Egyptian Gods & Goddesses

There are about 2000 gods and goddesses in the Egyptian pantheon. This presentation only provides notes on sixteen major gods/goddesses.

Ra / Re / Amen-Ra
King of the Gods Sun god Falcon head with a sun on top. Sometimes seen as the creator of men (Egyptians called themselves "the cattle of Ra) Since heaven and the underworld have water, Ra uses a boat (Madjet (strong) while rising and Semektet ("becoming weak") when setting. He often has help from other gods to successfully navigate his boat. He constantly had to fight monsters (Sebau, Nak, and Apep) The phoenix is one of his symbols

Osiris
God of the earth and vegetation Symbolized the yearly drought and

flooding of the Nile. Married Isis Osiris rules Egypt and he leaves Isis in charge when he is gone Set and 72 conspirators kill him by chopping him up into pieces Isis found almost all the pieces and put him back together (making the missing part out of clay) King of the afterlife Usually shown as a bearded, mummified human with green skin and wearing the atef crown. His hands come out from the mummy wrappings and hold the flail and crook.

Horus
Falcon headed The Pharaoh was supposed to be his earthly

embodiment. Son of Osiris (after his resurrection) Set is always trying to hurt him In art, he is often shown standing on crocodiles His sons are born from Isis. Each take care of the organs during the mummification process Duamutef (stomach) Imsety (liver) Hapi (lungs) Qebehsenuef (intestines)

Isis
Isis was the sister/wife of

Osiris Shown as a a woman wearing a vulture headdress and the solar disk between a pair of horns Has great magical powers Created the cobra and uses the cobra bite to make Ra reveal to her his secret name The purest example of the loving wife and mother

Set
God of evil, the desert,

storms, and chaos Antelopes are sacred to him Hates Osiris (jealous) Kills Osiris and becomes king before he is killed by Horus Part pig and part donkey

Hathor
Usually depicted as a cow or as a

beautiful woman wearing a horned headdress She is both wife/ daughter of Ra Also married Horus Cared for Horus when he was young and took care of him after Set blinded him She offers food and drink to the dead Women aspire to be her

Anubis
Son of Nephthys and either

Set or Ra adopted servant of Isis Head of a jackal Guides the dead to the underworld and weighs their heart (bad deeds make your heart weigh more) Works with Osiris in the underworld Mummification god

Ammut
Eater of the Dead

She stands by the scales of the hearts

and eats the hearts of the wicked (a final death) Head of a crocodile, body of a leopard, hind legs of a hippo

Aten
The actual disk

of the sun His hands are the suns rays May be the creator of men

Nut
The Sky She has a brother, Geb (the earth), and

their father (Shu air) stands between them holding them apart.

Thoth
Moon god

Head of an ibis

Scribe (records the weight of the hearts

in the underworld) Invented writing From the Book of the Dead:

Hear the word of the very truth. I have judged the heart of the deceased, and his soul stands witness for him. His deeds are righteous in the great balance and no sin has been found in him.

Bast
Cat-headed, body of a woman

Goddess of love, marriage, and

childbirth Cats are sacred (many cats were mummified in her honor.)

Bes
Popular, household god

Dwarf

Frightens evil spirits away

Frequently depicted with

Taweret, a goddess of childbirth Roman soldiers wore amulets with his likeness for protection

Hapy
God of the Nile floods

Keeps the land and river

fertile He has long hair, and a protruding stomach (all symbols of fertility) and also a beard and is blue. In some areas, he was worshipped over Ra.

Neith
A mother goddess Invented childbirth Created gods, humans, and

animals. Warrior goddess Once she spit into the Nile and this spit turned into Apep, a serpent who lives in the underworld and tries to eat Ra each night.

Sekhmet
Lion headed

Wife of Ptah (an

early creator god) Breathes fire against her enemies Delivers punishment to the gods