and the death of the gods.

Details of these events differ greatly from one text to another and often seem to contradict each other. All Egyptian myths, however, are meant originally as symbols, expressing the behavior and essence of each of the deities in metaphorical terms. Each variant of a myth represents a somewhat different symbolic perspective to the story, enriching the Egyptians' understanding of the gods and the world through these Myths.

Mythology profoundly influenced Egyptian culture. It formed much of the basis for ancient Egyptian religion, inspiring or influencing many of its rituals and providing the ideological basis for kingship. Scenes and symbols from myth appeared in art in tombs, temples, and amulets. In literature, myths or elements of them were used in stories that range from humor to allegory, demonstrating mythology's prevalence and versatility in Egyptian tradition.

Research - Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of North Eastern Africa, focused across the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt today.
Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh. The history of Ancient Egypt occurred in a series of stable Kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods: the Old Kingdom of the Early Bronze Age, the Middle Kingdom of the Middle Bronze Age and the New Kingdom of the Late Bronze Age.

Egypt reached the pinnacle of its power during the New Kingdom, in the Ramesside period, after which it entered a period of slow decline. Egypt was conquered by a succession of foreign powers that included Persian rule in this Late Period. In the aftermath of Alexander the Great's death, Ptolemy Soter (One of his Generals) established himself as the new ruler of Egypt. This Ptolemaic Dynasty ruled Egypt until 30 BC, when it was taken by the Roman Empire and became a Roman province.

The success of Ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its adaption to the conditions of the Nile River Valley. The flooding and controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which encouraged social development and culture.
With resources at an over-estimated high, the administration sponsored mineral exploitation of the valley and nearby desert regions, the early development of an independent writing system, the organization of collective construction and agricultural projects, trade with surrounding regions, and a formidable military intended to defeat foreign enemies and assert Egyptian dominance.
Motivating and organizing these activities was a bureaucracy of elite scribes, religious leaders, and administrators under the control of a Pharaoh who ensured the cooperation and unity of the Egyptian people in the context of an elaborate system of religious beliefs.

The many achievements of the Egyptians in their history include the quarrying, surveying and construction techniques that facilitated the building of monumental pyramids, temples, and obelisks; a system of mathematics, a practical and effective system of medicine, irrigation systems and agricultural production techniques, the first known ships, glass technology, and the earliest known peace treaty.

Egypt left a lasting legacy, it's art and architecture were widely copied, and its antiquities carried off to far corners of the world. Its monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of travellers and writers for centuries. A new-found respect for antiquities and excavations in the early modern period led to the scientific investigation of Egyptian civilization and a greater appreciation of its cultural legacy.

All of this comes to what I believe will be a rich and interesting setting to what I will base this project on, I will continue to research Ancient Egypt and look further to its Mythology, Architecture and Art to base and reference my ideas and designs from.

Design Development - Ancient Egypt

When I was attempting to discover a story or tale to develop my design idea from, I wanted to keep the premise of it all to a "Fantasy" genre as I wanted to keep away from a Sci-Fi feel as I felt that this was all too close to my Comfort Zone.
As I continued to search through various books that I could take on to my design I had found them either to similar to others and not holding a very big potential for something that interested me or showed very much depth.
But for any that I found which held an interesting story and characters I was to soon find out that it had been already "visualized" numerous times already meaning that any "development" would be very small, so I decided to widen my arc of potential stories to Myths and Legends.

I looked to various Countries and Races for their historical tales and stories, a lot of them were based of Religion and Wars which were initially areas I wanted to avoid as Religion is a risque subject for media and especially in games and War is a subject that is far too commonly addressed in games.

I looked into Norse Mythology at it seemed to be a very rich "universe" for development in both design and story, but this has been done a lot in numerous forms of media, Especially in the Marvel comic book series "Thor" as with the same for Greek Mythology, especially in video games with the "God of War" series.
But as I listed the various countries I was more interested in designing the mystical entities of "Gods" and trying to portray their "Status" of in the universe but in a Mythology that has not been fully realized yet, and that is where I turned to Ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egypt holds a vast history with Gods and Myths that entwine them together in forms of tales, stories, archaeology and art which I plan to study and research for this brief.
The more I looked into this area of history I found myself more intrigued and much more involved with discovering and developing an interesting visual style from Egypt's History and Mythology.
I plan to find a specific and solid tale of the Gods and design an achievable game from what is provided and tweak it into what I believe would be an interesting story for modern media.

Design Idea Development

Initially for my Game Design, I wanted to continue my idea in the Sci-Fi Genre and on the story of Bounty Hunters. With this concept I could exercise my motives in creating a vast selection of designs and visuals for armour, weaponry, vehicles and other assets.
But I believed that doing such a thing would be far too into my comfort zone and in general nothing new or exciting to bring to my pallet of work.
So I had spent a long time searching for new inspirations for what I could base my project off of, I played with several ideas in changing the genre to fantasy as Sci-fi is too into my "system" and needed to be weened off of slightly.
My first idea was to base the game as if it was completely base on the page of a scroll or an ancient book, but I believe that this has been done before with games in various different ways. I wanted to take it in a more oriental and Asian approach, not directly but to show some sense of influence.
But that whole premise seemed a bit too wide and vast in the sense of story, I did not want to waste time in the brief that could be spent doing artwork in developing a story.

I then turned to looking to existing media of stories and tales that were in the fantasy genre. I wanted to find a solid story with compelling and interesting characters that would be both a challenge to design and display a lot of potential.
Several stories I found were a possible but they were either already visualized or did not hold enough potential for taking the design into further lengths.

It was at this point I decided to widen my sights on an influence for my project, I extended my ideas into Myths, Legends, Old Tales and Mythology as there are a lot of potential in these areas of history.

Study Proposal/Learning Agreement

Steven Best

Games Art & Design – BA6

Proposal

I plan to produce a concise series of high quality and varied Concept Artwork for a Game Design that had been visualising for several years now, the ideal visual style and look of the game.
I believe that this would be the work I can present in my portfolio to display my skills and potential in creative design in characters.

With Character Design being my core focus in Concept Art, I always preferred this area of work as creating all the variations and stretching all possible designs and visions of a possible character interested me, seeing a design evolve and change according to the vision of what is required.
In this project I will have to develop a strong technique on creating strong and inspired designs in high quality illustrations but at a much greater speed.

This will be a valuable skill to achieve as ideas and concepts will need to be created and displayed quickly to visualise and satisfy a desired design at a required time and routine.
Along with character design, environments and assets will be visualised to “fill out” this universe in which this game will be set, as well as the purpose of displaying the feel and actions that the play will be experiencing.

This work will be completed on Adobe Photoshop and other Digital illustration Software such as Painter and Sketchbook Pro when needed; I will also provide sketchbook artwork for quick visualisations of ideas that can be worked from digitally.

Throughout this project I will document my ideas and concepts in a visual journal in a form of an online blog, stating my influences and choices on which direction I will take this Visual concept.

Assessment Work

I will produce a finished design for a core template for the main character in which the players can take control of and customise.
For this character I will include a model sheet, character sheet and hero shot to show the full turnaround of the design, motions and gestures and how the behave and how they will be implemented to the environment.
As these characters will be customisable, I will include a series of variations and alternate designs that the player can choose from.

Along with these character concepts, I will produce some examples of environments and assets.
To achieve these final results, silhouettes for character designs, thumbnail sketches and speed paintings will be produced to evolve the concept into the final design.

A reflective Journal/Blog will be supplied to annotate and explain my decisions and motives throughout the design process.

BA6 -Specialism

Start: 12/03/2012
Submission: 14/05/2012

In this brief we are given the opportunity to develop ourselves into the desired specification of the industry that we wish to hone ourselves in.
We have been introduced into a vast array of ares of the Games Industry. Many choices that span across concept art, modelling, texturing, animating, game design and alternatives.
A well defined study proposal, along with accompanying schedule is required to outline my intentions of this brief, structure of work and my goals.
Before any work is to be done, A 5-minute presentation must be completed and signed off.