Ancient Egyptian Religion

1. Ancient Egyptian Religion

2. Introduction • Major Characteristics: • Belief in many gods (polytheistic) who had both human and animal heads • A belief in the afterlife • Necessitated the practice of mummification • Elaborate pyramids and temples built to entomb pharaohs & to honor the gods • Egyptian gods represented aspects of the natural environment (sun, moon, crocodiles, etc.) • Gods were complex

3. Egyptian Temples • Egyptian temples were the place where: • the gods lived • Priests worked • Servants worked in the temples to ensure that they were properly cared for • Temple Estates: • Provided produce (food) for the god’s table as well as food for the priesthood Temple of Edfu

4. Religious Festivals • Images of the gods would be carried out in procession or travel by river to visit other deities • Only chance for “ordinary people” to interact with the god of a local temple

5. Egyptian Religious Beliefs • Egyptians revered gods related to fertility & child rearing • Egyptians believed in a sophisticated form of the afterlife • The existence of the ka, the ba, and the akh continued to exist in the afterlife and required maintanence • Considerable time and expense required to ensure the body of the dead was properly preserved so the spirits could return to the body

6. The Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Egypt

7. The Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Egypt • Ancient Egyptians worshipped a number of gods & goddesses • Each god had different roles and functions • Gods could manifest themselves by appearing in the guise of animals, the sky, moon, etc.

8. Nut Shu • The god of air and wind • Actions experienced in the hot desert air & fresh air that cooled men & animals • Depicted as a man with a feather on his head • Creation god—creation began with his & his sister’s (Tefnut) existence Geb

9. Tefnut • Function is not exactly clear, though perhaps her role as wife & mother might have been purpose • Daughter of Atum & Shu • Sister & Husband to Shu • Children: Geb & Nut

10. Geb • God of the Earth • Son of Shu & Tefnut • Wife Nut • Children: Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, & Seth • Often colored green, or vegetation shown growing out of him

11. Nut • Goddess of the sky • Wife of the god Geb (her brother) • Children: Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, & Seth

12. Seth • God of chaos & confusion • Son of Geb & Nut • Siblings: Osiris, Isis, & Nephthys • Murdered his brother (Osiris) • Fought Horus over who would be king • Turned into a Hippopotamus • Tore out Horus’s Eye • Divine Tribunal ruled in favor of Horus Ramesses III is crowned by Horus on the left and Seth on the right.

13. Osiris: God of the Afterlife • He is one of the most important deities of Ancient Egypt • He is the god of death and resurrection • He ensured existence in the afterlife

14. Isis: Universal Mother • Goddess exemplified the devoted wife & mother • Goddess of love, magic, wisdom, & “Great Lady of the Heaven’s” • Powers: • She could use her powers to restore life and help mothers & children

15. Isis: • Daughter of Geb and Nut • Brothers Osiris & Seth; Sister Nephthys • Wife & Sister of Osiris & mother of his son Horus • Assembled the first mummy of her husband (Osiris) after she gathered all his pieces and temporarily brought him back to life

16. Isis with her horned crown Papyrus Maat, goddess of truth & justice, kneels before the great mother goddess Isis, and spreads out her wings to protect the cartouche containing the name of Queen Nefertari.

17. Horus • The Falcon god • Son of Osiris & Isis • The name Horus means 'the far-away one', referring to his function as a sky god. • Left Eye: Moon • Right Eye: Sun

18. Horus

19. The Eye of Horus The Eye of Horus: The injury inflicted by Seth on the eye of Horus is alluded to in the Pyramid Texts, where royal saliva is prescribed for its cure. The restored eye of Horus became the symbol for the state of soundness or perfection, known as the Udjat Eye. Used as an amulet, it became the symbol for protection and painted on the sides of rectangular coffins. 

20. Horus: The Falcon God Horus the Falcon God: Many falcon gods existed throughout Egypt, though over time, a good number of these assimilated to Horus, the most important of the avian deities. Yet, from all his of many forms, it is nearly impossible to distinguish the "true" Horus. Horus is mostly a general term for a great number of falcon deities.

21. Nephthys • Her name means “Lady of the House” • Daughter of Geb and Nut • Sister of Osiris, Seth, and Isis • Married Seth—though always remained loyal to her sister Isis • Function in Ancient Egyptian religion not entirely clear • She usually appears as the companion of her sister Isis

22. Ammut • Name means: “She who swallows the dead” • Body: Composite being with the head of a crocodile, the body of a lion, & the back end of a hippopotamus • Animal who would eat the heart of a person who failed the “Weighing of the Heart Ceremony”

23. Ptah • Originally associated with craftsmen & referred to as the “divine craftsman” • Patron of workmen in workshops & tomb builders • Creation Story: Created world by using his heart and tongue—words that were spoken came into being • Created the “Opening of the Mouth” ritual

24. Ma’at • Personification of truth, justice, judgment, & harmony. • She is responsible for: • Regulating the seasons, the stars, and actions of humans and gods • Portrayed as a woman with an ostrich feather on her head or by the feather alone • To live by Ma’at was to live by a strict code of ethics • She plays a role in “Weighing of the Heart Ceremony”

25. Egyptian Goddess: Ma’at She is the wife of Thoth. Goddess of Truth, Justice and Universal Order She is depicted as a tall woman wearing a crown surmounted by a huge ostrich feather. Her totem symbol is a stone platform or foundation, representing the stable base on which order is built.

26. Thoth • The god of wisdom and writing • He also functions as a moon god • He’s usually depicted as: • A man with the head of a baboon, an ibis (sometimes entirely as an ibis) • He is seen often holding a scribes palette and a pen in his hands • On his head, the 2 phases of the moon depicted (the crescent & full moon)

27. Thoth God of the Moon, Magic and Writing In art, Thoth was usually depicted with the head of an ibis, deriving from his name, and the curve of the ibis' beak, which resembles the crescent moon. Thoth the Scribe, wrote the story of our reality then placed it into grids for us to experience and learn through the alchemy of time and consciousness.

28. Hathor • Bovine (cow) goddesses of love • Hername means “House of Horus” • Considered mother of ruling pharaoh • Worshiped everywhere in Egypt • Caused the sun god Re to be born daily, therefore having a Life-Giving Role: “Lady of Life” • Role as a funerary goddess & important to the dead because she protected the dead • Sometimes depicted as a lioness

29. Hathor • Often depicted often as a cow emerging from western mountains • She was associated pleasurable aspects in life: music, dance, sexuality, and alcohol • determined fate of newborn children • Often depicted with cow horns on her head or entirely as a cow Hathor & Seth

30. Hapy(i) • God of the Nile inundation (the annual flooding of the Nile River) • Worshipped as the embodiment of floods and the ensuing fertility

31. Hapy(i) • Depicted as an androgynous figure with: • A beard • Pendulous breasts and a pot-belly • Wearing a headdress of papyrus plants • Son of Horus

32. Sobek • Crocodile god & was worshipped everywhere • Depicted as a man with the head of a crocodile • Associated with strength & power of a pharaoh • Warded off crocodiles of the Nile River

33. Min • The god of fertility, creation, and the power of the pharaoh. • He was celebrated each year in a pre-harvest festival • Associated with male potency & regeneration/fertility • He was the protector of the desert and foreign lands (particularly in the south where the quarrying was undertaken)

34. Anubis with King Tut Anubis • Jackal-headed god • Watcher of the graveyards and conductor of souls • God of mummification • According to myth, he was able to restore life to the body of the murdered Osiris by embalming his corpse and wrapping it in linen

35. Montu • Falcon-headed warrior god (god of war) • One of most important deities in Ancient Egypt • Represented the more aggressive aspects of kingship—the association of conquering neighboring lands & countries • Amun took over as the cult god of Thebes

36. Amun: King of the Gods • Considered the greatest of all Egyptian gods • He is the king of the gods • He is the creator god Statuette of Amun, Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 22, ca. 945–715 B.C.E.

37. Amun • His name means 'the hidden one'. • He was probably originally a god of the air, and despite his much more important position later, that is what he basically remained. • Air is one of life's primary necessities and texts from the New Kingdom thus call him 'Lord of the Breath of Life'.

38. Amun: King of the Gods • Main sanctuary was the immense temple complex at Karnak

39. Temple of Seti I at Abydos: Left to Right (Ra-Horakhty & Sety I kneeling to Amun)

40. Ra Horakhty: shown here with a rams head topped with a solar disc Sety I: shown here kneeling before Amun Amun’s Blue Skin: imitates the color of lapis lazuli, which was the most prized stone in Ancient Egypt

41. The Theban Triad - Amun, Mut and Khons

42. Mut • Theconsort to Amun. • The mother goddess of the New Kingdom, the queen of the gods at Waset (Thebes). • She came to represent the Eye of Ra, the ferocious goddess of retribution and daughter of the sun god Ra.

43. Khons • The son of Amun and Mut. • The god of the moon and time. • One of the companions of Thoth. • He is a great lover of games, and is frequently shown playing a game of Senet against Thoth.

44. Ra (Re) • The Sun god of Ancient Egypt • Depicted as hawk-headed figure wearing a headdress featuring the solar disc

45. Sekhmet • Goddess of destruction • Her name means “The Powerful One” & refers to her wild and dangerous nature • Qualities allow her to protect pharaoh from his enemies • Usually depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness and a closed mouth

46. Sekhmet • Because Sekhmet was the cause of illnesses, she was also the one who could cure them. • The priests of Sekhmet had a special link with medicine and magic. • The Sekhmet priest had to ward off disease-bearing demons with magic.

47. Bastet • Cat goddess—originally a lion goddess • Depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness or cat and sometimes depicted just as a cat • Linked to Sekhmet & became associated with myths concerning the sun’s eye • Called the daughter of the sun god Re (his eye or eye of the moon)

48. Bastet • Many bronze statues of cats have been uncovered as tributes to Bastet • Many cats were buried (mummified) in tombs close to where she was worshipped

49. Amun-Ra • From an early stage, Amun formed links with important gods from other places, such as Re, the god of Heliopolis, thus forming Amun-Re and appearing as such in many texts and representations. • Became “supreme god”