Ancient Egyptian dieties

The ancient Egyptians worshiped many gods and goddesses but some of the more widely known include:

  • Amun - Amun took on the appearance of a ram, man with a ram's head and man with a large ostrich plume on his head. Amun was one of the most powerful gods of ancient Egypt and was referred to as 'King of the Gods'. When combined with the sun god Ra - known as Amun-Ra he became even more powerful. Amun-Ra was the creator of the universe.
  • Anubis - Anubis was the god of the dead and the appearance of a jackal or a man with a jackals head. Jackals were commonly seen in cemeteries and were thought to watch over the dead. Anubis helped to embalm Osiris when he was slain by Seth. Priests often wore a mask of Anubis during mummification ceremonies.
  • Aten - Aten was a sun disc with rays that ended in hands. Under the pharaoh Akhenaten, Aten became an all-powerful and creator god.
  • Atum - Atum means 'the all' or 'perfection' and was a man with a double crown. Ancient Egyptians believed Atum to be the first of the gods to exist on Earth.
  • Bastet - Bastet - my personal favorite - was a protective goddess with the head of a cat. She was normally seen as a gentle and protective goddess but sometimes wore the head of a lioness to protect the king in battle. The cat was the symbol of Bastet and cats were sacred to ancient Egyptians as most of us know. Bastet was also the daughter of the sun god Ra.
  • Bes - Bes - the protector of pregnant woman, newborns and families - was a dwarf with the head of a lion or a dwarf in lion skin.
  • Geb - Geb was the god of the earth and the husband and brother of the sky goddess Nut. He was also the father of Osiris, Isis, Neptyth and Seth. When Seth and Horus fought for the Egyptian throne, Geb made Horus the ruler of the living. Ancient Egyptians also believed that earthquakes were Geb's laughter.
  • Hapy - Hapy - the god innundation -appeared as a man with a potbelly, shown with water plants. He was crucial because he brought the floods each year, depositing rich silt on the banks of the Nile, allowing the Egyptians to grow crops.
  • Hathor - Hathor was a protective goddess and the goddess of love and joy. She appeared as a cow, a woman with cow ears and a woman with a sun disc and horns on her head. She was associated with fertility, the sky goddess and the wife of Horus.
  • Horus - Horus - husband of Hathor - was a hawk or a man with a hawk on his head. He was the sun and sky god and is the best known as the protector and ruler of Egypt. The pharaoh was considered 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.
  • Isis - Isis - mother of Horus and wife of Osiris - was a protective goddess with the ability to perform powerful magick spells to aid those in need. Since each pharaoh was considered the 'living Horus', Isis was very important.
  • Kh​ephri - Khephri - god of creation, movement of the sun and rebirth - was associated with the scarab. The scarab beetle lays its eggs in a ball of dung. Then, it rolls the ball along the ground until the young beetles are ready to hatch. When the young beetles are ready, they crawl out of the ball. The ancient Egyptians believed that the beetles just appeared from nowhere- as they believed that their creator god had appeared from nowhere. Thus, they thought that the scarab beetle was special.
  • Khnum - Khnum appeared as a man with the head of the curly-horned ram. Khnum was a creator-god, moulding people on a potter's wheel. Since potters used Nile mud, Khnum was also connected with the innundation.
  • Ma'at - Ma'at was the goddess of truth, justice and harmony. She was associated with the balance of things on earth. She appeared as a woman with a feather or as a feather.
  • Nephthys - Nephthys was a protective goddess of the dead and was the 'Lady of the Mansion'. Nephthys was the sister of Isis and Osiris, and the sister/wife of Seth. Nephthys was also the mother of Anubis. She was shown as a woman with a headdress showing her name hieroglyphs.
  • ​Nun - According to an ancient Egyptian creation myth, Nun was the waters of chaos. He appeared as a man with a bark on his head. Nun was the only thing that existed on Earth before there was land. Then, the first land (in the form of a mound) rose out of Nun.
  • Nut - Nut was the sky-goddess, whose body created a vault or canopy over the earth with the appearance of a woman arched in the sky wearing a dress decorated with stars. The ancient Egyptians believed that at the end of the day, Nut swallowed the sun-god, Ra, and gave birth to him again the next morning.
  • Osiris - Osiris was god of the underworld and judge of the dead. 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. He appeared as a mummified man with a white, cone shaped headdress with feathers.
  • Ptah - Ptah was as creator god and god of sculpting and metal working. He was wrapped in a white cloak holding a staff.
  • Ra - Ra was the sun god. He was the most important god of the ancient Egyptians. The ancient Egyptians also believed that he traveled through the underworld at night. In the underworld, Ra appeared as a man with the head of a ram.
  • Ra-Horakhty - Ra-Horakhty was a combination of the gods Horus and Ra. Horus was a god of the sky, and Ra was the god of the sun. Thus, Ra-Horakhty was thought of as the god of the rising sun.
  • Sekhmet - Sekmet - the powerful one - was the goddess of war. She appeared as a woman with the head of a lioness.
  • Seshat - Seshat - goddess of writing and measurement - appeared as a woman with a panther skin and star headdress.
  • Seth - God of chaos and was a man with an animal head.
  • Shu - Shu was the god of air and holder of Nut.
  • Thoth - Thoth was the god of writing and knowledge.

As a Pagan, are there any ancient Egyptian gods or goddesses that you worship? Obviously Bastet is my personal Egyptian goddess and I call to her frequently.

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Holly Buckley is a freelance writer with expertise on Paganism, religion, pets, animals in general, alternative lifestyles and music. You may contact Holly with your comments and questions.

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