Egyptian Gods & Goddess

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. 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.

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)

Nephthys

Wife of Seth Seduced her brother Osiris

(possibly getting him drunk or by looking like Isis) to get pregnant with Anubis

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

Set

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

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

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 (apparently wicked hearts are fattening – who knew?)

Aten

The actual disk of the sun

His hands are the sun’s rays

May be the creator of men

Nut

The Sky brother Geb (the earth) Father Shu – (air)

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 Goddess of love and childbirth Cats are sacred (many cats

were mummified in her honor

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

Hapy

God of the Nile floods Keeps the land and river fertile He has long hair and a

protruding stomach 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