Religious and Spiritual Beliefs

Like most ancient peoples, the Egyptians understood little about the natural world. They were in awe of natural events, such as the annual flooding of the Nile River, and believed that these events were caused by gods.

Although human, ancient Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was descended from the gods. He/she acted as a go-between for the people and the gods.

Egyptians believed in magic Egyptians believed in magic. Spells, charms, and incantations were used in daily life and in rituals.

Ancient Egyptians were polytheistic. They believed in more than one god.

Egyptians had hundreds of deities Egyptians had hundreds of deities. Some gods and goddesses were worshiped locally in towns and villages, the following 10 were important to all Egyptians.

Ra: The god of the sun. The most important god to the ancient Egyptians.

Osiris: The god of the dead, and ruler of the underworld.

Isis: The goddess of magical protective spells Isis: The goddess of magical protective spells. She is the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus.

Horus: The god of the sky. Known as the protector and ruler of Egypt.

Anubis: The god of embalming and the dead.

Thoth: The god of writing and knowledge.

Seth: The god of chaos.

Bes: The god of protection for pregnant women, new born babies, and the family.

Hathor: The goddess of protection, love, and joy.

Sekhmet: The goddess of war.