Listing Of Ancient Egyptian Gods & Goddesses

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Listing Of Ancient Egyptian Gods & Goddesses

Ancient Egyptian deities were often depicted as animals.

Although the gods and goddesses of the ancient Egyptian pantheon receded into myth long ago, scholars' fascination with them has not waned. The continued study of Ancient Egyptian culture and myth gave these deities such lasting influence that, in the late 1980s, Kemetic Orthodoxy was born. Modern practitioners of this religion worship the ancient gods and goddesses as separates entities, but also believe that those deities come from one unifying force.

Bast

Early depictions of Bast show her with the head of a lion, but she later appeared frequently with a cat's head or as a cat entirely. Ancient Egyptians blamed her for "plagues and other disasters," according to "Egyptian Mythology," by Geraldine Pinch.

Geb

Robert A. Armour, author of "Gods and myths of Ancient Egypt," lists Geb as the god of the earth. In most depictions he wore a headpiece featuring either the crown of Lower Egypt or the symbol of a goose.

Hathor

Although Hathor's cult center was in Dendera, in the book "Egyptian Symbols," Heike Owusu explains that for Thebes she functioned as the "goddess of the dead." She originally appeared as a cow, and later as a human with a cow's horns and ears.

Isis

Worshiped throughout Egypt, Isis gained prominence over time as she adopted aspects of other goddesses. She was associated with the star Sirius and credited with the yearly rising of the Nile's water level, according to Barbara S. Lesko's "The Great Goddesses of Egypt."

Kneph

The god of Elephantine and the rocky cataracts of the Nile River, Kneph had the head of a ram. In his book, "The Age of Fable," Thomas Bullfinch called Kneph, "the Maker of Gods and Men," and, "the soul of the Gods."

Ma'at

To ancient Egyptians, Ma'at represented justice and order, according to Scott Oden. In his book, "Men of Bronze," Oden describes Ma'at as having wings and wearing, "an ostrich-feather headdress."

Neith

Neith was a war goddess whose worship centered in the Egyptian city of Sais. Owusu says her most common symbols were a pair of bows and two arrows crossed over a shield.

Nut

Nut was the goddess of the sky and mother of the gods and goddesses that appeared after her. According to Lesko, Nut's usual representation was as a human woman, but she occasionally appeared as a cow as well.

Osiris

Although Osiris worshippers lived throughout Egypt, Abydos was the god's home, and the underworld his domain. Bullfinch wrote that Osiris represented the sun after it had set, and served as "judge of the dead."

Ra

A sun god with a falcon's head, Ra lived a complete life cycle each day, starting as a small child at dawn and ending in old age at sunset. The Minnesota State University EMuseum states that his followers, who were concentrated in Heliopolis, believed his tears created life.

Seth

Seth was the personification of wind and thunder, according to Alexandre Moret. In, "Nile and Egyptian Civilization," Moret describes Seth as an, "angry, howling god," and explains that worshippers attributed natural disasters to his moods.

Thoth

In the book, "Hathor and Thoth," Claas Jouco Bleeker suggests that though Thoth's worship began in Hermopolis, he gained reverence throughout Egypt as a moon god. Ancient Egptians believed that Thoth invented writing, and usually depicted him with a human body and the head of an ibis.

Century bird cages

Tuesday, June 4, 2013