Aah

A minor Egyptian moon god. A manifestation of Thoth in the form of an ibis.

Aken

The custodian of the ferryboat who ferries the souls of the deceased to the Egyptian underworld.

Akephalos

A type of 'headless' demon of Hellenistic Egypt. These demons were believed to be the spirits of beheaded criminals.

Aker

Egyptian earth god who ruled over the meeting point between the eastern and western horizons in the Egyptian underworld. Guardian of the gate through which the pharaoh into the underworld. He provided safe passage for the barque of the sun during its night body passage through the underworld. Aker was represented by two pairs of lions or of human heads facing away from each other.

Akeru

Egyptian chthonic earth gods associated with the god Aker.

Amaunet

"Hidden One". Egyptian mother or fertility goddess. Amaunet merged with the god Neith at the beginning of time. She was a member of the group of Egyptian gods known as the Ogdoad. Amun was her consort among the Ogdoad. She was regarded as a tutelary deity of the Egyptian pharaohs, and had a prominent part in the pharaoh's accession ceremonies.

Amenhotep

(Amenhotep-Son-of-Hapu) Egyptian architect raised to status of god of building. See Imhotep.

Amentet

(Amenthes) Egyptian goddess of the West and of the underworld of the dead. Am-heh - Egyptian chthonic underworld god.

Ammut

"Devouress of the Dead", a demonic goddess who attended the weighing of the heart in the Judgement Hall of the Two Truths in the underworld. She devoured those deemed to be sinners. Depicted as having the head of a crocodile, torso of a lioness, and the legs of a hippopotamus.

Amun

"The Hidden One". Egyptian sky god who came to be regarded as a sun god and the head of the Egyptian pantheon. Originally a local god of Khmun, then also of Thebes. Amun's cult rose in prominence as Thebes rose to a preeminent political position within Egypt. In the New Kingdom he became syncretized with the Heliopolitan sun god Re as Amun-Re, in which form he was the "king of the gods" and the tutelary deity of the pharaohs. The pharaohs, who had been considered "sons of Re", thus came to be regarded as incarnations of Amun-Re. Amun took on the role of a primeval deity and creator in the cosmology of the New Kingdom, creating earth and sky out of his thought. He was a member of the Ogdoad, paired with the goddess Amaunet and representing hidden power. Also a member of the Theban triad, which made him the husband of Mut and adoptive father of Khons.

Amun was depicted in human form, with blue skin and either the head of a bearded man or a ram's head with curved horns. He wore a crown composed of a modius surmounted by two tall feather plumes. He was sometimes depicted in ithyphallic form with an oversized erect penis. His true appearance was considered beyond human understanding. He was said to be "hidden of aspect, mysterious of form", invisible yet omnipresent throughout the cosmos. Amun's sacred animals were the ram and the goose. His primary sanctuaries were at Karnak and Luxor near Thebes. Amun and his influential Theban priests suffered a temporary eclipse during the reign of Akhenaton, who tried to impose a monotheistic worship of Aton. The cult of Amun revived soon after Akhenaton's death. It was not until the sack of Thebes by the Assyrians in 663 BC that Amun was reduced to mere local importance. As Ammon, however, he had an oracle at the Siwa Oasis in the western desert that remained prominent at least until the time of Alexander the Great, who visited the oracle.

Amon was represented on five forms:

1. As a bearded man, when he is seen seated on a throne, and holding in one hand the was sceptre, and in the other the ankh
2. As a man with the head of a ram
3. As a man with the head of a uraeus (cobra)
4. As an ape
5. As a lion crouching upon a pedestal His true form is thought to be beyond human understanding. His animals were the ram and the goose.

Also known as: Amon, Amen, Ammon

Amun-Re

A combination of Amun, a Thebian god, and Re, a Helioplitan god. Under this name Amun-Re became the supreme ruler of the gods and the national god of Egypt.
Also known as: Amon-Ra, Amun-Ra, Amon-Re

Andjety

(Anezti, Anedjti) Egyptian underworld god. His worship originated in the ninth nome of Lower Egypt. His cult center was at Busiris. Andjety was responsible for the rebirth of the individual in the afterlife. Depicted in anthropomorphic form, he wore a high conical crown surmounted by two feather plumes, and bore the crook and flail. He was associated with Osiris, whose symbols were also the crook and flail as well as the 'atef' crown which resembled that worn by Andjety.

Anhur

Anhert, Anhuret, Greek Onuris) Egyptian warrior and hunter god. His cult originated in the Upper Egyptian city of This (Thinis), near Abydos. His consort was the lion goddess Mekhit. He was depicted as a bearded warrior wearing a long robe and a headdress with four tall plumes, often bearing a spear. He is often shown accompanied by Mekhit. Anhur was the champion of Egypt who hunted and slew the enemies of the sun god Re. He was sometimes equated with the god Shu. The Ptolemaic Greeks equated him with Ares. His main cult center was at Sebennytos in the Nile Delta.

Anti

Egyptian guardian deity. Depicted as a falcon or with a falcon's head, often standing on a crescent-shaped boat.

Anubis

God of the dead, mummification and guardian of Isis. After the early period of the Old Kingdom, Anubis was superceded by Osiris as god of the dead. Anubis then became a supporting figure as god of the funeral cult. He also took the role of the guide who holds the scales steady while the weighing of the hearts takes place. In this role he is referred to as "He who Counts the Hearts".

Priests would wear the mask of Anubis during the opening of the mouth ceremony (end of mummification process) which re-awakened the senses of the dead. As the embalmer he watched over the physical bodies of the dead and their tombs. He is one of the most ancient deities. Some of the oldest structures found have prayers to him engraved in the walls, he is also mentioned in the Pyramid texts and the Book of the Dead.

Pictured as a canine, though it is not sure which, he appears to be a combination of a jackal and a wild dog, his "coat" is deep black in color, referring to his role in funerals. He was seen as a canine because wild dogs were often seen on the outskirts of the desert and around gravesites. By depicting him as a canine, it was hoped that he would protect the tombs and graves from the wild jackals that prowled them

Anuket

Egyptian goddess personifying the Nile as nourisher of the fields, and particularly associated with the lower cataracts near Aswan. She also appears to have been a protective deity of childbirth. Her principal sanctuary was at Elephantine. She is variously considered the daughter of Re, Khnum or Satis.

Apep

The strongest of the monsters who tried to stop Re from rising each morning. He was the personification of darkness. When he was successful, stormy weather ensued. A solar eclipse happened when Apep won the battle and swallowed Re. Most days he was beaten back by either Seth or Thoth.

The Book of Overthrowing Apep was written with was spells and incantations to defeat him. These were repeated every morning in the temple of Amun-Re in Thebes. Apep was pictured as a serpent or as a crocodile.

As

Egyptian fertility god, called the 'Lord of Libya', worshipped at oases in the Libyan desert.

Aten

The visible sun disk. The Aten was worshiped as the one true sun god during the role of Amenhotep IV.

Amenhotep IV, who later changed his name to Akenaten (18th Dynasty), attempted to create an almost monotheistic religion, the Aten was the only god, save Akenaten. People could only communicate with the Aten through Akenaten, he took over as the role of the priest and pharaoh. He moved the capital of Egypt from Thebes out into the desert, to a city he built called Akhetaten.

During his reign, Akenaten attempted to destroy all the other gods, he erased their names from monuments and temples, he even erased his own father's name because the name "Amen" was in it.

This new religion never took hold with the people of Egypt, and when the pharaoh died so did his religion, the new capital was abandoned. Akenaten was seen through history as the "heretic king."

Atum

The primevil Egyptian god, creator of heaven and earth. He was thought to be the first to emerge from the primevil waters, Nun, at the time of creation. Originally Atum was a serpent that swam through Nun, and at the end of time he will return to that form. After creating himself, Atum created his children, Shu and Tefnut, by masturbating. He was seen as a bisexual god, he embodied both the male and female aspects of life. This is where his title "The Great He-She", or "the complete one" came from.

Later he was associated with the sun god Re, and was seen as the setting sun. Atum is the first living man god to be created by the Egyptians, until then all deities were forms of animals.

Ausaas

Egyptian wife of Herakhty (Horus).

Ba (1)

The Egyptian ram-god of Mendes (the 16th district of Lower Egypt) and a god of fertility. Ba was invoked by women in the hope that he would aid them in conceiving children.

Ba (2)

The term 'ba' was from ancient Egyptian mythology. Ba was the Egyptian word for the soul of the deceased. It was depicted as a bird or a human-headed bird.

Egyptians believed that after death, there would be a final union between souls and their bodies. Since Ba was the soul, it visited its old body in the tomb. Ba was the soul, spirit, and mind of a mummy and could roam freely over the earth, providing its mummy with substances that were necessary for the afterlife.

There were some holy animals that were regarded as the ba of gods. One example of this is the Benu of the sun god Re. A Benu was a sacred bird from ancient Egypt. Theba was a man-headed hawk and was the ba of a god; the pharaoh is also regarded as the ba of a god, specifically Re.

Banebdjedet

(Ba Neb Tetet, Banebdedet, Baneb Djedet, Banaded) Egyptian ram god. Consort of the fish goddess Hatmehyt and father of Harpokrates. Depicted in anthropomorphic form with the head of a ram.

Ba-Pef

Egyptian chthonic underworld god. His name means "That Soul" and he is a minor Egyptian god of malevolent aspect.

Bastet

The cat headed goddess. She was completely a solar deity until the arrival of the Greeks, when she was linked with Artemis, and became a lunar goddess.

Bastet was a daughter of Ra, which placed her with other goddesses such as Ma'at, Tefnut, Hathor and Sekhmet. Bastet was seen as one of the "Eyes of Ra" Bastet had two aspects to her personality: first she was seen as a docile woman, protectress of home and pregnant women; second as aggressive and vicious, "the pharoah slaughtered the enemy as Bastet slaughtered her victims"

Originally portrayed as a wild cat or a lioness, she was later (around 1000bc) associated with domesticated cats. Upon examination of her temple at Bubastis, a graveyard with mummified holy cats was found.

Typically depicted as a woman with the head of a cat (domestic or wild), a cat or as a lioness.

Also know as: Bast

Bat

Egyptian cow goddess of fertility. Primarily a deity of Upper Egypt. She was depicted as a cow or in human form with cow's ears and horns.

Behedti

Egyptian god in the form of a crouching falcon. Worshipped at Behdet (Edfu), he later was identified as a local form of the god Horus.

Benu

The Egyptian mythical sun bird of Heliopolis, connected with the god Re. The bird is the symbol of the rise of life (also sun rise) and heralds a new period of wealth, characterized by fertility. Linked with Atum, the better known sun god of Heliopolis. Said to have been self-created from the primeval ocean. The benu, sometimes portrayed as a heron, is also associated with the death and rebirth of Osiris.

Bes

Egyptian dwarf god believed to guard against evil spirits and misfortune. Bes was usually represented as ugly and grotesque in appearance, with a large head, protruding tongue, bow legs and a bushy tail. Nonetheless, he was a beneficent deity and his appearance was meant to scare off evil spirits. He was originally the protective deity of the royal house of Egypt.

Beset

Beset was a goddess of ancient Egyptian mythology. She was the female version of the dwarf-god Bes. Beset was an Egyptian guard. She protected people from evil spirits, snakes, and misfortune. Beset was also a goddess of human pleasures. Some of these pleasures were music, dance, and jollity. Beset had a protruding tongue, bow legs, and the ears, mane, and tail of a lion.

Buchis

Egyptian holy bull of Hermonthis, the living image of the god Month. He had a white body and a black head.

Buto

The snake-goddess of the ancient Egyptian oracle in Buto and tutelary goddess of Lower Egypt (the Delta of the Nile). She is the protector of the Egyptian king, together with the vulture-goddess Nekhbet. She was placed as an uraeus (cobra amulet) on the crown of the king. Her name means 'the papyrus colored', referring to the green color of the cobra. Buto gave nourishment to both children of Isis. She was depicted as a woman, or as a cobra with the crown of Lower Egypt on its head. The Greeks identified her with the goddess Leto. She is also called Uto.

Chensit

Egyptian goddess of the twentieth nome of Lower Egypt.

Chenti-cheti

Originally an Egyptian crocodile god, he later took on the form of a falcon.

Chenti-irti

(Machenti-irti) Egyptian falcon-god of law and order, identified with Horus.

Chepre

Egyptian primeval scarab-god connected with the rising sun. He was identified first with Atum, later with Re.

Cherti

Egyptian ram-god of the underworld and ferryman of the dead. In the Pyramid Texts Cherti was said to be a threat to the pharaoh, who had to be defended by Re himself. However, as an earth-god Cherti also acts as a guardian of the pharaoh's tomb. The main center of Cherti's cult was at Letopolis, north-west of Memphis. He was depicted as a man with the head of a ram, or as a ram. His name means "Lower One".

Chnum

The Egyptian ram god who makes the Nile delta fertile and suitable for agriculture. He is considered the creator of humans, because he makes children from clay and places them in the wombs of the mothers. He is usually depicted as ram or a man with the head of a ram. He was worshipped on Elephantine Island, together with the goddesses Anuket and Satis. He was also worshipped in Esna, (ancient Latopolis, south of Luxor) with his wife, the lion goddess Menhit, and their son Hike (the god of magic). In Esna, a temple dedicated to Chnum can still be found.

Chons

The Egyptian god of the moon, son of Amun and Mut with whom he forms a triad at Thebes. As the 'master of time' he is sometimes identified with the god Thoth. In human form he is depicted a young man in the posture of a mummy with the child's side lock and the curved beard worn by the gods, but also with a full moon and a crescent on his headdress.

Chontamenti

Egyptian god of the dead and of the land of the west, represented as a crouching dog or jackal with horns.

Dedun

Egyptian-Nubian god of wealth and incense, associated with the riches of the southern lands. Usually depicted in human form but occasionally as a lion.

Djebauti

Egyptian local god.

Dua

Egyptian god of toiletry.

Duamutef

Duamutef was a god of Egyptian mythology. He was the guardian of the East and one of the four Sons of Horus. Duamutef was represented as a mummified man with the head of a jackal. He was a funerary god. Duamutef protected the stomach of the deceased. The stomach was kept in a canopic jar after mummification. On the lids of these jars was a picture of the head of Duamutef. The goddess Neith protected him.

Esenchebis

Greek name for Isis.

Geb

The god of earth. Son of Shu and Tefnut. Brother and consort of the sky god Nut. Father of Osiris, Seth, Isis, and Nephthys. While most civilizations gave this role to a female (mother earth), the Egyptians chose a male. His laughter was thought to create earthquakes. Even with the title of god of earth he guided the worthy souls of the dead to the underworld and gave them meat and drink. He imprisoned the wicked souls preventing them from passing to the afterlife.

He is depicted as lying on his back (reclining on one elbow with a knee and arm in the air to represent hills and valleys) with his wife, Nut, arched naked over him. In this image he would also be shown with an erect penis pointing upward toward Nut. Other images show Shu, his father, standing on his body supporting the body of Nut, perhaps separating them.

When pictured alone he was seen as a man with either dark or green skin, the colors of life, and leaves on his face.

Also know as: Seb or Keb

Ha

The Egyptian god of the west and of the western desert. Since the entrance was situated in the western desert, he plays a part in the death cult. He is portrayed as a human figure with on his head the hieroglyph that represents the west.

Hapi (1)

Egyptian son of Horus.

Hapi (2)

The personification of the Nile in ancient Egypt. He was particularly associated with the annual flooding of the Nile, which was considered as a gift to the gods and kings. He was believed to live in caves near the Nile cataracts with his retinue of crocodile gods and frog goddesses (his harem). Hapi was portrayed as a plump man with pendulous female breasts, with a beard, a large belly, and a crown of aquatic plants.

Harmerti

The name of Horus as the falcon-god 'with the two eyes' which represent the sun and the moon. He was also worshipped as the hero that restrains monsters such as Apep.

Harpre

Egyptian god of Hermonthis.

Harsaphes

Egyptian ram-god.

Hathor

Goddess of love, birth, death, children, pregnant women and she is the protectress of women in business. The arts fell under the domain of Hathor as well.

Egyptian cow goddess. Daughter of Nut and Re. In early Egyptian mythology she was the mother of the sky god Horus, but was later replaced in this capacity by Isis. Hathor then became a protectress of Horus. She was depicted either as a cow or in human form wearing a crown consisting of a sun disk held between the horns of a cow.

As Horus was seen as associated with the living King, Hathor was seen as associated with the living Queen.

Her name appears to mean "house of Horus", referring to her role as a sky goddess, the "house" denoting the heavens depicted as a great cow. Hathor was often regarded as the mother of the Egyptian pharaoh, who styled himself the "son of Hathor". Since the pharaoh was also considered to be Horus as the son of Isis, it might be surmised that this had its origin when Horus was considered to be the son of Hathor.

Hathor took on an uncharacteristically destructive aspect in the legend of the Eye of Re. According to this legend, Re sent the Eye of Re in the form of Hathor to destroy humanity, believing that they were plotting aganist him. However, Re changed his mind and flooded the fields with beer, dyed red to look like blood. Hathor stopped to drink the beer, and, having become intoxicated, never carried out her deadly mission.

Hathor was often symbolized by the papyrus reed, the snake, and the Egyptian rattle known as the sistrum. Her image could also be used to form the capitals of columns in Egyptian architecture. Her principal sanctuary was at Dandarah, where her cult had its early focus, and where it may have had its origin. At Dandarah, she was particularly worshipped in her role as a goddess of fertility, of women, and of childbirth. At Thebes she was regarded as a goddess of the dead under the title of the "Lady of the West", associated with the sun god Re on his descent below the western horizon. The Greeks identified Hathor with Aphrodite.

Also known as: Athyr, Hwt-Hert, Het-Heru, Her-hert

Hatmehyt

(Hatmehit) Egyptian goddess.

Hedetet

Egyptian scorpion-goddess.

Heket

(Heqet) The Egyptian goddess of childbirth, and protector of the dead. She is portrayed as a frog, a symbol of life and fertility (presumably because of the millions of them spawned after the annual inundation of the Nile), or as a woman with a frog's head. Women often wore amulets of her during childbirth. As the daughter of the sun-god Re she is called 'Eye of Re' and 'Mother of the gods'. She is regarded as the consort of Khnum.

Hemen

Egyptian falcon-god.

Hemsut

(Hemuset) Egyptian goddess of fate.

Heron

Egyptian deity.

Hesat

Egyptian divine white cow. The ancient Egyptians referred to milk as 'the beer of Hesat'.

Hetepet

Egyptian cult centre/goddess.

Hez-ur

Egyptian baboon-god.

Hike

(Heka) Egyptian personification of magic. The Egyptian personification of supernatural powers attributed to the gods. He is regarded as the eldest son of Atum. Doctors, who invoked his magical powers when practicing their arts, called themselves 'priests of Hike'.

Hor-Hekenu

Egyptian variant of Horus.

Horus

Sky God, the sun and moon are said to be his eyes. Son of Osiris and Isis (or Hathor, depending on the time in history). Hathor was his first mother, but then Isis grew in popularity and "became" his mother.

Egyptian sky god. Usually depicted as a falcon or in human form with the head of a falcon. The sun and the moon are said to be his eyes. Son of Isis and the dead Osiris. He was born at Khemmis in the Nile Delta, and Isis hid him in the papyrus marshes to protect him against Seth, his father's murderer. Horus later avenged the death of his father against Seth. Horus lost his left eye (the moon) in the contest between the two. Horus was identified with Lower Egypt and Seth with Upper Egypt in this battle, which lasted eighty years. The gods judged Horus to be the winner, and Seth was either killed or castrated. The consequence of Horus's victory was the union of Upper and Lower Egypt. The Egyptian pharaoh was believed to be an incarnation of Horus, and the name of Horus formed part of his name. The pharaoh was said to become Horus after death. Seth restored the eye he had torn from Horus, but Horus gave it instead to Osiris. The image of the "eye of Horus", a human eye combined with the cheek markings of a falcon, became a powerful amulet among the Egyptians.

The pharoah was considered to be the living incarnation of Horus.

Depicted as a falcon or as a man with a falcon's head.

Among the various manifestations of Horus are:

Harpokrates (Heru-Pa-Khret, Harpakhrad) : "Horus the child". This refers to his birth and secret rearing by Isis. In this form he is often depicted as a naked child seated on Isis's lap.

Haroeris (Har Wer): "Horus the elder". In this form Horus battled against Seth.

Harakhte (Harakhti, Heraktes) : "Horus of the horizon". Horus at Heliopolis, linked with Ra in the sun cult. In this form he is associated with the rising sun.

Harendotes (Har-nedj-itef, Har-End-Yotef): "Horus the saviour of his father" A reference to the avenging of his father's murder.

Harmachis (Heru-Em-Akhet, Harmakis) : "Horus in the horizon". Horus as symbol of resurrection, linked with the setting sun.

Harsiesis (Harsiese, Har-si-Ese, Hor-Sa-Iset): "Horus, son of Isis".

Harsomtus (Har-mau): "Horus the uniter" This is a reference to his role in uniting Upper and Lower Egypt.

Hor Behdetite (Behedti): "Horus of Behdet". Originally a local form of Horus as Behdet in the Delta region. In this form he was symbolized by the winged solar disk.

Harakhti (Harachte) - "Horus of the horizon". Egyptian god of the morning sun.

Harendotes - "Horus the saviour of his father". Egyptian: special form of Horus.

Harmachis (Egyptian Har-em-akhet) - "Horus in the horizon".

Haroeris (Egyptian Har-wer) - "Great Horus". Egyptian variant of Horus.

Harpokrates (Harpocrates, Egyptian Har-pa-khered) - "Horus the child". Egyptian variant of Horus.

Harsiesis (Harsiese, Egyptian Har-sa-iset) - "Horus the son of Isis". Egyptian variant of Horus.

Harsomtus (Egyptian Har-mau) - "Horus the uniter".

Hu, Sia, and Heh

Egyptian deities of essential forces in creation

Ihi

(Ehi) Egyptian god of the sistrum.

Imhotep

(Imhetep) Egyptian god of learning and medicine.
In Egyptian mythology, Imhotep was an architect, physician, scribe, and grand vizier (high executive officer) of the 3rd dynasty (2635-2570 BC). He lived in the court of the Pharaoh Zoser. He built and designed the Step Pyramid at Sakkara. This led to the curiosity and development of building with stone on a large scale. He also worked with Thoth on scribes. Imhotep was said to be the son of Ptah, the creator of the universe. The Greeks considered Imhotep to be Asclepius.

Imiut

Egyptian protective deity of underworld.

Imset

(Amset) Imset is the deity that protects the canopic jars that contain the liver of mummified corpses. He is one of the four Sons of Horus. He is represented as human-headed.

Inmutef

(Iunmutef) Egyptian bearer of the heavens.

Ipet

(Ipi) An ancient Egyptian hippopotamus goddess of birth. She merged with the city goddess of Luxor and became a primordial mother goddess. As mother and consort of Amun she appears as 'Queen of the two lands' (Upper and Lower Egypt).

Isdes

Egyptian 'lord of the west' and judge of the dead.

Isis

Her name means throne, she was originally the personification of the throne, most of the pharaoh's power comes from her. Wife of Osiris, mother of Horus, mistress of magic, protectress of sailors. She was the most popular deity in Egypt, she represents the complete goddess (or triple goddess) in one. She is the maiden, mother and the crone. Isis is a vital link between the gods and humans, her son was the pharaoh, her husband ruler of the afterlife. She was the loving mother and wife to all creatures, and that is what made her so popular.

At some point during the New Kingdom she was fused with Hathor and took on the crown of cow horns with a solar disc between them. The two have been confused by outsiders through most of history.

Usually depicted behind the throne of the pharaoh, or suckling the young Horus. (The image of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus in her lap was probably taken from Isis with Horus)

Also known as: Aset

Ka

The Egyptian definition of the spirit and life-force of both humans and gods. Ka and ba (soul) form together the immortal elements. When a mortal was born, his ka was created with him and remained in the world of eternity while his mortal body was alive on earth. When a person died, he "rejoined his ka". Ka also acts as a protecting spirit and guards its dead against the dangers of the after life.

The hieroglyph for ka is two raised arms with the palms of the hand stretched.

Ma'at

Goddess of truth, justice and divine order. Seen as the true balance in any situation, she plays no favorites and dispenses justice fairly to all involved.

The ostrich feather, her symbol, is weighed against the heart in the "Hall of Two Truths" Always pictured with an ostrich feather, she ruled physical and moral law and disbursed justice. In images she may stand or be seated, feather in her headband, ankh in one hand and the sceptre in the other.

Ma'at is also pictured as the primeval mound upon which the creator god stood at the beginning of time. It was believed that if her laws were not followed then the world would be destroyed. It was the pharaoh's cosmic duty to be sure the laws of Ma'at were upheld.

Ma'at was also responsible for guiding the sun god Re as he journeyed across the sky each day, it was she who determined the path he would take.

Naunet

Egyptian goddess/underworld.

Nebtuu

Egyptian local goddess.

Nechbet

Upper Egyptian tutelary goddess of the monarch.

Nechmetawaj

Egyptian goddess.

Neferhor

Egyptian god.

Nefertum

An ancient Egyptian god identified with the lotus, but he also personified some form of the morning sun. He is a son of Ptah and Sakhmet or Bastet. Nefertem is usually represented as a man with a cluster of lotus flowers upon his head, but sometimes he has the head of a lion. In the little faïence figures of him, which are so common, he stands upon the back of a lion. He represents the sun-god in the legend which made him burst forth from a lotus, for in the pyramid of Unas the king is said: "Rise like Nefer-Temu from the lotus (lily) to the nostrils of Ra" and to "come forth on the horizon every day."

Nehebu-Kau

The name of an Egyptian goddess who is usually represented with the head of a serpent, and with whom the deceased identifies himself.

Neheh

Egyptian personification of eternity.

Neith

The ancient Egyptian local goddess of Sais was a warlike divinity, a fact which is stated by her attributes, the bow, shield, and arrows. This goddess of war also blessed hunters' weapons. The practice of placing weapons around the coffin in ancient Egyptian times could be traced to the goddess' protective functions. Her close relationship to Sobek, the crocodile god who was her son, can be explained by the proximity of her cult center in the Delta.

In the New Kingdom she was regarded as the "god's mother who bore Re," whereby she assumed the position of a primeval goddess who was neither male nor female. She was the first to "create the seed of gods and men." Also she was a mortuary goddess who watched over Osiris' brier along with Isis, Nephthys and Serket. The deceased received her divine power by means of the mummy's wrappings, for the bandages and shrouds were considered gifts of Neith, who was regarded as the patroness of weaving. Possibly there was an earlier proposal that her symbol was the weaver's shuttle.

Nekhbet

The Egyptian vulture-goddess of the city of Nekheb in Upper Egypt, the Eileithyaspolis of the Greeks, and the modern Al-Kâb. She was the tutelary goddess of Upper Egypt in very early dynastic times. From city goddess she was elevated to the status of protectress and mother of the king. Together with the snake-goddess Buto she was portrayed on the head of the Egyptian king. Nekhbet is present at the birth of gods and kings. As the protectress of the infant monarch she was referred to as the "Great White Cow of Nekheb".

Since the time of the New Empire she is very popular as the goddess of childbirth. She is also a sun and moon-goddess. Her name means "she of Nekheb". Nekhbet was depicted as a woman, either with the vulture headdress, or with the head of a vulture. Sometimes she was portrayed as a vulture wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt and holding the symbols of eternity in her talons. Nekhbet and Uatchit divided between them the sovereignty of all Egypt.

Nenun

Egyptian falcon-god.

Neper

Egyptian god personifying grains mostly associated with barley and summer wheat.

Nephthys

Goddess of death, surprises, sisters and midwives.

She is associated with the funeral rituals throughout ancient Egypt but she is not death itself, rather an advice giving companion to the recently deceased, she is also "Lady With Wings" who comforts the deceased's family.

Linked with life as well as death, she stands at the head of the birth bed to comfort and assist the mother giving birth, while her sister, Isis, stands at the foot of the bed to midwife the child.

She is depicted as a woman with the hieroglyphic symbols of her name (a basket and house) stacked on her head.

Nepit

Egyptian: female counterpart of corn god Neper.

Nun

The personification of the primeval waters from which all life emerged. He was the limitless, motionless water. Even after creation, Nun still existed at the margins to one day destroy the world and begin again. It was he who told Re to release his Eye on mankind in the Destruction of Mankind myth.

Portrayed as a man with a blue or green body, he holds a palm frond, the symbol of long life.

Also known as: Nu

Nuit

The sky mother. Often pictured cradling the stars. The modern words night, nocturnal and equinox all derived from her name.

Nut

Wife of Geb, goddess of the sky and heavens. Usually depicted naked, arched over Geb she was thought to hold back the chaos from the cosmos. Her hands and feet touched the earth at the cardinal directions.

Re was thought to enter her mouth as the sun set, travel through her body all night and be reborn each morning. At which point she swallowed the stars, and bore them at sunset.

Ogdoad

The name of eight Egyptian deities who were especially worshipped in Hermopolis in Upper Egypt. They form the basis of the creation myth. The Ogdoad consist of four gods and four goddesses who together personify the essence of the primordial chaos before the creation of the world. They are Nun and Naunet (the primordial water), Huh and Hauhet (infinite space), Kuk and Kauket (darkness), and Amun and Amaunet (representing hidden powers).

From themselves they created the mound upon which lay the egg from which the sun god emerged. The gods of the Ogdoad are represented as frogs or with the head of a frog; the goddesses in the shape of a snake or as a woman with the head of a snake. Their cult centered on the town of Khemnu (Greek Hermopolis) in Middle Egypt. They also had a sanctuary at Medinet Habu in western Thebes.

Onuris

Greek form of the Egyptian god Anhuret.

Osiris

Egyptian god of the underworld and of vegetation. His parents are Nut and Geb. He was the brother of Nephthys and Seth, and the brother and husband of Isis. Isis gave birth to Horus after his death, having impregnated herself with his semen. Osiris is depicted in human form wrapped up as a mummy, holding the crook and flail. He is often depicted with green skin, alluding to his role as a god of vegetation. His major cult centres were at Busiris in the Delta and Abydos in Upper Egypt.

One of the so-called "dying gods", he is the focus of a famous legend in which he was killed by the rival god Seth. At a banquet of the gods, Seth fooled Osiris into stepping into a coffin, which he promptly slammed shut and cast into the Nile. The coffin was born by the Nile to the delta town of Byblos, where it became enclosed in a tamarisk tree. Isis, the wife of Osiris, discovered the coffin and brought it back. (The story to this point is attested only by Herodotus.)

Seth took advantage of Isis' temporary absence on one occasion, cut the body to pieces, and cast them into the Nile. Isis searched the land for the body parts of Osiris, and was eventually able to piece together his body, whole save for the penis, which had been swallowed by a crocodile. It was thus that Osiris became a god of the dead and ruler of the Egyptian underworld. The scattering of the body parts was seen as an allusion to the scattering of grain in the fields, and thus to Osiris' role as a vegetation god.

Typically portrayed as a bearded, green skinned, mummy with a flail and crook in hand, and the atef crown on his head.

Pachet

Egyptian goddess of the desert.

Petbe

Egyptian god of retaliation.

Petesuchos

Egyptian crocodile-god.

Pharaoh

Egyptian god-king(s).

Ptah

Creator God, expert craftsman and designer, god of artisans, designers, builders, metal workers, architects and masons. His sacred animal was the Apis Bull at Memphis. Ptah either created the cosmos by thinking and speaking the cosmos into existance, or he created the cosmos out of mud. (Both myths exist, but then so does the myth that Atum or Re was the creator) In comparison to the other creators in Egyptian myths Ptah was more intellectual instead of physical, everything is the work of his heart and tongue.

Ptah was said to have carved the bodies of the royalty. He was believed to determine the destinies of artisans, so craftsman made statues of him with large ears, hoping he would hear their prayers.

Depicted as a bearded man with a skullcap and shrouded as a mummy, in his hands he holds the sceptre, an ankh and a djed

Ptah-Seker-Osiris

Egyptian composite funerary god.

Qebhsnuf

Egyptian son of Horus, Canopic guardian of the viscera after mummification. He was represented as a mummified man with the head of a falcon.

Qetesh

Originally a Syrian goddess, Qetesh came to be worshipped in Egypt as a goddess of love. She was considered to be one of the forms of Hathor.

Rat-taui

Egyptian goddess.

Re

The most important Egyptian God, the personification of the midday sun. He created himself from a mound that rose from Nun, then created the other gods and goddesses, humankind was supposed to have come from his tears.

The sun itself was seen as his body or as his Eye (the Eye of Re). Combined with both Atum and Amun to enhance their prestige.

He is thought to travel the day in a solar boat, whose course is determined by Ma'at. He was not alone on the boat, Thoth and Ma'at stood on either side of Horus who steered the boat and was the "captain".

During the night Re was believed to either enter the mouth of Nut and travel through her body to be reborn each morning, or to travel through the underworld.

Monsters constantly tried to stop the rising of the sun each morning, the strongest of which was Apep, sometimes the monsters were successful. Usually Thoth or Seth beat them back and the sun was allowed to rise.

Pictured as a man with the head of a falcon, the sun disc atop his head.

Also know as: Ra

Renenutet

An ancient Egyptian cobra goddess of harvest, portrayed as a snake of with the head of a snake. She is a fertility-goddess and regarded as nurturer of children, and tutelary deity of the Pharaoh. With her gaze she could vanquish all enemies, but with the same gaze she could also ensure the fertility of the crops and the bounty of the harvest. During the harvests on fields and vineyards offerings were made to her.

An important place of her cult was in Terenuthis (from her Greek name Termuthis) situated in the Nile-delta. Renemutet was associated with the magical properties believed to inhere in the linen bandages that wrapped the dead. At Edfu she was known as 'mistress of the robes'

Renpet

Egyptian goddess of youth and spingtime.

Reret

Egyptian hippopotamus goddess.

Resheph

Egyptian version of the Sumerian Aleyin/Amurru, originally a vegetation god, regarded by Egyptians as a warrior.

Ruti

Pair of lions worshipped in Egyptian Letopolis.

Saa

Egyptian personification of intelligence.

Sai

Egyptian personification of destiny.

Satet

Satet is the Egyptian goddesss of inundation (the yearly flooding of the Nile) and fertility. She was also connected to the star "Sept." The beginning of the flood season was when the star returned to the night sky. Her name comes from the root "sat" which means to shoot, to eject, and to throw.

Satet was the pricipal female counterpart of Khnemu. She was worshipped with him at Elephantine (Abu). Her sister was the goddess, Anquet. The island of Sahal, two miles south of Elephantine was the center of her worship. Her temple at Elephantine was one of the principal holy places in Egypt.

Satis

"Queen of Elephantine", who was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians on that island in the Nile. Her primary role was that of a guardian of Egypt's southern (Nubian) frontier, killing enemies of the pharaoh with her arrows. Satis was also associated with the annual inundation of the Nile. With the god Chnum and the goddess Anuket she forms, what is occasinally referred to as, the 'Elephantine triad'. On her head she wears the crown of Upper Egypt, flanked by the gazelle horns, and in her hands she holds a sceptre and the ankh.

Sebek

An ancient Egyptian crocodile god, sometimes identified with Re or with Seth, and regarded as the son of Neith. He symbolized the might of the Egyptian pharaohs. His cult was widespread, but the center of his cult was the Faiyum (later also Kom Omba and Thebes). Sebek is depicted as a crocodile or in human form with the head of a crocodile. He was crowned either by a pair of plumes or by a combination of the solar disk and the uraeus.

Sechat-Hor

Egyptian cow-goddess.

Sed

Egyptian 'saviour' god.

Seker

The Egyptian god of the Memphis necropolis, and a funerary god. In the Old Kingdom, Seker came to be regarded as a manifestation of the dead Osiris at Abydos in Upper Egypt. Also during this time, he came to be syncretized with Ptah as Ptah-Seker, in which form he took the lioness goddess Sakhmet as his consort. In the Middle Kingdom, the three were sometimes merged in the form Ptah-Seker-Osiris. As god of the necropolis, Seker is also the patron of the craftsmen who are put to work there. He was associated with the manufacture of various objects used in embalming and in funerary rituals.

He also played a prominent role at Thebes where he was depicted on the royal tombs. An important annual festival was held in his honor at Thebes. The festival celebrated the resurrection of Osiris in the form of Seker and the continuity of the Egyptian monarchy. At this festival his image was carried in an elaborate boat known as the henu. (A depiction of such a festival can be found on the walls of an inner court of the temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu, mid 12th century BC.)

Seker is portrayed in human form with the head of a hawk. He is called Socharis by the Greeks.

Sekhmet

Goddess of war, battle and divine vengeance. Her name means "Mighty One". She is the destructive aspect of the usually loving goddess Hathor. See the Story of Re. As a goddess of war she accompanied the pharaoh into battle, and was said to help him by shooting arrows at his enemies.

She was also known as the "Lady of Pestilence" who could send disease and plague, but she was also revered as a healer of these ailments.

She was depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, she wore red, and the horned headdress with the sun disc was atop her brow.

Also known as: Sakhmet, Sekhet, Sachmet

Selket

Egyptian goddess of conjugal union. Depicted with a scorpion body and a human head.

Sentait

Egyptian cow goddess.

Sepa

Egyptian chthonic god.

Septu

Egyptian war god.

Seshat

The Egyptian goddess of writing, mathemetics, and building schemes. She is also associated with libraries, letters, archives and historical records. She keeps track of the royal annals, with the ruling periods of every king and the speeches that were spoken during the crowning rituals. She also assisted the pharaoh mark out the boundaries of a temple in a ritual known as 'stretching the cord'. She is depicted in human form with a star or rosette above her head, wearing a leopard-skin robe, holding a scepter made of a notched palm branch on which she recorded the jubilee years. Seshat is regarded as a daughter of Thoth.

Sesmu

Egyptian god of oil and wine pressing.

Seth

Enemy of Horus and Osiris, god of chaos and storms. He is the embodiment of hostility and outright evil; also of war, deserts and foreign lands.

He was the benefactor of Lower Egypt as Horus was of Upper Egypt. After the two lands united both Horus and Seth were seen crowning the new pharaoh, but when upper Egypt took over Lower Egypt Seth was seen as the enemy of Horus. See the Myth of Isis and Osiris.

He did have some good characteristics, he journeyed with and protected Re each night in the solar boat to fight off Apep. But while in the underworld he was known to seize the souls of the unwary.

During a part of the 19th Dynasty respect was shown to the god who held back the desert, and many pharoah's took on a part of his name. Ex. Seti

Portrayed as a man with a head of undetermined origin, possibly an aardvark. He had a long snout, erect ears and a long forked tail.

Also known as: Set, Setekh, Setesh, Seti

Shu

The embodiment of the sky. He raised his daughter, Nut above the earth to separate it from the heavens. That was his eternal duty, to hold up Nut, it was thought that if he ever let go chaos would come crashing down into the universe.

He was associated with the heat of the sunlight and the dryness of the air. He also held the ladder that souls used to climb to the heavens.

Tefnut

Goddess of water and clouds. She was the moisture in the skies Pictured as a woman who wears a solar disc on her head surrounded by two cobras. She holds the sceptre and the ankh in her hands. Usually she has the head of a lioness, occasionally she is a lioness.

Thoth

God of reincarnation, science, wisdom, inventor of writing and counting, patron of scribes and the divine mediator. Thoth is the name he was given by the Greeks, his original name was Djeheuty.

He would question the dead before recording the weighing of the heart. If the result was favorable then Thoth would declare the deceased a rightous individual who was worthy of a blessed afterlife.

He was a messanger of the gods, comapred with the greek god Hermes. He rode in the solar boat with Ma'at and Re.

He wrote the Book of the Dead, and is considered the scribe and vizier of the afterworld. It was believed that Thoth invented the magical and hermetic arts, the tarot deck is sometimes called the "Book of Thoth"

Thoth was associated with the moon and when the sun disappeared, he tried to dispel the darkness with his light.

Depicted as a man with the head of an ibis, what ever form he took he was a lunar deity, and wore the crescent on his forehead

Also known as: Djeheuty, Tehuti, Tahuti, Zehuti