Ra

Ra was the ancient Egyptian god of the sun, and the creator of life on earth. He created air (the god Shu), rain (the goddess Tefnut), the earth (the god Geb), and the sky (the goddess Nut.) Geb and Nut in turn begot the five major Egyptian gods, Isis, Osiris, Set, Nephthys and Horus the Elder (in later myths Horus the Child was the son of Isis and Osiris).http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/africa/egyptian/articles.html Humans and animals were created from tears that he shed. Some myths claim that it was his sweat that fell to earth and created humans and animals.http://www.nemo.nu/ibisportal/0egyptintro/1egypt/index.htm

Ra was said to travel the sky each day in his barque, carrying the sun behind him. At night, he would travel through the underworld and have to battle the monster Apep in order to emerge the next day and carry the sun through the sky. To the ancient Epyptians, this symbolized the eternal battle of light versus dark and good versus evil, similar to the endless struggle between Set and Horus.http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/africa/egyptian/articles.html

Ra was a magician, and Isis wanted to be a magician as well. She knew she would have to get this magical power from Ra, but in order to do so, she would need to know his secret name. With it, she would be able to force him to share his magical powers with her. So, one day, she gathered some of Ra's saliva and fashioned it into a snake. She hid the snake where Ra would walk, and when he did the snake bit him. Ra was in terrible pain and none of the gods or goddesses could heal him.

Isis went to him and told him that she would heal him if he told her his secret name. Ra refused, but in time the pain from the snake bite was so great that he relented and told her. Isis healed Ra, but used his secret name to make him give her magical powers, and she had them from then on. http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/egypt/ra.htm