By Thomas Falzon Ancient Egypt GODS AND GODDESES

Ra -Sun God Sun worship and pyramids The sun was as important as the Nile It was believed that the sun was born in the morning and died each night He was the most important god of all gods.

Anubis God of Embalming: Mummies He invented the mummification process. He had a human body with a black jackals head. Sometimes embalmers wore Anubis masks when at work He accompanied the dead from life into the afterlife.

Osiris : First pharaoh and tamer of the land Egyptians believed that the God known as Osiris was the first pharaoh. He taught the early Egyptians to farm. He turned deserts into lands where animals could graze. Eventually took over position as the god of the dead from Anubis

Horus God of kingship: Government and administration Son of Osiris and Isis He became divine protector and god of every pharaoh

Amun King of the gods: Karnak temple Amun is one of the greatest gods of the Egyptian era. By the time the new kingdom had been built he was king of all gods. It was said that Ra and Amun joined forces and were sometimes called Amun-Ra. His name means ‘the hidden one’.

Bes God of family and health: The Egyptian home Bes protected the home and was God of family life. He was favored by women and mothers His image was painted on to bedroom furniture to ensure good night’s rest and to protect you from nightmares.

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 her 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.

Thoth God of wisdom: Writing and scribes Thoth was usually shown as a man with the head of a ibis bird but could be shown as a total ibis bird or a baboon. Both were sacred to him. In temples dedicated to him thousands of ibis were bred in captivity and most were mummified. At the temple Hermopolis, there is a cemetery for mummified baboons buried in tunnels.

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.

Hathor Goddess of festivals: Music and feasting Hathor has one of the best loved goddess of all time. This is because she was associated with Love, happiness, music and festivals. She was described in three different ways: A woman wearing a head dress of a sun disk with two cow horns either side of the sun disk; A woman with little cow ears sticking out of a curly wig or a cow. She was mother to pharaohs and they were sometimes called ‘son of hathor’

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.

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.

References McCall Henrietta, Gods & Goddesses in the Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians, 2002, Hodder Wyland. Ashworth Leon, Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, 2006, Evans publishing Group.