For comprehensive information see our New Egypt Mythology Section and Old Egyptian Mythology Section. You may also read The Egyptian Book of the Dead

Amentet, Goddess of the Dead, Personification of the West by Caroline Seawright 

Amentet (Ament, Amentit, Imentet, Imentit) was the Egyptian goddess and friend of the dead, and the personification of the Land of the West, 'Amenti'. It was she who welcomed the deceased to their new dwelling place in the netherworld. She was also a goddess who helped with the rebirthing process, and thus a goddess of fertility and rebirth, who regenerated the deceased.

Ammut, Great of Deaht, Eater of Hearts, The Devourer by Caroline Seawright

Ammut (Ammit, Ahemait, Ammemet) was an Egyptian demoness. She was known as the 'Eater of Hearts', 'The Devourer' and 'Great of Death' because she was a demoness of punishment. She had the head of a crocodile, the body of a leopard and the backside of a hippopotamus - all fierce creatures to the Egyptians.

Amun and Amun-Re by Taylor Ray Ellison 

Some assume that Amun (Amen, Amon) was a relatively modern god within the context of ancient Egyptian religion. His worship at Thebes, where the earliest known Temple dedicated to him was located, is only documented from the 11th Dynasty onward. It is true that he gained most of his prestige after replacing the war god Montu as the principle god of Thebes during Egypt's New Kingdom, when he was recognized as the "King of Gods". At that time, because of Egypt's influence in the world, he actually became a universal god. In fact, by the 25th Dynasty, Amun-Re was even the chief god of the Nubian Kingdom of Napata and by the Ptolemic, or Greek period, he was regarded as the Egyptian equivalent of Zeus. However, he is actually mentioned in the pyramid text from the Old Kingdom (5th Dynasty, Unas - line 558), which show him to be a primeval deity and a symbol of creative force. This text seems to assign great antiquity to his existence.

Anat, Mother of Gods by Taylor Ray Ellison

A major goddess of fertility, sexual love, hunting and war, the Goddess Anat was known among the Canaanites in prehistoric times, and was doubtless of considerable importance in that region. From the fertile agricultural area along the eastern Mediterranean coast, her cult spread throughout the Levant by the middle of the third millennium BC. Around the beginning of the Phoenician period (circa 1200 BC) Anat enjoyed a significant cult following. She was very prominent at Ugarit, a major religious center, and appears frequently in Ugaritic literary works incorporating mythical elements, in deity and offering lists, and in votive inscriptions.

Animals and the Gods of Ancient Egypt by Caroline Seawright

Anqet, The Embracer, Goddess of Fertility and the Nile at Aswan by Caroline Seawright 

Anqet (Anket, Anuket, Anjet, Anukis) was an Old Kingdom goddess related to the Nile in the Aswan area. She was 'She Who Embraces', a name indicating that she was probably thought to hold the Nile in her arms, and thus was related to the banks of the Nile as well. Originally a daughter of the sun god Ra, she became either the wife or the daughter of Khnum. She was also a goddess of the hunt whose sacred animal was the gazelle. Anqet was generally depicted as a woman wearing a tall headdress made either of reeds or of ostrich feathers, often holding a sceptre and the ankh symbol.

Egyptian towns usually had their own local sacred animal. It was thought that some gods and goddesses represented themselves on earth in the form of a single representative of a specific species, and honoring that species of animal would please the god or goddess associated with the animal

Anubis, God of Embalming and  Guide and Friend of the Dead By Caroline Seawright

Anubis (Inpew, Yinepu, Anpu) was an ancient Egyptian god of the underworld who guided and protected the spirits of the dead. He was known as the 'Lord of the Hallowed Land' - the necropolis - and Khenty Amentiu, 'Foremost of the Westerners' - the Land of the Dead was thought to be to the west, where the Egyptians buried their dead. (Khenty Amentiu was the name of a previous canine deity who was superseded by Anubis.) The worship of Anubis was an ancient one - it was probably even older than the worship of Osiris. In the pyramid texts of Unas, his role was already very clear - he was associated with the Eye of Horus and he was already thought to be the guide of the dead in the afterlife.

Apophis (Apep), the Enemy of Re by Jimmy Dunn

With the possible exception of Aten only during the Amarna Period, no single Egyptian god was considered to be really all powerful. Many lived with the threat of destruction, and even one of the greatest of Egyptian gods faced such threats every single night. Apophis (Egyptian Apep) was the great adversary of the sun god, Re and was the very embodiment of the powers of dissolution, darkness and non-being. Hence, he was a sort of void or "black hole" forcing those he swallowed into that non-existence which the Egyptians feared so greatly. Being completely outside of the natural world, he was believed to require no nourishment other than to "breathe" his own shouts. He was a huge serpent who was thought to have existed at the beginning of time in the waters of primeval chaos prior to creation and his power was so great that it was thought that he would continue to exist in an endlessly malevolent cycle of attack, defeat and resurgent attack.

Aten Before and After Akhenaten by Jimmy Dunn

The mythology of the Aten, the radiant disk of the sun, is not only unique in Egyptian history, but is also one of the most complex and controversial aspects of Ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptian term for the disk of the sun was Aten, which is first evidenced during the Middle Kingdom, though of course solar worship begins much earlier in Egyptian history. It should be noted however that this term initially could be applied to any disk, including even the surface of a mirror or the moon. The term was used in the Coffin Texts to denote the sun disk, but in the 'Story of Sinuhe' dating from the Middle Kingdom, the word is used with the determinative for god (Papyrus Berlin 10499). In that story, Amenemhat I is described as soaring into the sky and uniting with Aten his creator.

Atum, Lord of the Two Lands, Lord of Heliopolis by Jimmy Dunn

Atum was one of the main gods as well as one of the oldest in ancient Egypt. He was a creator and sun god, together with Re, Horakhty and Khepri. His name is derived from the verb tem, which has either a positive meaning, "the accomplished one", or a negative meaning, "the one who did not come to being yet". He is well attested from numerous textual and iconographic sources. In fact, he is one of the eight or nine most frequently mentioned gods in the Pyramid Texts so we have a good deal of very early information regarding his mythological roles and characteristics. Atum was the great primeval deity of Heliopolis, and his cult rose to importance as early as the Old Kingdom.

Baal, God of Thunder by Taylor Ray Ellison

The storm god, Baal, was a West Semitic import to Egypt. Late Bronze Age texts discovered at Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit) on the Levantine coast, from which his cult spread, indicate that by 1400 BC, Baal had displaced the god El to become the most important god in the local pantheon. However, the meaning of Baal is "owner" or "lord" and in the earliest of times it is questionable whether the word was used as a title for important local gods in general, or as a proper name to a specific god.

Bast, Perfume Protector, Cat Goddess by Caroline Seawright

Information on Bast, the Cat Goddess

The Benu (Bennu) by Jefferson Monet

Related to the verb weben (wbn), meaning "to rise", "rise in brilliance" or "shine" as well as ben-ben, the up thrust sacred stone of Heliopolis, benu (bennu) describes a bird that was an important avian deity. Originally of solar associations, the Benu bird came to be connected with three important gods consisting of Atum, Re and Osiris. As an aspect of Atum, the Benu bird was said to have flown over the waters of Nun before the original creation. According to this tradition, the bird came to rest on a rock from which its cry broke the primeval silence and this determined what was and what was not to be in the unfolding creation. The Benu, according to ancient Egyptian mythology, was also believed to be the ba of Re.

Bes, God-Demon of Protection, Childbirth and Entertainment by Caroline Seawright

Bes (Bisu, Aha) was an ancient Egyptian dwarf god who was a god of protection against evil with his tambourine or harp, swords, maces and knives. Previous to being given the name 'Bes', he was known as the demonic 'Aha' ('fighter') because of his ferocity - he was thought to have been able to strangle bears, lions, antelopes and snakes with his bare hands. In this role, despite being thought of as a demon, he was seen as a supporter of Ra, helping to defeat his serpent enemies. 

The Birth of Gods by Jimmy Dunn

We are able to study the gods of ancient Egypt very well back to the beginning of recorded history (around 3000 BC), and we can also find representations of divine powers back another millennium before the Egyptian began to write down their thoughts. However, since these earliest beginnings of religion in Egypt predate the written word, and the non-written evidence often comes from relatively uncertain contexts and settings and is difficult to interpret, the subject is open to differing opinions. Nevertheless, various evidence suggests that even very early Egyptians had concepts of spiritualism.

The Crocodile Cod, Sobek by Catherine C. Harris

The ancient goddess of war, Neith, was revered as the goddess of wisdom. At different periods she was identified with Athena, noted as the sister of Isis, and named the protector of Duamutef. Neith was the mother of Sobek, known as the crocodile god. Sobek was most popular in the city of Arsinoe. In fact, the Greeks renamed the city Crocodilopolis. Ancient Egyptians would keep crocodiles in pools and temples. They ornamented the crocodiles with jewels in honor of their beloved god, Sobek. The people of ancient Egypt worshiped Sobek in order to appease him, the crocodiles, and to insure the fertility of their people and crops. 

Death of Gods by Jimmy Dunn

There are actually many similarities between ancient Egyptian religion and our modern faiths, but one very distinct difference is that Egyptian gods had a finite 'birth' and 'death'. In fact, they could die, and then they could also cease to exist. What this means is that, like the Egyptians themselves, the gods could die and be resurrected, sometimes on a cyclical basis, but there would also be an end of time when they would permanently vanish from existence. To a certain extent, it is interesting that the Egyptians really even thought in terms of a beginning and ending of time. Certainly they must have wondered, as apparently most mankind has throughout our existence, about where we and our earth originated and one might suppose that this lead to thought about its eventual end.

Divine Cults of the Sacred Bulls by Anita Stratos

The Egyptian God, Hu by Catherine C. Harris

The Egyptian god Hu was one of the minor gods in some respects, but he was one of the most important gods for those serious about Egyptian deities. Hu is the power of the spoken word. He personifies the authority of utterance. One legend has it that the creator and Sun God, Re (Ra), evolved from the primeval waters of Egypt. Once alive, Re created the air (Shu) and the moisture (Tefnut). Next, the earth god, Geb and the sky goddess, Nut were created. Mortal men and women were created from the tears of Re. Re then drew blood from his own penis and created the gods Hu and Sia. These two gods represented the creative power of the gods. 

Exploring Isis by Catherine C. Harris 

The Egyptian goddess Isis is one of the most important goddesses of ancient Egypt, and she remains one of the most well known goddesses of this age. Isis is most well known for her role as devoted wife and mother. In the Osiris legend we can see the reasoning behind this pattern of thought.

Geb, God of Earth by Mark Andrews

As the God of the earth, Geb was one of the most important of ancient Egypt's gods. According to the Heliopolis doctrine, he came from a line of important gods. His parents were Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the goddess of moisture, who were in turn the children of Atum. Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys were the children of Geb and Nut, and together these gods made up the Heliopolitan Ennad.

Hapi, God of the Nile, Fertility, the North and South by Caroline Seawright

Hapi (Hep, Hap, Hapy) was probably a predynastic name for the Nile - later on, the Egyptians just called the Nile iterw, meaning 'the river' - and so it became the name of the god of the Nile. ('Nile' comes from the Greek corruption - Neilos - of the Egyptian 'nwy' which means 'water'.)

Hathor, Lady of Beauty by Judith Illes

Hathor, Goddess of Love, Music, Beauty by Caroline Seawright

Information on Hathor, Goddess of Love and Music.

Heh and Hauhet, Deities of infinity and Eternity by Caroline Seawright 

The Egyptians believed that before the world was formed, there was a watery mass of dark, directionless chaos. In this chaos lived the Ogdoad of Khmunu (Hermopolis), four frog gods and four snake goddesses of chaos. These deities were Nun and Naunet (water), Amen and Amaunet (invisibility), Heh and Hauhet (infinity) and Kek and Kauket (darkness). The water stretched infinitely off in all directions, as ever lasting as time itself. Heh and Hauhet came to symbolise infinity. After the Egyptians believed that time began, Heh and Hauhet came to symbolise limitless time, and long life.

Headdresses of the Ancient Egyptian Deities by Caroline Seawright 

The ancient Egyptian deities tended to each have a distinctive headdress, which can often be used to tell the gods and goddesses apart. The headdress seems to have been strongly linked to the attributes of the particular deity, giving the Egyptians a visual clue as to the powers of the god or goddess. This, then, lead to the mix up of headdresses when different deities took over the attributes and powers of another deity. To the Egyptians it made sense - they could easily tell what the god was worshiped for - but it makes things difficult to identify deities today. Here is a list of the most common headdresses or crowns of the deities of ancient Egypt.

Heqet, Frog Headed Goddess of Childbirth by Caroline Seawright

Heqet (Heket) was a goddess of childbirth, creation and grain germination. She was depicted as a frog, or a woman with the head of a frog, betraying her connection with water. As a water goddess, she was also a goddess of fertility where she was particularly associated with the later stages of labour. In this way, the title of "Servants of Heqet" may have been a title applied to her priestesses who were trained as midwives. 

Heryshef, Ruler of the Riverbanks by Jefferson Monet

Heryshaf was a Ram-god who was prominent in Middle Egypt at ancient Hnes (modern Ihnasya el-Medina) on the west bank of the Nile near Beni Suef. His cult apparently, as recorded on the annals inscribed on the Palermo Stone, existed at this location as early as the 1st Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. However, the earliest cult site that can be attributed to him (at Hnes) is a temple that dates to the Middle Kingdom (12th Dynasty).

Horus, the God of Kings by Jimmy Dunn

From the very earliest of times, the falcon seems to have been worshipped in Egypt as representative of the greatest cosmic powers. 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. Horus is one of ancient Egypt's best known gods, as well as one of its oldest.

Iabet, Cleanser of Re, Personification of the East by Caroline Seawright

Iabet (Iabtet, Iab, Abet, Abtet, Ab) was the goddess of the Eastern Desert, of fertility and rebirth. She was a personification of the land of the east - iabt - and was known as Khentet-Iabet (Khentet-abet), 'Before the East'. She was believed to wash the god Re, and was linked to the rising of the sun in the east. The chthonic goddess of the East, Iabet, who is far less important than her counterpart of the West, Amentet, does appear together with her in New Kingdom private tombs, on coffins and sarcophagi, and on funerary papyri in scenes relating to the course of the sun (variants are Isis = Amentet and Nephthys = Iabet). She is virtually absent in royal tombs of the New Kingdom (possibly present in the Amduat, 1st hour).

Isis, Sister of Nephthys, Mistress of Magic by Caroline Seawright

Unlike her twin sister Nephthys, Isis (Ast, Aset) is one of the most famous goddesses of ancient Egypt. Her worship originated in Africa, was nurtured and refined in Egypt, then spread through the ancient world by the Greek tourists the Romans conquerors.

Kek and Kauket, Deities of Darkness, Obscurity and Night by Caroline Seawright

The Egyptians believed that before the world was formed, there was a watery mass of dark, directionless chaos. In this chaos lived the Ogdoad of Khmunu (Hermopolis), four frog gods and four snake goddesses of chaos. These deities were Nun and Naunet (water), Amun and Amaunet (invisibility), Heh and Hauhet (infinity) and Kek and Kauket (darkness). The chaos existed without the light, and thus Kek and Kauket came to represent this darkness. They also symbolized obscurity, the kind of obscurity that went with darkness, and night.

Khephir, God of the Sun, Creation, Life and Resurrection by Mark Andrews

Khephir (also Kheper or Khepera or Khepri) was the Egyptian patron god of the sun, creation, life and resurrection.  This god appeared as a scarab-headed man, a scarab or a man wearing a scarab as a crown. In some funerary papyri, he is shown as a scarab in a boat held aloft by Nun.  In Petosiris Tom at Tuna el-Gebel, the god is shown wearing an atef crown of the god Osiris.We known of Khephir from at least the 5th Dynasty (2494-2345 BC) from a pyramid text that invokes the sun to appear in the name of Khephir.

Khnum, Potter God of the Inundation Silt and Creation by Caroline Seawright

Khnum (Khenmew, Khnemu, Khenmu, Chnum), from the Egyptian 'unite', 'join' or 'build', was an ancient deity of fertility, water and the great potter who created children and their ka at their conception. He was mentioned in the pyramid texts and the pyramid builder Khufu's name was actually 'Khnum-Khufu' meaning 'Khnum is his Protector'. His cult was popular before the cult of Ra eclipsed it. The next pyramid builders were his son and grandson who added 'Ra' to their names - Khafra and Menkaura. Khnum was possibly even a predynastic god.

Khonsu, The Lunar God who Came to Greatness by Jimmy Dunn

The name of the moon god, Khonsu, was at first thought to have been derived from the elements kh (placenta) and nesu (king), as a personification of the royal placenta, but it is now generally believed to be based on the verb, khenes, meaning "to cross over" or "traverse", related to "he who traverses [the sky]". Khonsu might be considered a fine lesson in ancient Egyptian religion. Many novices interested in this theology at first see it as a static religion, but indeed, over time and in various regions it was very different. The moon god Khonsu illustrates this fact, for his earliest attested character became considerably altered by the New Kingdom at Thebes (modern Luxor), where he appears as the benign son of Amun and Mut.

Maahes, God of War and Protection, The Leonine Lord of Slaughter by Caroline Seawright 

Maahes (Mahes, Mihos, Miysis, Mysis) was the ancient Egyptian lion-god of war. Both a god of war and a guardian and a lord of the horizon. He was believed to help Ra fight against Apep in the solar barque each night, a god who protected the pharaoh while he was in battle. By Greek times, he was attributed as being a god of storms and winds. He also had links to perfumes and oils. Maahes was a god who seems to have first appeared in the New Kingdom, and is thought to have been a deity of foreign origin. Usually depicted as a lion-headed man carrying a knife or a sword, Maahes sometimes wore the atef crown or the solar disk and uraeus on his head.

Ma'at, Goddess of Truth, Balance, Order by Caroline Seawright

Information on Ma'at, Goddess of truth, balance and order.

Male Child Deities of Ancient Egypt by Jefferson Monet

Male child deities in ancient Egypt overlapped considerably in both their mythology and worship. Sometimes they were worshipped in both their forms as children and adults, though that was rare. They usually were the male children of major deities, and so such child gods frequently played a role related to the divine conception and birth of the king. Some were associated with the mammisis, or 'birth houses' that were found in later temples. Probably one of the best known of the child deities was Horus the Child, which was actually a name given to a number of related forms of divine infant.

Mehet-Weret, Celestial Cow Goddess of Water, Creation and Rebirth by Caroline Seawright

Mehet-Weret (Mehetweret, Mehitweret, Mehit-Weret, Methyer, Mehueret, Mehturt, Meh-Urt) was the goddess of streaming water, a goddess related to creation and to rebirth. Her name means "Great Flood" or "Great Tide", linking her with water and the primeval waters of Nun. In the Old Kingdom, she was believed to have helped the pharaoh and Re reach the sky, by way of the Nile in the underworld. She was pictured as a cow, lying on a reed mat, or as a woman with the head of a cow, or as a beautiful woman. Often she was depicted wearing the sun disk headdress between her horns. She also sometimes is shown wearing a Menat. (The menat, a necklace with a special counterweight, is not actually jewelry but a musical instrument sacred to Hathor.)

Meretseger, Goddess of Punishment and Mercy by Caroline Seawright 

Meretseger (Mertseger, Merseger, Mereseger) was the ancient Egyptian goddess of the necropolis at Waset (Thebes). She watched over the deceased in their tombs, protecting them and their belonging from tomb robbers. She also protected the area from criminals and oath breakers, striking all those with evil intent down with snakebites or with blindness. The workmen of Deir el Medina feared her wrath, begging for her forgiveness and a cure for blindness or venomous bites, believing that she had struck them down. They believed she was a merciful goddess who would cure them if they were repentant

Min, God of Fertility, Power and the Eastern Desert by Caroline Seawright

Min (Menew, Amsu) was one of the Egyptian gods worshiped from predynastic times. The earliest forms of the god - his fetish - was of a barbed arrow or a thunderbolt. Min was always a god of fertility, and so has was associated with the Egyptian cos lettuce - an aphrodisiac to the ancient Egyptians because the lettuce was tall, straight and secreted a milky substance when pressed!

Minor Deities of the Netherworld by Jefferson Monet

Egyptologists often use the term "Demon" to describe what are called minor deities, though this term actually has no corresponding Egyptian word, and in fact these minor deities were at times beneficial. Hence, some Egyptologists refer to them as genies. Usually, these deities were subordinate to the major gods and goddesses, and were relegated to specific tasks and functions, behavior and location. Such deities were frequently associated with caves, gates, pits and tombs, as well as bodies of water, all of which were considered entrances into the underworld.

Mixed Representations of Ancient Egyptian Gods by Jimmy Dunn

The first Egyptian gods were probably thought to be manifested in animals, and so that was the form in which representations of the earliest gods were depicted. However, they soon took on a number of different forms, including human, and inanimate objects. Another form was a mixture, usually with animal heads and human bodies, though this never superseded purely animal forms of the gods, or those with completely human form. This mixed form of animal and human caused an early and passionate rejection of Egyptian religion during the classical period. This type of iconography is characteristic of and important to the Egyptian image of the gods, and yet it has often and completely been misunderstood.

Montu, Solar and Warrior God by Taylor Ray Ellison 

Throughout the world in ancient times, man worshipped the sun. We find monuments to the sun gods all over the world, but in Egypt we really begin to get a feel for just how the sun dominated early theology. In Egypt, at various locations and apparently somewhat independently, the worship of the sun developed with gods of various names. So many of Egypt's deities were associated with the sun in some way that it is difficult to identify them, and their various forms became very complex. Montu, who we generally identify as an ancient war god in Egypt, actually originated in the form of a local solar god in Upper (southern) Egypt, apparently at Hermonthis (City of the Sun). His worship seems to have been exported to Thebes during the 11th Dynasty.

Mut, Mother Goddess of the New Kingdom, Wife of Amen, Vulture Goddess by Caroline Seawright 

Mut (Maut) was the mother goddess, the queen of the gods at Waset (Thebes), arising in power with the god Amen. She came to represent the Eye of Ra, the ferocious goddess of retribution and daughter of the sun god Ra. Originally a local goddess, probably from the delta area, she became a national goddess during the New Kingdom and was adored at one of the most popular festivals at the time - the Festival of Mut. She was either depicted as a woman, sometimes with wings, or a vulture, usually wearing the crowns of royalty - she was often shown wearing the double crown of Egypt or the vulture headdress of the New Kingdom queens. Later she was shown as woman with the head of a lioness, as a cow or as a cobra as she took on the attributes of the other Egyptian goddesses. The ancient Egyptian link between vultures and motherhood lead to her name being the ancient Egyptian word for mother - mwt.

Nefertem, Ancient Lord of Perfume by Judith Illes

Information on Neferterm, ancient Lord of Perfume

Nehebkau, the God who Joined the Ka to the Body, God of Protection and Magic by Caroline Seawright 

Nehebkau (Nehebu-Kau, Nehebkhau), 'He Who Unites the Kas', was a benevolent snake god who the Egyptians believed was one of the original primeval gods. He was linked to the sun god, swimming around in the primeval waters before creation, then bound to the sun god when time began. He was a god of protection who protected the pharaoh and all Egyptians, both in life and in the afterlife. He was depicted in the form of a snake with arms and legs, occasionally with wings. He is sometimes shown holding containers of food in his hands, in offering to the deceased. Less often, he is shown as a two headed snake, with a head at each end of the reptilian body.

Nekhbet, Goddess of Upper Egypt, Childbirth and Protector of Pharaoh By Caroline Seawright

Nekhbet was given the title the 'White Crown', and depicted with this crown, because of her link with the rulership of Upper Egypt. By dynastic times, she was more a personification than an actual goddess and so Nekhbet was often used (with Uatchet) as a heraldic device around the sun disk or the royal name and were part of the royal insignia. The earliest found representation of the nebty title was in the reign of Anedjib, a pharaoh of the 1st Dynasty. From the 18th Dynasty onwards, she began to be represented as protecting the royal women in the form of one of the twin uraei on the headdresses of the queens.

Information on Nephthys, the sister of Isis and Mistress of the House

Nit (Neith), Goddess of Weaving, War, Hunting and the Red Crown, Creator Deity, Mother of Ra by Caroline Seawright 

Nit (Net, Neit, Neith) was the predynastic goddess of war and weaving, the goddess of the Red Crown of Lower Egypt and the patron goddess of Zau (Sau, Sai, Sais) in the Delta. In later times she was also thought to have been an androgynous demiurge - a creation deity - who had both male and female attributes. The Egyptians believed her to be an ancient and wise goddess, to whom the other gods came if they could not resolve their own disputes. Generally depicted as a woman, Nit was shown either wearing her emblem - either a shield crossed with two arrows, or a weaving shuttle - or the Red Crown of Lower Egypt. Nit was probably linked with the crown of Lower Egypt.

Nun and Naunet, Deities of Chaos and Water by Caroline Seawright

The Egyptians believed that before the world was formed, there was a watery mass of dark, directionless chaos. In this chaos lived the Ogdoad of Khmunu (Hermopolis), four frog gods and four snake goddesses of chaos. These deities were Nun (Nu) and Naunet (water), Amen and Amaunet (invisibility), Heh and Hauhet (infinity) and Kek and Kauket (darkness).

Nut, Sky Goddess, Mother of the Gods by Caroline Seawright

To the ancient Egyptians Nut (Nuit) was the personification of the sky (originally she was a goddess of just the sky at day, where the clouds formed) and the heavens. She was believed to be the daughter of the gods Shu and Tefnut, the granddaughter of the sun god Ra.

The Egyptian War God Onuris by Jefferson Monet

A god of war and hunting who originated at This (the Thinite region) near Abydos, Anhur (Han-her, Inhert)), was more commonly known by his Greek name, Onuris (Onouris). His name (Anhur) literally means "he who leads back the distant one" (which might also mean "Sky Bearer"), which appears to reference the mythical manner in which this god is said to have journeyed to Nubia in order to bring back the leonine "Eye of Re", who became his consort as the lioness-goddess Mekhit. This legend is paralleled by another surrounding the god Shu at Heliopolis, who was supposed to have also brought back the fearsome "eye" as his own consort, Tefnut. However, the name Anhur suggests that the tradition may have originated with him. This nevertheless led to Anhur often being equated with Shu and also to his link to the sun god under the epithet, "son of Re"

Opet (Ipet, Apet) Goddess and Mother of Osiris by Jimmy Dunn

Opet (Apet, Ipet, Ipy) was a benign hippopotamus goddess known as a protective and nourishing deity. Her name seems to mean 'harem' or 'favored place'. Our first reference to her comes from the Pyramid Texts, where the king asks that he may nurse at her breast so that he would "neither thirst nor hunger...forever". Afterwards, she is called "mistress of magical protection" in funerary papyri. Under the epithet 'the great Opet', she is fused to some extent with Taweret, 'the great one', but she never completely losses all of her independent characteristics, irregardless of the fact that many modern texts completely assimilate her with Taweret. She appears to have had a very strong connection with the Theban area and might have even been considered a personification of that city.

Ptah, God of Craftsmen, Rebirth and Creation by Caroline Seawright 

Ptah (Pteh, Peteh) was the predynastic Mennefer (Hikuptah, Memphis) god of craftsmen, pottery and creation. The Egyptians believed that he was a god who created everything from artifacts to the world egg to the other deities themselves. The Opening of the Mouth ceremony was believed to have been devised by him. He was a god of creation and rebirth. Ptah was usually depicted as a bearded mummiform man, wearing a close fitting skull cap. Only his hands come out of his shroud, and he was usually shown holding a staff that incorporated the djed pillar, the ankh symbol and the was scepter.

The Ram in Ancient Egypt by Taylor Ray Ellison

The ram, like the bull, was perhaps even more venerated by the ancient Egyptians for its fertility, as well as for its warlike attributes. As a temple animal at such locations as Mendes and Karnak, a single animal appears to have been cared for and treated very similar to the holiest of god's statues within the temple. These individual rams were almost certainly taken to visit the gods at other temples, and could give oracles (usually by some act to a yes or no question).

Re (Ra) and Re-Horakhty by Jimmy Dunn 

Re (Ra) was the Egyptian sun god who was also often referred to as Re-Horakhty, meaning Re (is) Horus of the Horizon, referring to the god's character. The early Egyptians believed that he created the world, and the rising sun was, for them, the symbol of creation. The daily cycle, as the sun rose, then set only to rise again the next morning, symbolized renewal and so Re was seen as the paramount force of creation and master of life. His closest ally is Ma'at, the embodiment of order and truth.

Renenutet, Goddess of Suckling, the Name and Protection by Caroline Seawright

Renenutet (Renenet, Ernutet, Termuthis), "She Who Rears", was a cobra goddess of nursing or rearing children, fertility and protector of the pharaoh. Known as the "Nourishing Snake", she not only was a goddess who was sometimes shown nursing a child, but she offered her protection to the pharaoh in the land of the dead. In later times she was thought to be the goddess who presided over the eighth month of the Egyptian calendar, known by Greek times as Parmutit.

Sah and Sopdet (Sothis) The Astral God and Goddess by Jefferson Monet

The god Sah and his consort, Sopdet (Spdt, Sepedet), who is probably better known by her Greek name, Sothis, personified the constellation of Orion (which he is sometimes referred to) and the bright, first magnitude star Sirius (the "dog star") respectively. Orion was, to the ancient Egyptians, the most distinctive of all the constellations in the night sky, and it rose directly before the adjacent star Sirius, thus explaining the connection between these two ancient gods from a very early date. Orion was imagined as being swallowed at dawn by the Underworld but had the power to emerge again into the night sky. Their son was Soped (Sopdu, Horus Spd), who was another astral deity. They came to be viewed as manifestations of Osiris and Isis.

Satet, Archer-Goddess of the Inundation and the Nile Cataracts by Caroline Seawright 

Depicted as a woman, Satet was often shown wearing the crown of the south - Upper Egypt - and a pair of long antelope horns. She was originally worshiped as an antelope goddess. She was sometimes shown carrying a bow and arrows. More often she was shown carrying a sceptre and the ankh symbol. As a goddess of the hunt, she was also believed to be a protector of Egypt and of the pharaoh. It was her arrows that protected the southern border, keeping the enemies at bay. Yet she was more closely linked to water than to the bow and arrow. There may be a connection between water and the bow and arrows she sometimes was shown to wield.

Sekhmet, Powerful One, Sun Goddess, Destructor by Caroline Seawright

The lion-headed goddess Sekhmet (Sakhmet, Sekhet) was a member of the Memphite Triad, thought to be the wife of Ptah and mother of Nefertem (though the motherhood of Nefertem was in dispute - Bast and Wadjet were touted as his mother in their respective cities).

Serapis (Sarapis), the Composite God by Jefferson Monet

Simply put, Serapis (Sarapis, Zaparrus) was an invented god. He was a composite of several Egyptian and Hellenistic deities who was introduced to the world at the beginning of the Ptolemaic (Greek) Period in Egypt during the reign of Ptolemy I, though his legacy lasted well into the Roman period. Thus, he was meant to form a bridge between the Greek and Egyptian religion in a new age in which their respective gods were bought face to face with each other, so that both Egyptians and Greeks could find union in a specific supreme entity. 

Serqet, Goddess of Scorpions and Venomous Creatures, Magical Protection and the Afterlife by Caroline Seawright 

Serqet (Serket, Selqet, Selket, Selkit, Selkis) was the ancient Egyptian scorpion goddess of magic. As with other dangerous goddesses, she was both a protective goddess, and one who punished the wrong doers with her burning wrath. She could punish those with the poison of a scorpion or snake, causing breathlessness and death, or she could protect against the same venom. Yet just as she could kill, she was thought to give breath to the justified dead, helping them be reborn in the afterlife. Serqet was often shown as a woman with a scorpion on her head, and occasionally as a scorpion with the head of a woman, though this was rare.

Seshat, Female Scribe, Goddess of Writing Measurements by Caroline Seawright

Seshat (Sashet, Sesheta), meaning 'female scribe', was seen as the goddess of writing, historical records, accounting and mathematics, measurement and architecture to the ancient Egyptians. She was depicted as a woman wearing a panther-skin dress (the garb of the funerary stm priests) and a headdress that was also her hieroglyph which may represent either a stylized flower or seven pointed star on a standard that is beneath a set of down-turned horns.

Set (Seth), God of Storms, Slayer of Apep, Equal to and Rival of Horus by Caroline Seawright

Set (Seth, Setekh, Sut, Sutekh, Suty) was one of ancient Egypt's earliest gods, a god of chaos,
confusion, storms, wind, the desert and foreign lands. In the Osiris legends, he was a contender to the throne of Osiris and rival to Horus, but a companion to the sun god Ra. Originally worshiped and seen as an ambivalent being, during the Third Intermediate Period the people vilified him and turned him into a god of evil. 

Shai, God of Fate and Destiny by Caroline Seawright

Shai (Shay, Schai, Schay) was the ancient Egyptian god of fate and destiny. He was both a personification of these concepts as well as a deity - the Egyptians believed that he was 'born' with each individual, yet he was also a god. During the New Kingdom he appeared in the Book of the Dead, shown in the judgement scene in the Halls of Ma'ati. He was a god related to birth in the world and rebirth in the underworld. As a god of destiny and fortune, Shai could be a positive or negative influence. He could protect an individual, or he could bring misfortune down on the individual. He could be an ambivalent deity, and the Egyptians believed that he followed a person from the moment of birth through to the judgement in the afterlife.

Shesmu, Demon-God of the Win Press, Oils and Slaughterer of the Damned by Caroline Seawright

Shesmu (Shezmu, Shesemu, Shezmou, Shesmou, Sezmu, Sesmu, Schesmu, Schezemu) was an ancient Egyptian demon-god of the underworld. He was a slaughtering demon, god of precious oils for beauty and embalming and a god of the wine press. He was thought to be a helper of the justified dead, offering them alcoholic red wine to drink. Yet he was also seen to be a demon who would tear off the head of a wrongdoer, throwing the head into the wine press to squeeze out the blood as if it was grape juice

Shu, Holder of the Sky, God of the Air, Wind, Sunlight and Protection by Caroline Seawright 

Shu (Su) was the god of dry air, wind and the atmosphere. He was also related to the sun, possibly as an aspect of sunlight. He was the son of the creator god, father of the twin sky and the earth deities and the one who held the sky off of the earth. He was one of the gods who protected Ra on his journey through the underworld, using magic spells to ward off Ra's enemy, the snake-demon Apep. As with other protector gods, he had a darker side - he was also a god of punishment in the land of the dead, leading executioners and torturers to kill off the corrupt souls. His name might be derived from the word for dryness - shu, the root of words such as 'dry', 'parched', 'withered', 'sunlight' and 'empty'. His name could also mean 'He who Rises Up'.

Sobek, God of Crocodiles, Power, Protection and Fertility by Caroline Seawright 

Sobek (Sobeq, Sebek, Sochet, Suchos) was an ancient god of crocodiles, first mentioned in the Pyramid Texts. His worship lasted till Roman times, the people of Egypt worshiping him to gain his protection and strength, or reviling him and killing the crocodiles of the area because of the evil that they could do. To his worshipers, he was a god who created the Nile, a god of fertility and rebirth, and the symbolic strength of the ruler of Egypt. Depicted either as a crocodile-headed man or as a full crocodile, Sobek was shown wearing a plumed headdress with a horned sun disk or the atef crown. In his hands he was shown to carry a was scepter and the ankh sign of life. His sacred animal, the crocodile, was both revered and reviled by the people of Egypt.

Sokar was an ancient falcon god in the environs of Memphis who perhaps was originally associated with craftsmanship. However, he came to be a god of the necropolis of that area and rose, in time, to considerable importance as a chthonic and afterlife deity. The Pyramid Texts frequently mention the god in an afterlife context where the deceased king is said to be raised into the "henu barque" of Sokar and equated with Osiris, but only after the rise of Osiris to importance. The Pyramid Texts describe Sokar as a god active in the rebirth of the king and in the ceremonies of confirmation and transfer of royal power.

Sopdet, Goddess of Sirius, new Year and the Inundation by Caroline Seawright

Sopdet (Sepdet, Sothis) personified the 'dog star' Sirius. This star was the most important of the stars to the ancient Egyptians, and the heliacal rising of this star came at the time of inundation and the start of the Egyptian New Year. As a goddess of the inundation, she was a goddess of fertility. She also was linked to the pharaoh and his journey in the afterlife. She was represented as a woman with a star on top of her headdress, or as a seated cow with a plant between her horns (just as Seshat's hieroglyph might have been a flower or a star) as depicted on an ivory tablet of King Djer. The plant may have been symbolic of the year, and thus linking her to the yearly rising of Sirius and the New Year.

The Syncretism of Egyptian Gods  by Jefferson Monet

In order to understand the gods of ancient Egypt, one must understand syncretism. This is the Egyptian practice of linking, or combining different deities into the body or identity of a single entity (often, but not always with a composite form), which became more and more common with the passage of time. In form, most commonly, the god's names were simply linked, creating synchronized gods such as Atum-Khepri, Re-Horakhty, and Amun-Re. This process could also bring together Egyptian and foreign gods. Anat-Hathor was an Asiatic-Egyptian god, while Arensnuphis-Shu was the combination of Meroitic and Egyptian deities.

Taweret, Goddess Demoness of Birth, Rebirth and the Northern Sky by Caroline Seawright

Taweret (Taueret, Taurt, Toeris, Ipy, Ipet, Apet, Opet, Reret) - The Great Female - was the ancient Egyptian goddess of maternity and childbirth, protector of women and children. Like Bes, she was both a fierce demonic fighter as well as a popular deity who guarded the mother and her newborn child. She was depicted as a combination of a crocodile, a pregnant hippopotamus standing on her hind legs with large breasts and a lion. Unlike the composite demoness Ammut, her head and body were that of the hippo, her paws were that of the lion, and her back was the back of a crocodile. All of these animals were man killers, and as such she was a demoness. 

Tatenen, "Father of Gods" and the God of the Rising Earth by Taylor Ray Ellison

The Egyptian god Tatenen, sometimes written as Tatjenen, symbolizes the emergence of silt from the fertile Nile after the waters of the inundation recede. The meaning of his name is uncertain but may possibly mean "the rising earth" or "exalted earth". He is usually depicted as entirely human (though with the beard of a god) in appearance, though he may be shown wearing a twisted ram's horn with two tall plumes (ostrich feathers), sometimes surmounted with sun disks, on his head. However, his face and limbs are often painted green in order to represent his connection as a god of vegetation.

Tefnut, Goddess of Moisture and the Moon, and Dryness and the Sun by Caroline Seawright 

Tefnut was generally shown as a woman with a lion's head, or as a full lioness. She was occasionally shown as a woman, but this is rare. She was shown with the solar disk and uraeus, linking her with the sun. She was often shown holding a sceptre and the ankh sign of life. Related to moisture, she was also linked to the moon, as were other deities of moisture and wetness. She was originally thought to be the Lunar Eye of Ra and thus linked to the night sky as well as to dew, rain and mist. As with other water deities, she took on some form of a goddess of creation. As the 'Tongue of Ptah', she was one of the gods in Mennefer (Hikuptah, Memphis) who helped Ptah - that city's main god - with creation by carrying out his will.

Thoth, God of the Moon, Magic and Writing by Caroline Seawright

The wisest of the Egyptian gods was Thoth (Djhuty, Djehuty, Tehuty), the baboon and ibis god of the moon. Thoth was the god who overcame the curse of Ra, allowing Nut to give birth to her five children, with his skill at games. It was he who helped Isis work the ritual to bring Osiris back from the dead, and who drove the magical poison of Set from her son, Horus with the power of his magic. He was Horus' supporter during the young god's deadly battle with his uncle Set, helping Horus with his wisdom and magic.

Tree Goddesses by Taylor Ray Ellison

At various locals in the in the ancient world, trees were associated with different gods, and Egypt was certainly no exception. We know of no trees, or for that matter other vegetation in Egypt that was honored as specific gods as were bulls or rams, for example. Nevertheless, various vegetation was connected to gods and goddess in one way or another, or generally to Egyptian religion and specifically the afterlife. There were several deities that were associated with trees, a rare commodity in Egypt. Horus was associated with the acacia, while Osiris and Re were tied with the willow and the sycamore, respectively.

Wadjet, Goddess of Lower Egypt, Papyrus, and Protector of Pharaoh... by Caroline Seawright 

Often shown as a rearing cobra, she was a protector of the pharaoh, ready to strike and kill his enemies. She was also depicted as a woman-headed cobra, a winged cobra, a lion-headed woman, or a woman wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt. She was often shown together with Nekhbet who was in an identical form - as a snake or woman - or paired together with Wadjet as a snake and Nekhbet as a vulture.

Wadjet, The Serpent Goddess by Catherine C. Harris

Wepwawet, the Jackal God by Taylor Ray Ellison 

It was not unusual in ancient Egypt for more then one god to take the same form, with similar functions as another god. Wepwawet (Ophios, Upuaut), called the son of Isis, was one of several Egyptian deities to take the form of a canine, today often incorrectly identified as a wolf. Egyptologists now believe that he was more likely associated with the jackal, though he is often depicted with a gray or white head. Like Anubis, Wepwawet was also a funerary deity, and was one of the earliest of the gods worshipped at Abydos. Early on, Wepwawet's worship paralleled that of Khentyamentiu, but when Osiris absorbed that god's attributes, Anubis filled his funerary role. However, with the rise of the solar cult, particularly during the 12th Dynasty, Osiris was limited to the underworld and the local god and lord of the cemetery at Abydos was filled by Wepwawet, who gained the titles, "Lord of Abydos" and Lord of the Necropolis". 

Who Put the Hiss in Isisss by deTraci Regula

Isis and the serpents share a long history. In the beginning, the word for "deity" was composed of the god or goddess's name and the small image of a snake, most likely a cobra. There is some speculation that the pharaohs of Egypt were ritually sacrificed at the end of their term, and that the Sed festival, or jubilee, was originally the moment of truth for the pharaoh, who would celebrate his reign and then accept the bite of a poisonous asp.

Yah, the Other Egyptian Moon God by Jimmy Dunn

Many topics in ancient Egyptian religion can be fraught with complexities. Trying to understand the changing roles of gods such as Re, Osiris and Amun are difficult if not impossible with the limited text available to us today. However, there are none of these more difficult, or certainly more controversial than the Moon God, Yah. It is not only interesting, but very relevant that the earliest references to the name Yah (Yaeh) refer to the moon as a satellite of the earth in its physical form.

Ye Gods by David C. Scott

Perhaps no other part of the world has witnessed more religions and systems of belief than Egypt. For Jews, Christians, and Muslims it is part of the Holy Land, occupying a revered place in both their history and in their theology. Yet Egypt's religious tradition goes back even further, into the mists of prehistory. ..

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