The Ancient Egyptians (from around 3000BC to 30BC) worshipped many different Gods and Goddesses, known as deities. The deities were frequent subjects of Ancient Egyptian myths, rituals and artwork. Most of the Gods and Goddesses were related to nature or society and were described by the Ancient Egyptians as having golden flesh, silver bones, and hair made of semi-precious stones.
Here are some of the most important Egyptian Gods:
Amun
• The God of the wind.
• Appeared as a man with a ram’s head.
• Known as the ‘King of the Gods’.
• Has a temple at Thebes.
Anubis
• The God of the dead and embalming.
• Known as the ‘guardian to necropolis’.
• Appeared as a man with a jackal’s head.
• The God that watched over people when they were mummified.
• Priests were known to wear masks of Anubis during the mummification ceremony.
Atum
• A creator God and the first God to appear on Earth.
• One of the most important Ancient Egyptian Gods.
• Appeared as a man wearing a double crown.
• Believed to have created all of the other Gods.
Bastet
• A protective Goddess.
• Appeared as a woman with the head of a cat or a lioness.
• Daughter of the Sun God, Ra.
• Has a temple at Bubastis.
• People had statues of cats in their homes to honour Bastet.
Bes
• The protector of families, pregnant women and newborn babies.
• Appeared as a dwarf with the skin of a lion, or with lion features.
• People wore amulets of Bes as it was believed he could protect against snake bites.
Geb
• The God of the Earth.
• Appeared in two forms: as a man with a goose on his head and as a man lying below the sky Goddess, Nut.
• The brother and husband of sky Goddess, Nut.
• The father of Osiris, Isis, Nepthys and Seth.
• It was believed that earthquakes occurred each time that he laughed.
Hapy
• The God of Inundation (the first season in the Ancient Egyptian calendar).
• Appeared as a man with a pot-belly.
• He brought the first floods of the season, which fertilized the soil and allowed the Ancient Egyptians to grow crops.
Hathor
• A protective Goddess and the Goddess of love and joy.
• Appeared as a woman with the ears of a cow, or as a woman with a headdress that looked like horns and the sun.
• The wife of Horus.
Horus
• The God of the sky.
• Appeared as a man with a hawk’s head.
• Also known as ‘the one far above’.
• The son of Osiris and Isis.
• Chosen to be the ruler of the living, and protected the pharaoh.
• People believed that the pharaoh was the ‘living’ Horus.
Isis
• A protective Goddess with magical powers.
• Appeared as a woman with a throne-shaped headdress.
• The wife of Osiris and mother of Horus.
• People used to wear an amulet called the ‘Isis knot’ for protection
Khnum
• A creator God and the God of inundation.
• Appeared as a man with a ram’s head.
• People believed that he created people from mud found in the Nile river.
Ma’at
• The Goddess of truth, harmony and justice.
• Appeared as a woman with a feather on her head.
• Daughter of Ra.
• People believed she kept the Earth in balance.
Osiris
• The God of the dead and resurrection, and the ruler of the underworld.
• Appeared as a mummified man with a feathered headdress.
• The husband of Isis.
Ra
• The Sun God, and the most important God of Ancient Egypt.
• Appeared as a man with a hawk’s head and a sun-disk headdress.
• People believed he was swallowed by Nut each night and then reborn every morning.
• He sailed through the sky on a boat called the Barque of Millions of Years.
• During the night, people believed Ra sailed through the underworld.
Thoth
• The God of knowledge and writing.
• Appeared as a man with the head of an ibis, carrying a writing board.
• People believed that Thoth created hieroglyphics.
Why not complete some research of your own. Use some of the links below:
TASK- Egyptian God Top Trump Cards
Using your research why not have a go at making your own set of Egyptian God Top Trump cards that you can play with your family whilst under lockdown! Take a look at the example below:
I have attached a set below complete and an incomplete set, so you can make your own.
Egyptian god top trump complete (1)
Egyptian god top trump complete (2)