Egyptian Religion http://www.bigmyth.com/2_eng_myths.htm

Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

Egyptian Creation Story

The Beginning At first there was nothing but Nun, the primal ocean of chaos which contained the seeds of everything to come. In this jumble of waters the sun god reposed. Finally, by an exertion of will, he emerged from chaos as Ra and gave birth to Shu and Tefnut by himself. In turn Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the goddess of moisture, gave birth to Geb and Nut, the earth god and sky goddess. Thus the physical universe was created.

Creation of Men Men were created from Ra's tears. Eons passed and Ra grew decrepit, so the ungrateful race of men plotted against Ra. When Ra learned of these plots he angrily called a council of the gods. The gods decided that mankind must be destroyed, and Ra dispatched the goddess Hathor to wipe out humankind. Hathor did an effective job of it, killing men by the tens of thousands until only a tiny remnant was left. Then Ra relented, and men were spared. But Ra was thoroughly sick of the world and retreated into the heavens, leaving Shu to reign in his place. At that time the present world was established.

Geb and Nut Against the orders of Ra, Geb, the earth god, and Nut, the sky goddess, married. Then Ra in his wrath ordered Shu, the air god, to separate them. Shu defeated Geb and raised Nut aloft, separating them permanently. However, Nut was pregnant, and Ra had decreed that she could not give birth in any month of any year. Seeing her plight, the god of learning, Thoth, gambled with the moon for extra light and thus was able to add five extra days to the official Egyptian calendar of 360 days. On those five days Nut gave birth to Osiris, Horus the Elder, Set, Isis, and Nephthys, successively. Osiris became the incarnation of good, while Set became the embodiment of evil. In this manner the two poles of morality were fixed once and for all.

Osiris Osiris Appearance: A mummified man wearing a white cone-like headdress with feathers. Osiris was the god of the dead, and ruler of the underworld. Osiris was the brother/husband of Isis, and the brother of Nephthys and Seth. He was also the father of Horus. As well as being a god of the dead, Osiris was a god of resurrection and fertility. In fact, the ancient Egyptians believed that Osiris gave them the gift of barley, one of their most important crops.

Set/Seth Appearance: Man with the head of a 'Seth animal' (unidentifiable). Seth was the god of chaos. Seth represented everything that threatened harmony in Egypt. He was the brother of Osiris and Isis, as well as the brother/husband of Nephthys. He murdered his brother Osiris, then battled with his nephew Horus to be the ruler of the living. At certain times in the history of ancient Egypt, Seth was associated with royalty.

Isis Appearance: Woman with headdress in the shape of a throne and a pair of cow horns with a sun disk. Isis was a protective goddess. She used powerful magic spells to help people in need. Isis was the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus. Since each pharaoh was considered the 'living Horus', Isis was very important. Isis is often shown holding Horus on her lap. Isis is associated with thrones because her lap was the first 'throne' that Horus sat upon.

Nephthys Appearance: Woman with headdress showing her name in hieroglyphs. Nephthys was a protective goddess of the dead. Nephthys was the sister of Isis and Osiris, and the sister/wife of Seth. Nephthys was also the mother of Anubis. She is often shown on coffins, or in funerary scenes.

Horus Appearance: Man with the head of a hawk or as a hawk. Horus was a god of the sky. He is probably most well-known as the protector of the ruler of Egypt. The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was the 'living Horus'. The ancient Egyptians had many different beliefs about the god Horus. One of the most common beliefs was that Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris. After Osiris was murdered by his brother Seth, Horus fought with Seth for the throne of Egypt. In this battle, Horus lost one of his eyes. The eye was restored 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 world of the living.

Ma’at Appearance: Woman with a feather on her head or as a feather. Ma'at was the goddess of truth, justice and harmony. She was associated with the balance of things on earth. Ma'at was the daughter of the sun god Ra. Pharaohs are frequently shown in wall reliefs making an offering of Ma'at to the gods-showing that they are preserving harmony and justice on earth. The vizier who was in charge of the law courts, was known as the 'priest of Ma'at'.

Anubis Appearance: Man with a jackal head or as a jackal. Anubis was the god of embalming and the dead. Since jackals were often seen in cemeteries, the ancient Egyptians believed that Anubis watched over the dead. Anubis was the god who helped to embalm Osiris after he was killed by Seth. Thus, Anubis was the god who watched over the process of mummifying people when they died. Priests often wore a mask of Anubis during mummification ceremonies.

Hapy Appearance: Man with a pot belly, shown with water plants. Hapy was the god of the inundation. Hapy was especially important to the ancient Egyptians because he brought the flood every year. The flood deposited rich silt on the banks of the Nile, allowing the Egyptians to grow crops.

Hathor Appearance: Woman with the ears of a cow, a cow, or woman with a headdress of horns and a sun disk. Hathor was a protective goddess. She was also the goddess of love and joy. Hathor was the wife of Horus, and was sometimes thought of as the mother of the pharaoh. Hathor was connected with foreign places and materials. For instance, Hathor was the goddess of the desert and the turquoise mines in the Sinai.

Bastet Appearance: Woman with the head of a cat. Bastet was a protective goddess. Bastet was usually seen as a gentle protective goddess. However, she sometimes appeared with the head of a lioness to protect the king in battle. The cat was a symbol of Bastet. The ancient Egyptians made many statues of cats to honor Bastet. Bastet was one of the daughters of the sun god, Ra.

Thoth Appearance: A man with the head of an ibis holding a writing palette, an ibis, or a baboon. Thoth was the god of writing and knowledge. The ancient Egyptians believed that Thoth gave them the gift of hieroglyphic writing. Thoth was also connected with the moon.

Ptah Appearance: Man wrapped in a tight white cloak carrying a staff. Ptah was the god of craftsmen. In one creation myth Ptah was a creator god. He spoke the words and the world came into being.

Sobek Appearance: Man with the head of a crocodile and a headdress of feathers and a sun-disk. Sobek was a Nile god. Sobek was connected with the Nile, and protected the king. Live crocodiles were kept in pools at temples built to honour Sobek.