Egyptian Gods & Goddess

Osiris God of the earth and vegetation ( originally god of the Nile.) Symbolized in death by the yearly drought and his miraculous rebirth by the flooding of the Nile. Usually shown as a bearded, mummified human with green skin. His hands come out from the mummy wrappings and hold the flail and crook.

Isis Isis was the sister/wife of Osiris 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(h) A monster-like beast head similar to a hyena. He is the brother and murderer of Osiris god of foreign people and lands

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

Anubis Son of Nephthys Head of a jackal god of mummification Guides the dead to the underworld and weighs their heart (bad deeds make your heart weigh more) Works with Osiris in the underworld

Nephthys Wife of Seth Sister of Isis Goddess of women Name means lady of the castle Guards the dead Often shown inside the tomb

Hathor Was the goddess of beauty, love, and joy. She has the body of a woman and the head of a cow. She is both wife/ daughter of Ra Her milk is food of the gods Cow was sacred in her name Women aspire to be her

Ra / The Creator King of the Gods Sun god Falcon head with a sun on top. Sometimes seen as the creator of men A child in the morning, a man in his prime at noon, and an old man in the evening. Ra journeyed to the underworld to be reborn at night.

Amun-Ra (Re) National supreme god of Egypt Believed that he created heaven, earth, and all the gods Appears in many forms Sun god Creator of mankind (cattle of Ra)

Aten The actual disk of the sun His hands are the sun’s rays May be the creator of men This is the one god Akhenaten believed in when he changed religion

Thoth Moon god Head of an ibis Scribe (records the weight of the hearts in the underworld) Invented numbers and measurer of time 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.”

Ma’at Daughter of Ra Signifies law, order, and truth Shows her ostrich feather as an emblem of law and truth She always appears in human form (sometimes with wings)

Sekhmet Lion headed Wife of Ptah (an early creator god) Breathes fire against her enemies Delivers punishment to the gods

Horus Falcon headed Son of Osiris Set is always trying to hurt him Stunted from his waist down In art, he is often shown standing on crocodiles His sons take care of the organs during the mummification process Duamutef (stomach) Imsety (liver) Hapi (lungs) Qebehsenuef (intestines)

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?)

Nut The Sky She and her brother, Geb (the earth), could not stop “holding hands” so now their father (Shu – air) stands between them holding them apart.

Bast Cat-headed, body of a woman Goddess of women and the family Represented the heat of sun that makes things grow Cats are sacred (many cats were mummified in her honor)

Hapy God of the Nile floods Keeps the land and river fertile He has long hair, and a protruding stomach (all symbols of fertility) 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