Horus, << HAWR uhs, >> in Egyptian mythology, is the son of the gods Osiris and Isis. Horus is also the name of a number of ancient sky gods. Horus the son of Isis was portrayed as a royal child. The sky gods named Horus were shown as either falcons or falcon-headed men. For a description of Horus the son of Isis, see Mythology (Egyptian mythology).
The two types of Horus gods tended to merge into a royal mythology surrounding the Egyptian pharaohs. These myths identified the pharaoh as the earthly form of the royal falcon god, who triumphs over his enemies. The myths also identified the pharaoh as the pious son who claims the throne after the death of Osiris, his father.
Various Egyptian communities worshiped the falcon god under different names. Distinctive myths developed around each name. The eyes of Haroeris, also called the great or elder Horus, were the sun and moon. The Horus of Edfu, or Behdety, crossed the heavens each day as a winged sun disk. Harakhte, or Horus of the two horizons, was another sun god. Some Egyptians regarded the Great Sphinx at Giza as a representation of Harmakhis, or Horus in the horizon.
