For all ancient people, the world was filled with mystery. Much of what was surrounding them was perceived as unknown and frightening. Ancient Egyptian deities represented natural and supernatural forces for people , helping to understand the structure of the universe.
Pantheon of Ancient Egyptian Gods
Beliefs in the gods and the afterlife were laid in ancient Egyptian civilization from the moment of its inception, and the rights of the pharaohs were based on their divine origin. The Egyptian pantheon was inhabited by deities with supernatural abilities, with the help of which they helped believers and protected them. However, the gods were not always friendly, therefore, in order to earn their favor, not only prayer was required, but also various offerings.
Historians know more than two thousand deities of the ancient Egyptian pantheon. The main gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt, worshiped throughout the kingdom, have less than a hundred names. Many others were worshiped only in individual tribes and regions. With the development of ancient Egyptian civilization and culture, a national religion was created, which became the subject of many changes. The gods and goddesses of Egypt often changed their status and place in the hierarchical ladder depending on the dominant political force.
Afterlife beliefs
The Egyptians believed that every human being consists of physical and spiritual parts. In addition to sah (body), man had the essence of shu (shadow, or the dark side of the soul), ba (soul), ka (life force). After death, the spiritual part was freed from the body and continued to exist, but for this it needed physical remains or a substitute (for example, a statue) - as a permanent home.
The ultimate goal of the deceased was to unite his ka and ba to become one of the “blessed dead” living as ah (spiritual form). In order for this to happen, the deceased had to be deemed worthy in a court at which his heart was weighed against the "pen of truth." If the gods considered the deceased worthy, he could continue his existence on earth in a spiritual form. Moreover, it was initially believed that the essence of the ba was possessed only by the gods, as well as the goddess of Egypt. For example, the supreme Ra had already seven bahs, but later the priests determined that each person possesses this essence, thereby proving his proximity to the gods.
It is no less interesting that the heart, and not the brain, was considered a receptacle of thoughts and emotions, so in court it could testify for or against the deceased.
Process of worship
Gods were worshiped in temples run by priests acting on behalf of the pharaoh. In the center of the temple was a statue of the god or goddess of Egypt to whom the cult was dedicated. Temples were not places of public worship or assembly. Usually, access to the personification of the deity and the ritual of worship was isolated from the outside world and was available only to worshipers. It was only during certain festivities and celebrations that the statue of God was taken out for universal worship.
Ordinary citizens could worship deities, having their own statues and amulets at home, they provided protection from the forces of chaos. Since the role of the pharaoh as the main spiritual mediator was abolished after the New Kingdom, religious customs reoriented to direct worship of the gods. As a result, the priests developed an oracle system to communicate the will of the gods directly to believers.
Appearance
Most Egyptian gods in physical form, as a rule, were a combination of man and animal, many of them were associated with one or more animal species.
It was believed that the mood in which the gods or goddesses of Egypt were, depended directly on the image of the animal accompanying their appearance. An angry deity was depicted as a fierce lioness, in a good mood, a celestial could look like an affectionate cat.
To emphasize the nature and power of the gods, it was also customary to portray them with the human body and the head of the animal, or vice versa. Sometimes this approach was used to clearly demonstrate the power of the pharaoh, he could be depicted with a human head and the body of a lion, as in the case of the Sphinx.
Many deities were represented only in human form. Among them were such figures as very ancient cosmogonic gods, as well as the goddess of Egypt: air - Shu, earth - Heb, sky - Nut, fertility - Ming, and the artisan Ptah.
There are a number of minor gods who have taken grotesque forms, including the goddess Amat, devouring the dead. Her image consists of a part of a crocodile, a lioness and a hippopotamus.
Gods of ennead
In ancient Egyptian mythology, there are nine main solar gods, which are known under the general name Ennead. The birthplace of the great divine nine was the city of the sun Heliopolis, where there was a center of worship of the supreme god Atum (Amun, Amon, Ra, Pta) and other main deities associated with it. So, the main gods and goddesses of Egypt had the names: Amun, Geb, Nut, Isis, Osiris, Shu, Tefnut, Nephthys, Seth.
Supreme God of Ancient Egypt
Atum is the god of creation, who created himself from the primary chaos of Nun in one way or another has family ties with all the main gods of Ancient Egypt. In Thebes, Amun, or Amon-Ra, who, like Zeus in Greek mythology, was the supreme god, the king of all gods and goddesses, was considered the creator god. He was also considered the father of the pharaohs.
The female form of Amon is Amunet. The Theban Triad - Amon and Mut, together with their offspring Khonsu (Moon God) - was worshiped in Ancient Egypt and beyond. Amon was the main deity of Thebes, whose power grew as the city of Thebes grew from a small village in the Old Kingdom into a powerful metropolis of the Middle and New Kingdoms. He rebelled to become the patron saint of Theban pharaohs, and eventually began to appear in the guise of the sun god Ra, the dominant deity of the ancient kingdom.
Amon means "hidden, mysterious form." He most often appeared as a man in clothes and a crown with double feathers, but sometimes the supreme god was depicted as a ram or goose. It was understood that the true nature of this god could not be revealed. The cult of Amun spread far beyond Egypt, and was worshiped in Ethiopia, Nubia, Libya, and parts of Palestine. The Greeks believed that the Egyptian Amon is a manifestation of the god Zeus. Even Alexander of Macedon considered it appropriate to turn to the oracle of Amon.
Functions and names of the main gods of ancient Egypt
So, further we will present a small list of the main deities.
- Shu is the husband of Tefnut, the father of Nut and Hebe. He and his wife were the first gods created by Atum. Shu was the god of air and sunlight. Usually depicted as a man wearing a headdress in the form of a train. The function of Shu was to hold the body of the goddess Nut and to separate the sky from the earth. Shu was not a solar deity, but a role in providing sunlight connected him with the god Ra.
- Geb is the father of Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. He was in eternal conjunction with the goddess Nut until Shu separated them. As the god of the earth, he was associated with fertility; it was believed that earthquakes were Hebe's laughter.
- Osiris is the son of Hebe and Nut. He was revered as the god of the afterlife. Having green skin - a symbol of renewal and growth - Osiris was also the god of vegetation and the patron of the fertile banks of the Nile. Despite the fact that Osiris was killed by his own brother Seth, his wife Isis returned to life (to conceive the son of Horus).
- Seth - the god of the desert and thunderstorms, later became associated with chaos and darkness. He was depicted as a man with a dog's head with a long snout, but sometimes his images are found in the form of a pig, crocodile, scorpion or hippo. Seth is one of the leading characters in the legend of Isis and Osiris. As a result of the growing popularity of the cult of Osiris, Seth began to demonize, and his images were removed from the temples. Despite this, in some parts of ancient Egypt he was still worshiped as one of the main deities.
Mother goddess
The female Egyptian pantheon is headed by the mother goddess, the patroness of moisture and heat, Tefnut. Shu's wife and the first goddess created by Atum are referred to in myths as the daughter and eye of Ra. Later she became identified with Mut, Amon's wife and Khonsu's mother, and was one of the main Theban goddesses. Revered as a great divine mother. Mut is usually portrayed as a woman in a white and red crown. Her images are sometimes found with the head or body of the neck, and also in the form of a cow, because in a later period she merged with Hathor, another great Divine mother, who was usually portrayed as a woman with cow horns.
The functions and names of the goddesses of ancient Egypt
Now let’s imagine a list of female divine hypostases.
- Nut is the goddess of heaven, mother of Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys, wife and sister of Hebe. Usually manifested in a human image, its elongated body symbolizes the sky. Being part of the cult of the underworld and the keeper of souls, she was often depicted on the ceilings of temples, tombs and the inside of the lid of sarcophagi. And to this day on ancient artifacts you can find an image of this goddess of Egypt. A photo of the ancient frescoes of Nut and Hebe clearly shows the idea of the ancient Egyptians about the structure of the universe.
- Isis is the goddess of motherhood and fertility, the patroness of children and the oppressed, the mother of the god Horus, the wife and sister of Osiris. When her beloved husband was killed by his brother Seth, she collected the dissected parts of his body and connected them with bandages, reviving Osiris and thereby laying the foundation of the ancient Egyptian practice of mummifying her dead. Bringing Osiris back to life, Isis also introduced the concept of resurrection, which had a profound effect on other religions, including Christianity. Isis is portrayed as a woman holding ankh (the key of life) in her hand, sometimes with a female body and head of a cow or with a crown in the form of cow horns.
- Nephthys, or the Mistress of the underground monastery, is Osiris' second sister, the youngest child of the divine family of Hebe and Nut, often referred to as the death goddess or the keeper of the scrolls. It was later identified with the goddess Seshat, the patroness of the pharaohs, whose function was to protect the royal archives and determine the term of the reign of the pharaohs. Twilight was considered the time of this goddess, the Egyptians believed that Nephthys was floating in the sky at night, and Isis in a day boat. Both goddesses were revered as defenders of the dead, therefore they were often depicted as falcons or winged women in temples, tombs and on the lids of sarcophagi. Nephthys completes the list of "The Main Goddesses of Egypt." The list can go on at least revered.
The powerful goddess of Egypt
- Sekhmet is the goddess of war and healing, the patroness of the pharaohs and the arbiter in the courtroom of Osiris. Depicted as a lioness.
- Bastet is the goddess worshiped by Egyptian mothers. Often depicted as a cat surrounded by kittens. For the ability to fiercely protect her children, she was considered one of the most ferocious and deadly goddesses.
- Maat was the personification of the goddess of truth, morality, justice and order. It symbolized the harmony of the universe and was the opposite of chaos. Therefore, she was the main participant in the ceremony of weighing the heart in the hall of the afterlife court. Usually depicted as a woman with an ostrich feather on her head.
- Uto, or Buto, is the nurse of the god Horus. It was perceived and revered as the protector of the living and the patroness of the pharaohs. Buto was always ready to strike at any potential adversary of the pharaoh, therefore she was depicted as a cobra encircling a solar disk (uraeus), and often entered the royal regalia as a symbol of Egypt's sovereignty.
- Hathor is the goddess of motherhood and fertility, the patroness of fine arts, also known as the mistress of heaven, earth and the underworld. Highly revered goddess of the ancient Egyptians. It was considered as a wise, kind and affectionate defender of the living and the dead. Most often, Hathor was portrayed as a woman with cow horns and an urea on her head.
These ancient female deities are highly revered by humans. Knowing the name of the goddesses in Egypt, their harsh temper and speed of reprisal, the Egyptians uttered reverence and horror in their prayers.