in egyptian mythology, ra was the god of the sun. he was the most important god in ancient egypt. he had many names, such as amun-ra, and ra-horakhty. it was said he was born each morning in the east, and died each night in the west. in the night he travelled through the underworld. this is why the west side of the nile was known as the land of the dead. he had the head of a falcon, the body of a man, and was the king of the egyptian gods.