Stories that held a nation together When someone says "Egyptian," you think about pyramids and the desert and mummies, right? But, as any Egyptologist will tell you, there is so much more to these ancient people. Their system of worship is rooted by their belief that the pharaoh was a god. They, like the Aztec, had many deities, over 600. Certain gods were worshipped by a family, others by all of Egypt. But, there are a few that are remembered even today, over 3000 years later. Alten: Alten was the god who created the sun-disk. He was, at one point, the only god worshipped in Egypt. Amun: Anun was the god of air and war, and the creation god in some creation myths. Anubis: Anubis was the god of embalming (mummification), and the guide and judge of the dead. He is most well known for his head, which looks like a jackal's. Bes: Bes was a god worshipped by certain households, and he was a god of love, marrige, and dancing. Geb: Geb was the earth god and the husband of Nut. He was the father of Isis, Osiris, Set, and Nepathys. Hathor: Hathor was the goddess of a long list of things: love, birth, death, music, and pleasure. She is sometimes associated with Aphrodite. Horus: Horus was the god of the sky who had a falcon's head. He is the son of Isis and Osiris, and was the one who destroyed Set. Isis: Isis is the goddess of life (A bit ironic, considering her husband is Osiris) who guarded sarcophagi and canopic jars. She was considered the "Divine Mother." Khnum: Khnum was a local god of the city Cataract. He, much like Prometheus, was said to have sculpted life on his pottery wheel. Nepathys: Nepathys was the goddess of the dead and the wife of Set. Nut: Nut was the goddess of the sky, husband of Geb, and mother to Nepathys, Isis, Osiris, and Set. Osiris: Osiris was the god of the dead and of vegetation. He ruled over the yearly floods of the Nile. He also became the king of the dead, in a long battle that has become a well-known myth. Ra: Ra was the god of the sun. The legends say he walked a path a cross the sky during the day, and each night he died and walked through the underworld, only to be reborn in the morning. Sabek: Sabek was the god of the Nile and flooding, somewhat like Osiris. He was a crocodile god as well. Set: Set (also known as Seth) was the god of storms and violence. His wife was Nepathys. His worst enemies were his brother Osiris and his nephew Horus. Thoth: Thoth was the god of wisdom and math, as well as the moon. He was the patron (main) god of the scribes. He also starred in some of the Hermopolitan creation myths. The legends dispute how he was born; either he was Horus's son, or was born from Set's head, like Athena was born from Zeus's head. Upuat: Upuat was the deity that guided the dead to the underworld. http://www.egyptianmyths.net/ is a website full of information about Egyptian mythology, from myths and gods to symbols and the enviornment. |  Below: Anubis   Above: Isis Below: Ra  |
