kingship-dynastyWe're still mapping where this idea was first discussed. Key passages and related ideas below.
The King as Horus, Son of Ra
The living king was Horus on earth; his dead father became Osiris.
Egyptians regarded the living king as a manifestation of the god Horus and, from the Old Kingdom, as the 'Son of Ra,' the sun god. The dead king became identified with Osiris while his heir became the new Horus, making the succession itself a re-enactment of the Osiris myth. The king's divinity was bound to the office more than to the man, and his central duty was to uphold ma'at on the gods' behalf.
Key passages(9)
The Pyramid Texts · 2350 BCE
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Rock inscriptions of Tuthmosis I at first cataract
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Second Semneh stela under Sesostris III
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