Egyptian Gods & Goddess

1. Egyptian Gods & Goddess

2. 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

3. Ra or Re Sun God: Sun worship and pyramids • The sun was just as important as the Nile in the Egyptian times. • It was believed that the goddess Nut gave birth to the sun in the morning and swallowed it at night. • The sun was so important in the Egyptian times that it was known as a god called Ra. • He was the most important god of all gods.

4. Osiris • God of the earth and vegetation • Symbolized the yearly drought and flooding of the Nile. • Gave Egypt civilization. • Married his sister, 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.

5. Osiris First pharaoh and tamer of the land: Farming • Egyptians believed that the God known as Osiris was the first pharaoh. • He taught the early Egyptians to farm. He turned deserts into cropped lands where animals could graze. • Osiris was chief god of the underworld. • In most images he is seen on mummies bandages

6. 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 • Stunted from his waist down • 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)

7. Isis • Isis was the sister/wife of Osiris • Shown as a a woman wearing a vulture head-dress and the solar disk between a pair of horns • May be one of the judges of the dead • 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

8. Seth • God of evil, the desert, storms, and chaos • A devil figure • Antelopes are sacred to him • Hates Osiris (jealous) • Kills Osiris and becomes king before he is killed by Horus • Part pig and part donkey

9. Seth Wicked god of the sky: Crime in ancient • Seth was the most evil Gods of all the Egyptian Gods. • Seth is the god of Chaos, confusion and violent weather. • In Egyptian times Seth murdered his brother, Osiris, and then scattered the pieces all over the land. • He appeared with a forked tail with cloven hooves with large pricked ears, a snout • and a monstrous head. Although he sometimes took the shape of frightening animals.

10. 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 • She offers food and drink to the dead • Women aspire to be her

11. 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

12. Anubis God of Embalming: Mummies • Anubis chief of all the dead. He looked over all dead mummified Egyptians. • He would weigh your heart/soul against a feather and if your soul weighed more (due to sin) you would be punished. • He had a human body with a black jackals head. His ears were pointed and prickled. • Sometimes embalmers wore Anubis masks when at work.

13. 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 (apparently wicked hearts are fattening – who knew?)

14. Nut • The Sky • She and her brother, Geb (the earth), could not stop “holding hands” so now their father (Shu – air) stands between them holding them apart.

15. 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.”

16. Bast • Cat-headed • Goddess of love • Cats are sacred (many catswere mummified in her honor

17. Bes • Popular, household god • Dwarf • Frightens evil spirits away • Hangs out with Taweret, a goddess of childbirth (she is scary looking) • Roman soldiers wore amulets with his likeness for protection

18. 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

19. Sekhmet • Lion headed • Wife of Ptah (an early creator god) • Breathes fire against her enemies • Delivers punishment to the gods

20. Ma‘ at Goddess of truth: The weighing of the heart • Ma‘ at was the patron saint of judges so they often wore her as part of their uniform. • She was known as the woman who wore a feather on here head and often wore a dress that was patterned with feathers. • Ma’ at was the one who made sure that the seasons changed, the stars moved and the gods and humans were in harmony.

21. Ptah The creator god: Craft • In the beginning Ptah created the world and molded the other gods out of precious metals such as gold and silver. This is how he became patron saint of craftsmanship. • He was worshiped in a place in northern Egypt called Memphis. There he became chief god and had a great temple named after him. • He then married Sekhmet a terrifying goddess with the head of a lion. Her name means ‘the powerful one’ and she haunts those who are enemies to her father, Ra.

22. Khnum God of the river Nile: Religion and the river • The river Nile was essential to the Egyptians for survival because in the Egyptian times it barely ever rained so it was main source of water. • Every July the Nile would overflow and both sides would be covered in a thick black mud. This was called Inundation and was so vital it had its own god. • Khnum was in charge of the river and Inundation. • Inundation was so important because if it did not happen all crops would die.