Reconstructed cornerstone of one of the pyramids on the Giza plateau, symbolizing Benben.
Benben was the mound that emerged from the primordial waters Nu upon which the creator deity Atum settled in the creation myth of the Heliopolitan form of religion in ancient Egypt. The Benben stone (also known as the pyramid) is the top stone of the pyramid. It is also related to the Obelisk.
1. Primitive mound
In the Pyramid Texts, for example, statements 587 and 600, Atum himself is sometimes referred to as a “mound.” It was said that he had become a small pyramid, located in Heliopolis (Egyptian: Annu or Iunu), within which Atum was said to dwell.
Other cities developed their own myths about the primitive mound. In Memphis, the god Tatenen, a god of the earth and the origin of “all things in the form of food and provisions, divine offerings, all good things,” was the personification of the primitive mound.
2. The Benben Stone
The history of ancient Egypt and the meaning of the Benben Stone (also known as the Benben stone or the Pyramidion). The history and religious beliefs surrounding the “Benben Stone” were one of the most important Egyptian religious symbols in the mythology and creation myth of ancient Egypt.
The Temple of the Sun located in the city of Heliopolis, Egypt, was dedicated to the sun god Ra and housed the Benben Stone. The sacred Benben Stone was a pyramid-shaped stone on top of an obelisk.
The Benben stone was believed to be the beacon of the mythical bird Bennu, a phoenix-like bird with beautiful red and gold feathers that lived in the Tree of Life in Heliopolis. According to ancient Egyptian mythology, the sacred Benben stone emerged from the primeval waters at the beginning of creation and symbolized the primeval mound.
3. Facts about the ancient Egyptian Benben stone The Benben Stone
Benben was a powerful symbol and icon of ancient Egypt in Egyptian mythology and legends. According to ancient Egyptian mythology, the mythical Benben stone, whose fruit provided eternal life and knowledge of the cycles of time.
4. Benben stone data file
Here are some of the most important facts about the Benben stone:
- Name: The “Benben Stone” is also known as the Ben-Ben stone, a sun stone, and a pyramid. Others have referred to it as the Stone of Destiny.
- Location of the Benben Stone: The Benben Stone was located at the top of an obelisk in the Temple of the Sun of Atum Ra in Heliopolis.
- Meaning: The sacred Benben stone is connected to the creation myth and the sun god Atum (known as Atum-Ra and later Ra, the Supreme Sun God) and the nine gods of the Ennead of Heliopolis.
- Symbol: The Benben was one of the most powerful symbols in ancient Egypt, symbolizing the primordial mound and housing the spirit of the sun god Ra.
- Symbolic connections: The Benben is strongly associated with ancient mythology and legends related to the Bennu bird and the Tree of Life.
- The pyramids: It was believed that the first pyramids were built to emulate the shape of the Benben Stone, the residence of the sun god Ra. The cornerstone of the pyramids was revered as the dwelling place of the sun god. The dead pharaoh, buried deep within the pyramid, was therefore under the direct protection of the sun deity.
5. Facts about the Benben Stone:
Interesting research information and facts about the ancient Egyptian Benben stone
- Fact 1: The Benben had a particular solar significance that was associated with the rising sun and as the dwelling place of the personification of the sun god Ra.
- Fact 2: The Benben Stone was located in an open courtyard in the Temple of the Sun of Ra in Heliopolis. The pyramid-shaped cornerstone topped a sacred obelisk.
- Fact 3: The Bennu bird (the Egyptian phoenix) built its nest on the Benben stone, where it perished in flames.
- Fact 4: The Bennu bird (Phoenix) was believed to represent the soul of the god Ra and symbolized resurrection and the rising sun.
- Fact 5: The Pyramid Text, which eventually became part of the Book of the Dead, refers to the Benben stone as follows:
“Oh, Atum-Khoprer, you rose high, you rose like the stone of bnbn in the Phoenix Mansion in On.”
This refers to the sun temple in Heliopolis, which the Egyptians called ‘On’,
- Fact 6: The golden cornerstone, the pyramid, placed at the top of each pyramid or obelisk was known as Benbenet and associated the pyramid as a whole with the sacred stone of Benben.
- Fact 7: The Benben was the place where the first rays of the sun fell.
- Fact 8: According to the creation myth in the Pyramid Texts, Ra (as Atum) emerged from the waters of Nun as a Benben stone. He then spat out Shu (air) and Tefnut (water). Tefnut then gave birth to Geb (earth) and Nut (sky).
- Fact 9: The Ben-Ben stone was believed to have the power to illuminate the person in its vicinity and was capable of producing amazing power.
- Fact 10: People could not approach the Ben-Ben Stone without the protection of magical rituals performed by priests. It was said that the Ben-Ben stone was placed in the Ark of the Covenant and helped the Hebrews destroy Jericho.
6. The Benben and the Stone of Destiny
It was said that the Benben Stone was placed in the Ark of the Covenant and helped the Hebrews destroy Jericho. The mythical powers of the Benben, or the Stone of Destiny, were of interest to powerful men (including Adolf Hitler) and efforts were made to locate the stone.
The Stone of Destiny is an oblong block of red sandstone and generally refers to the Scottish coronation stone residing in the monastery of Scone. The possible connection between the two is interesting, as the Ben-ben stone in Heliopolis also played a role in Egyptian coronation ceremonies.
