Ra was the ancient Egyptian deity of the Sun. He was believed to have ruled as the first pharaoh of Ancient Egypt and was the god of the sun, order, kings, and the sky. Ra was portrayed as a falcon and shared characteristics with the sky-god Horus. At times, the two deities were merged as Ra-Horakhty, "Ra, who is Horus of the Two Horizons". In the New Kingdom, when the god Amun rose to prominence, he was fused with Ra as Amun-Ra. Ra was considered the creator of the universe and the source of life, and he had a strong influence on the people, which led to him being one of the most worshipped of all the Egyptian gods and even considered King of the Gods.