In ancient Egypt: Just like most people in antiquity everything that happened was attributed to a god intervention. The god lived in a temple with other gods whom he permitted to surround him. Only Pharaoh the king , who he called his son, had the right to appear in his presence, but since the king could not be in every temple he delegated high priests to each sanctuary to perform in his place the ceremonies of the cult, there were numerous priest and priestess, the domestic staff of the god who administered his sometimes immense domain. In special days the pharaoh would come out in his golden barque on the shoulders of his priests. Each region had their own local god, the Egyptians also worshipped the great divinities of nature: Sky, Earth, Sun, Moon, and the mighty river the Nile. The four great religious centers were : Hermopolis, Heliopolis, Memphis, Busiris. Consequently the number of gods were considerable, several thousands could be counted in the book of the dead, and other manuscripts written on the pyramids...

The main gods: The Sky in Egypt was Nut or Hathor ( Athyr), was feminine, the Greeks called her Aphrodite. She touched the earth with only the tips of her fingers and toes and her belly held the stars which men could see at night, sometimes she was imagined as a divine falcon whose eyes , which he opened and closed alternately, were the sun and the moon. Described as the daughter of Ra and the wife of Horus ( her son name was Ihi or Ahi) her name could be interpreted as ‘the dwelling of Horus’ it was explained that within her the sun god lived enclosed each evening in her breast, to be born again each morning. Many text refer to her as the celestial cow who created the universe. Often represented as a cow headed goddess or a human head adorned with horns. She drove away evil spirits with the sound of the sistrum (musical instrument). She was the protector of women sovereign of songs and dance. She was also called the lady of the Sycamore. She also guided the dead to their final destination.

Geb (Seb, Keb) , with Nut were the second couple of the ennead. The earth was masculine a man lying on his stomach, from who’s back sprouted all vegetation, his wife was Nut, mother of the Osirian gods, so he was referred to as the father of the gods, Geb administered his kingdom wisely and kept a close watch on all the province and town. One day he decided to retire in heaven, so he handed his sovereignty to his eldest son Osiris, he is sometimes used by Ra as an arbiter of the gods.

Nun (Nu) could be viewed as the nothingness in the beginning of the bible, the primordial ocean germ of all things and being. Although also called the father of the gods he was never worshipped or had a temple, he is more like an intellectual concept or the soul behind creation

Atum (Tum) which is supposed to mean ‘not to be’ and ‘to be complete’, was in the beginning a god of Heliopolis, his animal was the bull Merwer, often identified with Ra the Sun god, he is the formless spirit before creation, manifested himself under the name Atum-Ra and drew from himself gods, men and all living things. Originally single fathering the first couple without the aid of a wife, was eventually married to Iusaas and Nebhet Hotep mother of the twin gods Shu and Tefnut.

Ra (Re, Phra) is the name of the Sun, means creator, lord of the sky, his principal sanctuary was in Heliopolis, it is said that he first appeared in the form of a stone obelisk called bonbon, preserved in the temple called Het Benben ‘temple of the obelisk’. Under the name of Atum he rested in the bosom of Nun, the primordial ocean where he kept his eyes shut to preserve his luster enclosed in lotus bud. By the power of his will, he rose from the abyss and became Ra. He gave life to Shu and Tefnut, who gave birth to Geb and Nut, and they in turn brought Osiris and Isis, Set and Nepthys. The Ennead of Heliopolis. Ra was later on given a spouse named Rat. The Egyptians attributed the birth of all men and other creatures to the tears of Ra. The book of the pyramids has an elaborate description of Ra’s royal existence in his own self created private universe different from the present world. Recognized as the creator and ruler of the world Ra was particularly revered by the Pharaohs who called themselves sons of Ra.

Khepri (or Khephra) which means scarab and at the same time he who becomes, represented the rising sun, god of transformation , a scarab faced man or a man with a scarab above his head, sometimes a plain scarab.

Shu and Tefnut were the first couple, gods of air and emptiness. Shu succeeded his father Ra as king on earth but abdicated in favor of his son Geb, before taking refuge in the sky. Tefnut is said to be the twin sister of Shu and his wife, she was in charge of the dew and the rain, worshipped in the form of a woman with the head of a lioness, she helped her husband support the sky.

Anhur symbolized the creative power of the sun, identified with Shu he became Anhur-Shu, a warlike personification of Ra. He is the good warrior and under the name of Uraeus protected the god against his enemies.

Osiris first representing nature’s vegetation which dies at harvest to be reborn when the grain sprouts, he was worshipped through out Egypt as god of the dead. He is the one who abolished cannibalism and taught his subjects agriculture, and he is the one who also instituted the cult of the gods. He had the first temple built, and sculptured the first divine images. He became victim of a plot organized by his brother Set who was jealous of his powers. His wife Isis found his mutilated body and with her powers of sorcery and the aid of Thot, Anubis and Horus restored her husband’s dead body back to life. Well known as Osiris Khenti Amenti (Lord of the dead) he has well over a hundred names in litanies in the Book of the Dead. Osiris was publicly celebrated in festivals were priest and priestess would mime the passion and resurrection of the god.

Isis (Greek rendering of Aset) was very often confused with Hathor and Aphrodite, was the wife of Osiris and gave him a son Horus, she is said to have taught women to grind corn, spin flax and weave cloth. She taught men how to cure diseases, rites of embalmment and instituted marriage. She was a potent magician and even the gods were not immune from her sorcery.

Set (Sutekh) Osiris’s evil brother who became the incarnation of evil. All described as destruction and perversity came from Set. But in the early days of the religion set was not the brother of Osiris but the brother of Horus, the terrible struggles between the two was ended by a judgment of the gods, who declared Horus the victor and exiled Set in the desert. Asses, antelopes, hippopotamus, boar, crocodiles and scorpions are supposed to belong to Set.

Nephtys (Nef-He-Beth) which means mistress of the palace, was originally a goddess of the dead. She is depicted as Aphrodite, supposed to be the wife of Set she made his brother Osiris drunk and drew him into her arms without him being aware of it, The fruit of this adultery was Anubis.

Horus (Hor) a solar god represented by a falcon or a falcon headed man whose eyes were the sun and the moon, we already know that he was the son of Osiris. he was also called Hor Wer: Horus the great, Hor Behdetite: Celestial Horus depicted as a sun disk with wings, Horakhte: Horus of the horizon, Hor ma Khet: Horus who is on the horizon, Hor sa iset: Horus son of Aset among other names.

Anubis (Anpu) identified with Hermes, conductor of souls, opener for the dead the roads of the other worlds, a black jackal with a bushy tail, he presided over embalmment, funeral prayers, funeral rites, mummy wrappings, making sure that offerings reached the deceased.

Upuaut (Ophois Wepwawet) another jackal headed  god who was in charge of leading soldiers to battle. He is often shown leading the sun’s boat in nocturnal voyage in southern and northern sky.

Thoth (Djehuti or Thehuti) was a moon god, an ibis headed god carrying the moon above his head sometimes depicted as dog headed ape. He was the sacred scribe, vizier of Osiris, endowed with knowledge and wisdom, inventor of hieroglyphs. He was the master who wrote the powerful formulas to subdue the forces of nature and even the gods. He kept the divine archives and was the patron of history.

Seshat (Se she ta) was Thot main wife was the mistress of the scribes and was the one who invented letter under the name of mistress of the house of books. 

More Gods

Nekhebet (Nef He Bet) A female mother goddess protector of child birth and of children with the bald head of a vulture, she is shown suckling the royal children and often the Pharaoh himself.

Buto (The dwelling of the Uadjit) a snake goddess represented by a cobra with wings. She was the protector of lower Egypt, she wore a red crown and dwell in the north where as Nef he bet wore a white crown for the south they were called the two mistress of Egypt.

Mont (Menthu or Menthu Hetep) was a god of war, a falcon headed god sometimes represented as a bull headed man.

Ammon ( Amun) was often the king of the gods as Amon-Ra, his name is supposed to mean hidden, he was conceived from the mouth of Thoth, represented by a ram head, and sometimes by a phallic symbol was the god of fertility. he was the patron of many Pharaohs, who linked their names to his ie; Amenhotep, Tu-ankh-Amon.

Mut, was Amon-Ra’s wife she was a sky goddess represented by a cow.

Khons (Khonshu) means he who crosses the sky in a boat, is usually represented by a man completed shaved, his skull cap has on it a crescent moon, known as one of the greatest healer an exorcist of the people, he reincarnated a double of himself to go out and cure his worshippers. He was so popular that one of the Egyptian month bear his name.

Sebek is represented as a crocodile, or a man with the animal’s head. Sebek (in Greek, Suchos) is the name of a crocodile divinity called Sebek.-hotep, ‘Sebek is satisfied’. He was represented either as a man with the head of a crocodile or simply as a crocodile. In the lake attached to his sanctuary an actual crocodile was kept called Petesuchos, ‘He who belongs to Suchos’ (or to Sebek). and it was said that the god was incarnate therein. A pyramid text calls him the son of Neith. But to the inhabitants of the Fayyum of Ombos the crocodile was the supreme god who must be appeased by sacrifice and prayers. To his worshippers no doubt Sebek was none other than the Demiurge who, on the day of creation, issued from the dark waters, in order to arrange the world as the crocodile emerges from the river to deposit her eggs on the bank. Sebek often shared Set’s evil reputation. He was reproached with having aided the murderer of Osiris when Set., to escape punishment for his crime, took refuge in the body of a crocodile. That was why these animals, worshipped in certain provinces, were mercilessly hunted down and destroyed in others.

Ptah of Memphis, was the protector of artisans and artists, He is represented as a mummified figure, often raised on a pedestal inside the naos of a temple, his skull enclosed in a tight head-band and his body swathed in mummy-wrappings. Only his hands are free and hold a composite sceptre uniting the emblems of life, of stability and of omnipotence. He was worshipped at Memphis where, south of the ancient ‘White Wall’ of Menes, he possessed the celebrated temple of Ptah-Beyond-the-Walls. Where the Pharaohs were crowned. Of all the gods of Egypt he was then third in importance and wealth, yielding only to Amon and Ra; he had his own priests, who proclaimed him to be the Universal Demiurge who had with his own hands fashioned the world. Ptah was the inventor of the arts. He was at the same time designer, smelter of metal and builder. It was he who during the construction of a temple directed architects and masons. In this temple Ptah was worshipped in company with his consort Sekhmet and their son Nefertum, Ptah also plays the role of protector against noxious animals and against all kinds of evils. He was early identified with the very ancient and obscure earth-god Tenen and also with Seker. He was frequently invoked under the names Ptah Tenen, Ptah Seker and even Ptah Seker Osiris. As hawk-headed mummy, he was worshipped in a sanctuary called Ro Stau (‘the doors of the corridors’) which communicated directly with the underworld. He was early identified with Osiris and brought to Osiris all his own local worshippers. It was under the name Seker Osiris that the god of the dead was usually worshipped in Memphis or Ptah Seker Osiris. 

Sekhmet was the goddess of war and battle who is usually represented as a lioness or a woman with the head of a lioness. Her name, meant ‘the Powerful’, is a title of Hathor, when in the form of a lioness she hurled herself on the men who had rebelled against Ra. She attacked them with such fury that the sun-god, fearing the extermination of the human race, begged her to arrest the carnage. She refused to spare her victims. For this reason she was later given the name Sekhmet and represented in the form of a savage lioness. In order to save what remained of the human race Ra spread across the bloody battlefield seven thousand jugs containing a magic potion composed of beer and pomegranate juice. Sekhmet, who was thirsty, mistook this red liquid for human blood and drank it so avidly that she became too drunk to continue the slaughter. The human race was saved. The goddess was called ‘the beloved of Ptah’; originally a divinity of Latopolis, she joined the Memphis Triad as Ptah’s wife, bearing him a son, Nefertum. 

Nefertum, (Iphtimis), is the name of the original divine son of the Memphis Triad. His father was said to be Ptah Hephaestus, the discoverer of fire. He is represented as a man armed with the curved sabre called the khepesh. His head is surmounted by an open lotus flower from which springs a horned stalk, and he often appears standing on a crouched lion. Sometimes he has the head of this lion, which he owes to his mother, the lion-goddess Sekhmet. His name, which signifies ‘Atum the Younger’, indicates that he was at first an incarnation of Atum of Heliopolis, a rejuvenated Atum who at dawn sprang from the divine lotus, asylum of the sun during the night. A native of Lower Egypt, he was considered as the son of Ptah, and his mother became that god’s spouse. 

Bast (Bastet) was the goddess of Bubastis She became the great national divinity when, about 950 B.c., Bubastis became the capital of the kingdom. In origin a lioness-goddess, personifying the fertilising warmth of the sun, her sacred animal later became the cat, and she is represented as a cat-headed woman holding in her right hand either a sistrum or an aegis, composed of a semi-circular breastplate surmounted with the head of a lioness. In her left hand she carries a basket. She was related to the sun-god whom some called her father and others her brother-spouse; and she became Sekhmet, the wife of Ptah of Memphis and with him formed a triad in which Nefertum was the third person. Like Hathor she was a goddess of pleasure and loved music and the dance. She would beat time with the sistrum, often decorated with the figure of a cat, grasped in her hand. In her benevolence she protected men against contagious disease and evil spirits. To please the cat-goddess her devotees consecrated statues of this animal in great numbers, and in the shadow of her sanctuaries it was custom to bury the mummified bodies of cats who during their lifetime had been venerated as animals sacred to Bast.

Neith (Neit), is the name of a Delta divinity. She was protector of Sais, which became capital of Egypt towards the middle of the seventh century. She was, an extremely ancient divinity; for her fetish two crossed arrows on an animal skin was carried on the standard of a prehistoric clan, and two queens of the first dynasty derived their names from hers. Her epithet Tehenut, ‘the Libyan’, suggests that she probably originated in the west. She always remained important in Sais after having been, in very early times, considered to be the national divinity of Lower Egypt whose red crown she habitually wears. The crown was called ‘Net’, which sounds like her own name, which she sometimes wears on her head as a distinguishing emblem. Neith, had a double role: as a warrior and goddess and as a woman skilled in the domestic arts. She was made a sky-goddess like Nut and Hathor, and she was proclaimed to be mother of the gods and of Ra ‘whom she bore before a childbirth existed’. She was the great weaver who wove the world with her shuttle as a woman weaves cloth. Under the name Me-ahueret she was the Celestial Cow who gave birth to the sky when nothing existed. She became protector of the dead and we see her offering them the bread and water on their arrival in the other world. She was also the protector of marriage. Inside her temple were written the following inscription: ‘I am all that has been, that is, and that will be. No mortal has yet been able to lift the veil which covers me.’

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Last modified: 02/20/11