Egyptian Gods
There were many Gods and deities in ancient Egypt and they all had their own jobs and different responsibilities. Some common Gods are Thoth, Ra, Sobek, Osiris, Horus, Anubis, Hathor and Seth.
Thoth
Thoth was the God of writing, knowledge and wisdom. He was sometimes even known as the god of scribes. The ancient Egyptians believed that Thoth gave them the gift of hieroglyphic writing. He was also connected with the moon and was one of the god of the moon.
Thoth had the head of an ibis and holds a writing palette, pen and scroll. His body looked similar to a baboon.
Because of Thoth’s invention of writing, the ancient Egyptian scribes would worship him.
Ra
Ra was the god of creation, the sun and the solar system. The ancient Egyptians believed that he was swallowed every night by, Nut, the goddess of the sky and was reborn every morning. Nut’s job was to protect Ra.
Ra’s responsibility was to care for the earth because he was the creator of it.
He has a head of a hawk and a headdress that is a disk of the sun. Ra was the most important and most respected god of the ancient Egyptians and they would worship him very often.
Sobek
Sobek was the god of the Nile River. He was also called the crocodile god as he had a head of a crocodile and a headdress of feathers with a sun-disk. Sobek was mostly worshipped at the city of Arsinoe and live crocodiles were kept in pools at temples, built to honour him. Sobek was known to represent four other gods as well, Ra, Osiris, Geb and Shu. As told in ‘The Book Of The Dead’, Sobek assisted with the birth of Horus.
Osiris
Osiris was the god of the dead and the ruler of the afterlife. Not only is he the god of the dead, like he is commonly known as, he is also the god of resurrection and fertility. The ancient Egyptians believed that Osiris gave them one of their most important crops, barley.
Osiris was the first child of Nut and Geb, and the brother of Seth, Nephthys and Isis. He was murdered by Seth and Isis brought him back to life. Because he was the first living thing to die, he became the god of the dead. Prayers and spells were addressed to Osiris throughout Egyptian history, so they could hope to receive his blessing when entering the afterlife.
Osiris was a mummified man wearing a white cone-like headdress with feathers.
Horus
Horus was the god of the sky and the guardian of the pharaoh. His name means, ‘the one far above’. The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was the 'living Horus'.
Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris. After Osiris was murdered by his brother Seth and Horus fought for the throne of Egypt. In this battle, Horus lost one of his eyes. The eye was brought back to him and it became a symbol of protection for the ancient Egyptians. After this battle, Horus was chosen to be the ruler of the Egyptians.
Horus has the head of a hawk and his body is a cross between a man and a hawk.
One of the best preserved temples in Egypt today, was dedicated to Horus. It is located in Upper Egypt at a town called Edfu.
Anubis
Anubis was the god of embalming and of the dead. He has the head of a jackal. Since jackals were often seen in cemeteries, the ancient Egyptians believed that Anubis watched over the dead.
Anubis was the god who helped embalm Osiris after he was killed by Seth. He watched over the process of mummifying people when they died.
Priests often wore a mask of Anubis during mummification ceremonies.
Hathor
Hathor was a goddess of many things. She was a goddess of beauty, love, sky, joy, dance, music, protection, alcohol and foreign lands.
Hathor is the wife of Horus and was commonly considered as the mother of the pharaoh. She was worshiped by royalty and ordinary people at Edfu with Horus. She welcomed the dead into the afterlife.
Hathor had the body and ears of a cow. Her headdress has horns and a sun disk.
A large temple was built to honour her at Dendera.
Seth
Seth is the god of storms, deserts and foreigners. It later myths, he is most commonly known as the god of darkness, confusion and chaos. He was everything that threatened harmony in ancient Egypt. At certain times in the history of ancient Egypt, Seth was associated with royalty.
Seth was the brother of Osiris, Isis and the husband of Nepthys. He was also the father of Anubis. He murdered Osiris and battled with his nephew Horus, to be the ruler of the living. However, Horus managed to survive and sent Seth out into the lonely desert for all eternity.
In the 19th dynasty people started to show respect for Seth and he was seen as a great god once again.
Thoth
Thoth was the God of writing, knowledge and wisdom. He was sometimes even known as the god of scribes. The ancient Egyptians believed that Thoth gave them the gift of hieroglyphic writing. He was also connected with the moon and was one of the god of the moon.
Thoth had the head of an ibis and holds a writing palette, pen and scroll. His body looked similar to a baboon.
Because of Thoth’s invention of writing, the ancient Egyptian scribes would worship him.
Ra
Ra was the god of creation, the sun and the solar system. The ancient Egyptians believed that he was swallowed every night by, Nut, the goddess of the sky and was reborn every morning. Nut’s job was to protect Ra.
Ra’s responsibility was to care for the earth because he was the creator of it.
He has a head of a hawk and a headdress that is a disk of the sun. Ra was the most important and most respected god of the ancient Egyptians and they would worship him very often.
Sobek
Sobek was the god of the Nile River. He was also called the crocodile god as he had a head of a crocodile and a headdress of feathers with a sun-disk. Sobek was mostly worshipped at the city of Arsinoe and live crocodiles were kept in pools at temples, built to honour him. Sobek was known to represent four other gods as well, Ra, Osiris, Geb and Shu. As told in ‘The Book Of The Dead’, Sobek assisted with the birth of Horus.
Osiris
Osiris was the god of the dead and the ruler of the afterlife. Not only is he the god of the dead, like he is commonly known as, he is also the god of resurrection and fertility. The ancient Egyptians believed that Osiris gave them one of their most important crops, barley.
Osiris was the first child of Nut and Geb, and the brother of Seth, Nephthys and Isis. He was murdered by Seth and Isis brought him back to life. Because he was the first living thing to die, he became the god of the dead. Prayers and spells were addressed to Osiris throughout Egyptian history, so they could hope to receive his blessing when entering the afterlife.
Osiris was a mummified man wearing a white cone-like headdress with feathers.
Horus
Horus was the god of the sky and the guardian of the pharaoh. His name means, ‘the one far above’. The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was the 'living Horus'.
Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris. After Osiris was murdered by his brother Seth and Horus fought for the throne of Egypt. In this battle, Horus lost one of his eyes. The eye was brought back to him and it became a symbol of protection for the ancient Egyptians. After this battle, Horus was chosen to be the ruler of the Egyptians.
Horus has the head of a hawk and his body is a cross between a man and a hawk.
One of the best preserved temples in Egypt today, was dedicated to Horus. It is located in Upper Egypt at a town called Edfu.
Anubis
Anubis was the god of embalming and of the dead. He has the head of a jackal. Since jackals were often seen in cemeteries, the ancient Egyptians believed that Anubis watched over the dead.
Anubis was the god who helped embalm Osiris after he was killed by Seth. He watched over the process of mummifying people when they died.
Priests often wore a mask of Anubis during mummification ceremonies.
Hathor
Hathor was a goddess of many things. She was a goddess of beauty, love, sky, joy, dance, music, protection, alcohol and foreign lands.
Hathor is the wife of Horus and was commonly considered as the mother of the pharaoh. She was worshiped by royalty and ordinary people at Edfu with Horus. She welcomed the dead into the afterlife.
Hathor had the body and ears of a cow. Her headdress has horns and a sun disk.
A large temple was built to honour her at Dendera.
Seth
Seth is the god of storms, deserts and foreigners. It later myths, he is most commonly known as the god of darkness, confusion and chaos. He was everything that threatened harmony in ancient Egypt. At certain times in the history of ancient Egypt, Seth was associated with royalty.
Seth was the brother of Osiris, Isis and the husband of Nepthys. He was also the father of Anubis. He murdered Osiris and battled with his nephew Horus, to be the ruler of the living. However, Horus managed to survive and sent Seth out into the lonely desert for all eternity.
In the 19th dynasty people started to show respect for Seth and he was seen as a great god once again.