| 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:
- 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
- As a man with the head of a ram
- As a man with the head of a uraeus (cobra)
- As an ape
- 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.
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| 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
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| 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 |
