The influence of mythology on the development of athletic practices in Ancient Egypt

Abstract

It is very common to attribute to the Egyptians a great influence for the construction of the Hellenic civilization, without, however, considering the specific cultural determinants of each of these peoples in their origins. Using the method of analytical history research associated with the mith-hermeneutics, we can observe that the development of Horus in the Egyptian cosmogony exemplifies their deep respect for the death-rebirth cycle, which extended both to their economic life through the rhythms of the Nile river floods, but mainly to the social legitimation of the figure of the Pharaoh. He was the only one who had a connection with the gods, being regarded as the reincarnation of Horus, the living god. As result, the athletic practices developed by them had, in most cases, an end in themselves, being predominantly of a utilitarian nature without any form of transcendence, which was restricted only to the pharaoh.