The Egyptian goddess of hunting has 4 letters. Everything interesting in art and more

The greatest of the Egyptian gods was Amun. At the very beginning, when Egypt was very small, it was an insignificant local god. With the growth and prosperity of the state, Amon became a well-known powerful deity.

Patron of the city of Thebes, god of air and harvest, creator of the world; was depicted with the head of a man, and sometimes a bull or ram, with a two-pronged crown and a long scepter in his hand. Here is what Herodotus writes about him: “All Egyptians belonging to the temple district of Zeus of Thebes or living in the Theban region do not eat mutton, but sacrifice goats. After all, they do not worship the same gods everywhere. Only Isis and Osiris (who, according to them, is our Dionysus) they all equally honor. On the contrary, the Egyptians belonging to the temple district of Mendes do not eat goat meat, but sacrifice sheep. According to the stories of the Thebans and all those who, at their prompting, abstain from mutton (the ram was considered by the Egyptians to be the embodiment of Khnum), this custom was established for this reason. Hercules wanted to see Zeus one day, but Zeus did not want Hercules to see him. When Hercules began to persistently seek (a date), Zeus came up with a trick: he skinned a ram and cut off its head, then put on a fleece and, holding his head in front of him, showed himself to Hercules. That is why the Egyptians depict Zeus with the face of a ram, and from the Egyptians they adopted this method of depicting ammonium (they come from the Egyptians and Ethiopians, and their language is a mixture of the languages ​​of these peoples). In my opinion, ammonia borrowed its name from Zeus; after all, in Egypt Zeus is called Amun. So, the Thebans do not sacrifice rams; they consider rams sacred for the reason mentioned above. Only on the only day of the year, at the festival of Zeus, do they slaughter one ram and, taking off the fleece, put it on the statue of Zeus, as the god himself once did. They then bring another statue of Hercules to her. After this, all the inhabitants of the temple area mourn the ram and then bury it in a sacred tomb (referring to the holiday solar god Amon and the sacrifice of the sacred ram)".

Even in times of greatest glory, Amun was always the vizier of the poor, caring for them in the same way as for the pharaohs. He was good god, who listened to the requests of modest petitioners, but precisely because they were modest, they were rarely written down.

God is the protector and patron of the dead; its zoomorphic embodiment is a black jackal or a dog stretched out on its belly, as well as a man with the head of a jackal or dog. During the era of the Old Kingdom (Pyramid Texts), Anubis was revered as the main god of the kingdom of the dead, but during the Middle and New Kingdoms he gave up his place to Osiris, and he himself became a god from Osiris’ entourage. In the kingdom of the dead, Anubis leads the soul of the deceased into the Hall of Two Truths, where it is judged and weighs his heart on the scales. Anubis plays an important role in funeral rituals, embalming and mummification processes.

In Egyptian mythology, she was the goddess of joy and fun.
Bastet's sacred animal is a cat.
Bastet was depicted as a woman with the head of a cat, Bastet’s attribute is musical instrument sistr. Bastet was identified with Mut, and was also revered as the Eye of Ra by Tefnut, Sokhmet and Hathor. In this regard, Bastet also acquired the functions of the solar Eye.
Herodotus reported annual celebrations in honor of Bastet, which were accompanied by dancing. The ancient Greeks identified Bastet with Artemis.
As mentioned above, the cat was considered the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet. The ancient Egyptians treated this animal with respect.
The name “cat” in Egyptian sounded simple: “Mau” or “Meow”.
And the attitude towards the ancient Egyptian Meow, as the embodiment of the goddess Bastet, was at least respectful. Cats were members of the family and were treated with all respect, both during life and after death. She was revered because they saw in her the earthly incarnation of the goddess Bastet.
These animals were buried with honor, mummified like pharaohs, and the penalty for killing them was the death penalty.
They treat her with no less respect in countries Far East, challenging the Egyptians' antiquity cat breed. If a cat died in a family, the cat's owners and their relatives shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning. The cat's body was embalmed and placed in a sarcophagus, after which it was placed in one of the necropolises specially designed for the burial of cats.

(Hor) (lit., “height”, “sky”) - one of the most important gods of Ancient Egypt, a solar deity, usually embodied in the form of a falcon or a man with the head of a falcon, sometimes a winged sun. It was believed that he magical power- source of soil fertility. Of all the hypostases of Horus, the most significant are Horus - the son of Isis and Osiris. Horus, the son of Isis, is one of the main characters in the events associated with the death and resurrection of Osiris - he defeats the murderer of Osiris Set and brings Osiris back to life. Horus becomes the successor to the power of Osiris over Egypt, the patron and protector of the pharaohs. After death, the pharaoh was identified with Osiris, and the new one with Horus. The name Horus is included in the fivefold title of the pharaoh.

Goddess of fertility, water and wind, “great with enchantments,” “mistress of sorcery”; in the established mythological canon, the daughter of Hebe and Nut, the sister and wife of Osiris, the sister of Nephthys, Seth, the mother of Horus, one of the most revered goddesses in Egypt. Her cult was widespread in other states during the Hellenistic era. Isis is one of the main characters in all myths associated with the name of Osiris. According to the myth. Set, the donkey-headed god of the desert and storm, kills his brother Osiris and scatters his body parts throughout the nomes of Egypt. Isis, the wife and sister of Osiris, gathers them together (a symbol of the unification of Egypt, as well as the collection of taxes) and buries her husband, who from now on becomes the king of the underworld. In subsequent tradition, she is perceived as the ideal of a faithful wife and loving mother.

Osiris- one of the central deities of the Egyptian pantheon, the god of the productive forces of nature, later revered as a king the afterlife, in the established mythological canon, the eldest son of Geb and Nut, brother of Seth, Isis (who was also his wife) and Nephthys. Initially, it was apparently identified with the waters of the Nile flood, bringing life and fertility. Osiris was later proclaimed the fourth king of Egypt, receiving power from Geb. According to legend, he taught people agriculture and crafts, i.e. gave them the opportunity to move from barbarism to civilization. One of the most significant mythological cycles for Egyptian culture is associated with Osiris, telling about his insidious murder committed by Seth, and the subsequent resurrection of the god by Isis and Horus. Having transferred power over Egypt to Horus, Osiris then becomes king of the underworld of the dead. Osiris was revered throughout Egypt and far beyond its borders.

In Egyptian mythology, Set was considered the god of chaos and disorder, who was depicted in the guise of a man with the head of a mysterious animal, possibly an anteater, and, most likely, some creature that does not belong to this world.
Seth can appear completely in the form of an animal - with the body of a jackal, with a forked tail held high.
Seth can also take the form of a donkey, pig or hippopotamus. The earliest image of Seth is preserved on a carved ivory object discovered in one of the tombs of el-Mahasna, dated to the era of Nagada I (4000-3500 BC). The figure of the sacred animal Seth is also preserved on the mace of the archaic king Scorpio (c. . 3150 BC).
According to surviving mythological texts, Seth was the son of the heavenly goddess Nut, the brother of Osiris, Isis and Nebethath (Nephthys), who was also his wife. According to one version, he was born near the city of Su (Fayum). Set's birthday, which fell on the third of the five epagomenal days, was considered especially unlucky. Pharaoh did practically no business that day. Set was considered the ruler of the deserts, everything hostile to the Nile Valley, and was revered as the patron of distant countries and foreigners, along with the Syro-Phoenician goddesses Anat and Ashtoreth (Astarte), who in the New Kingdom were considered his wives (Chester-Beatty papyrus I). Legends tell that Set killed his brother Osiris, and then had a long and treacherous argument with his nephew Horus, who wanted to avenge his father's death for dominion over the earth. During several battles, Seth tore his eye from Horus, which became the great amulet of Udjat; at the same time, the Chorus castrated Seth, thereby depriving him of the main part of his essence - Seth has since ancient times been associated with male sexual power.
According to one of the legends, Seth's front leg, cut off in battle, was thrown into the northern part of the sky, where the gods chained it with golden chains to the eternal supports of heaven and set it to guard the formidable hippopotamus Isis Hesamut.

That- god of the moon, god of wisdom, counting and writing, “Lord of Truth”, judge in the world of the gods, patron of scribes and judges. He was depicted as a man with the head of an ibis, holding a scribe's palette in his hand. As the god of the moon, Thoth is the creator of the calendar, by his will the year is divided into years and months; he recorded the dates of birth and death of people, and also kept chronicles. He played a significant role in the cult of the dead - he delivered each deceased to the afterlife, and also recorded the result of weighing his heart on the scales of Osiris.

Maat- the personification of truth and order (law), was considered the wife of the god Thoth. The image of Ma'at is a woman sitting on the ground with an ostrich feather attached to her head. Maat is mentioned in the Pyramid Texts, but her importance increases at the end of the Old Kingdom era, when she is declared the daughter of Ra. She was important in the funeral cult - the image of Maat was used as an emblem at the trial of Osiris.

Nephthys(Greek), Nebetkhet (Egyptian, lit., “mistress of the house”) - younger sister Isis, participating with her in all funeral rites and mysteries associated with Osiris. She was depicted as a woman with a hieroglyph on her head corresponding to her name. She was considered the wife of Set, although there are practically no texts that make this connection not ephemeral.

Chickpeas- goddess of the sky, sister and wife of the earth god Heb, daughter of Shu and Tefnut, mother of Osiris, Set, Isis, Nephthys, one of the goddesses of the Heliopolis Ennead. Just like Geb, she didn’t have special places veneration, but took part in a large number of myths. According to one of the myths, Nut gives birth to the Sun-Pa and stars every day and swallows them every day. When her husband Geb quarreled with Nut, who eats children, the god Shu separated them, raising Nut up and leaving Shu below. In one of the fragments of the Pyramid Texts, Nut, as the wife of Gebe, is called the “queen of Lower Egypt”; later she participates in the funeral cult, raising the souls of the dead to heaven and guarding them in the tomb.

Sekhmet(Sakhmet, Sokhmet) (lit., “mighty”) - the wife of the main god of Memphis Ptah, usually depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness. Warlike goddess, protector of the pharaoh in battles, destroying his enemies with the flame of her breath. Also a healer goddess, patron of doctors, who were considered her priests. Identified with Tefnut and Hathor.

Seshat(feminine from “sesh” - “scribe”) - the goddess of writing, daughter or sister (sometimes wife) of the god Thoth. Her image is a woman with a seven-pointed star on her head. Seshat often acted as a hypostasis of other goddesses - Hathor, Nephthys. On the leaves of the shed tree, Seshat recorded the years of the life and reign of the pharaoh. She was also considered the patroness of construction work. Initially, the cult center of Seshat was apparently the city of Sais, but then the main place of her veneration became the city of Hermopolis.

Tefnut- in Heliopolis cosmogony, sister and wife of Shu, daughter of Ra-Atum, mother of Hebe and Nut. Her zoomorphic incarnation was a lioness. Tefnut was also revered as the daughter of Ra and at the same time as the Eye shining on the forehead of Ra, rising above the horizon, and destroying his arags. Identified with Hathor. There is a well-known myth about the departure of the offended Hat-hor-Tefnut from Egypt and her subsequent return back and the religious holiday associated with this event that occurs during the Nile flood.

Hathor(Hathor) (lit., “house of Horus,” i.e., “sky”) - goddess of the sky, in ancient myths represented as the celestial cow who gave birth to the sun. Her zoomorphic image is a cow or a woman with the horns (and sometimes ears) of a cow. Hathor was considered the wife of Horus of Bekhdet. She was later identified with the goddesses Sekhmet and Tefnut and was worshiped in lion form. Hathor-Tefnut was considered the Eye of the god Ra and is associated with a large number myths. Later, Hathor was also revered as the goddess of love, music, festivals and was identified by the ancient Greeks with Aphrodite.

Shu- the god of air, filling the space between heaven and earth, husband of Tefnut, father of Geb and Nut. Part of the Heliopolis Ennead. There are no recorded special temples in honor of Shu; only the places of his veneration in Heliopolis are known. Ennead - the first nine gods in the theogonic system of Heliopolis: Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Axis, Isis, Set, Nephthys. Later, similar enneas (or octads) arose in other cities of Ancient Egypt.

In Ancient Egypt there were very large number gods. Each city had its own pantheon or Ennead– 9 main deities that people worshiped. However, for the first time such an ennead appeared in the city of Heliopolis (Heliopolis). It has been known since the times of the Early Kingdom, that is, from the origins of Egyptian civilization.

The priests who lived in this city were considered the most influential and powerful. It was they who named the very first nine deities. Therefore, it is believed that the main gods of Ancient Egypt originated in Heliopolis, and the pantheon itself began to be called Heliopolis or great ennead. Below is a list of the supreme deities and a brief description of them.

God Ra

This is the supreme ancient Egyptian deity. It personified the sun. After the creation of the world, Ra began to reign over it, and this was the most fertile time for people. The power of God lay in his mysterious name. Other celestials wanted to know this name in order to gain the same power, but the sun god did not tell it to anyone.

A lot of time passed, and Ra grew old. He lost his vigilance and told his mysterious name to his great-granddaughter Isis. After this, a period of chaos ensued, and people stopped obeying the supreme deity. Then the sun god decided to leave the earth and go to heaven.

But he did not forget people and continued to take care of them. Every morning he boarded a boat called Atet, and the sun's disk shone above his head. In this boat, Ra sailed across the sky and illuminated the earth from dawn to noon. Then, between noon and twilight, he transferred to another boat called Sektet and went in it to the underworld to illuminate the ordeals of the afterlife.

In this mournful place, the sun god met every night with a huge snake Apep, who personified evil and darkness. A battle began between Ra and the serpent, and the sun god was always the winner. But by the next night evil and darkness were reborn again, and the battle was repeated again.

The ancient Egyptians depicted the god Ra with the body of a man and the head of a falcon, which was crowned with a solar disk. On it lay the goddess Wajit in the form of a cobra. She was considered the patroness of Lower Egypt and its pharaohs. This god had other names in some religious centers. In Thebes he was called Amun-Ra, in Elephantine Khnum-Ra. But that didn't change the main point solar deity who had the status of the main god of Ancient Egypt.

God Shu

This deity personified the air space illuminated by the sun. Shu was the son of Ra, and when he ascended to heaven, he began to reign in his place. He ruled the sky, the earth, the mountains, the winds, the seas. After thousands of years, Shu also ascended to heaven. In terms of status he was considered second after Ra.

In some images he was shown as a man with the head of a lion. He sat on a throne carried by lions. But there are many more images of the god of air in the form ordinary person with a feather in his head. It symbolized the goddess of truth Maat.

Goddess Tefnut

This deity also belonged to the main gods of Ancient Egypt. Tefnut is the goddess of heat and moisture. She was the daughter of the god Ra and was the wife sibling Shu. The husband and wife were twins. But even before marriage, the god Ra sent his daughter to Nubia, having quarreled with her, and a drought occurred in Egypt. Then the sun god returned his daughter, and she married Shu.

The return of Tefnut and her marriage became a symbol of the blossoming of nature. Most often, the goddess was depicted as a man with the head of a lioness and a fiery disk above her head. The disk indicated her connection with her father Ra, since the daughter was considered his fiery eye. When the sun god appeared early in the morning on the horizon, a fiery eye shone in his forehead and burned all enemies and ill-wishers.

God Geb

Geb is the god of the earth, the son of Shu and Tefnut. He married my own sister Nut - the goddess of the sky - and this couple had children: Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys. It is noteworthy that Geb constantly quarreled with Nut, who ate her children - the heavenly bodies - before dawn, but gave birth to them again on the eve of twilight.

These quarrels tired Shu's father, and he separated the spouses. He raised the chickpeas high into the sky, and left Hebe on the ground. He reigned after his father, and then transferred his power to his son Osiris. He was most often depicted as a man green sitting on a throne with royal crown on the head.

Goddess Nut

Nut is the goddess of the sky, daughter of Shu and Tefnut, sister and wife of Geb. She was the mother of Osiris, Isis, Set and Nephthys. In the morning, the goddess of the sky swallowed the stars, and in the late evening she gave birth to them, thereby symbolizing the change of day and night. She had an inextricable connection with the world of the dead.

She raised the dead into the sky and guarded the tombs of the dead. She was depicted as a woman with a curved body. It stretched across the horizon and touched the ground with the tips of his fingers and toes. Often, under the curved body of Nut, Geb was depicted lying on the ground.

It must be said that the main gods of Ancient Egypt would have lost a lot without Osiris. He was the great-great-grandson of the god Ra and ruled the earth after his father Geb. During his reign he taught people many useful things. He married his own sister Isis, and Seth and Nephthys were his brother and sister. But Seth, who lived in the desert in the south of Egypt, began to envy his successful brother, killed him and usurped royal power for himself.

Set not only killed, but dismembered the body of Osiris into 14 pieces and scattered them throughout the lands of Egypt. But faithful wife Isis found all the pieces, put them together and called a guide to the underground kingdom of Anubis. He made a mummy from the body of Osiris, which became the first in Egypt. After this, Isis turned into a female kite, spread herself over the body of her husband and brother and became pregnant by him. Thus was born Horus, who became the last of the gods to rule the earth. After him, power passed to the pharaohs.

Horus defeated Set, sent him back south to the desert, and revived his father with the help of his left eye. After this, he remained to rule on earth, and Osiris began to reign in the afterlife. The god was depicted as a man in white robes and with a green face. In his hands he held a flail and a scepter, and his head was crowned.

Isis (Isis) was extremely popular in Ancient Egypt, considered the goddess of fertility, symbolizing motherhood and femininity. She was the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus. The Egyptians believed that the Nile flooded when Isis cried, mourning Osiris, who left her and went to rule the kingdom of the dead.

The importance of this goddess increased significantly during the Middle Kingdom, when funerary texts began to be used not only by the pharaohs and members of their families, but also by all other inhabitants of Egypt. Isis was depicted as a man with a throne on his head, who personified the power of the pharaohs.

Seth (Seth) – youngest son Hebe and Nut, brother of Osiris, Isis and Nephthys. He married the latter. He was born on the third New Year's day, jumping out of his mother's side. The ancient Egyptians considered this day unlucky, therefore, until the day ended, they did not do anything. Set was considered the god of war, chaos and sandstorms. He personified evil, which made him similar to Satan. Having killed Osiris, short time reigned on earth until he was overthrown by Horus. After that, he ended up in the desert in southern Egypt, from where he sent sandstorms to fertile lands.

Seth was depicted as a man with the head of an aardvark or a donkey. He had long ears and in many images there is a red mane. Sometimes this god had red eyes. This color symbolized desert sand and death. The pig was considered the sacred animal of the god of sandstorms. Therefore, pigs were classified as unclean animals.

The youngest of the children of Geb and Nut, named Nephthys, also belonged to the main gods of Ancient Egypt. She was born on the last day of the year. The ancient Egyptians viewed this goddess as a complement to Isis. She was considered the goddess of creation, which permeates the entire world. Nephthys ruled over everything ephemeral that could not be seen, touched or smelled. She had a connection with the world of the dead, and at night she accompanied Ra on his voyage through the underworld.

She was considered the wife of Seth, but did not have pronounced negative traits characteristic of her husband. They depicted this goddess in human female image. Her head was crowned with a hieroglyph indicating the name of the goddess. On sarcophagi she was depicted as a woman with wings, symbolizing the protector of the dead.

The main monuments that reflected the mythological ideas of the Egyptians are various religious texts: hymns and prayers to the gods, records of funeral rites on the walls of tombs...

Egyptian gods

Amon

Amon (“hidden”, “hidden”), in Egyptian mythology the god of the sun. Amon's sacred animal is the ram and the goose (both symbols of wisdom). God was depicted as a man (sometimes with the head of a ram), with a scepter and a crown, with two tall feathers and a solar disk. The cult of Amon originated in Thebes and then spread throughout Egypt. Amun's wife, the sky goddess Mut, and his son, the moon god Khonsu, formed the Theban triad with him. During the Middle Kingdom, Amon began to be called Amon-Ra, since the cults of the two deities united, acquiring a state character. Amon later acquired the status of a beloved and especially revered god of the pharaohs, and during the Eighteenth Dynasty of the pharaohs he was declared the head of the Egyptian gods. Amun-Ra granted victories to the pharaoh and was considered his father. Amon was also revered as a wise, omniscient god, “king of all gods,” heavenly intercessor, protector of the oppressed (“vizier for the poor”).

Anubis

Anubis, in Egyptian mythology, is the patron god of the dead, the son of the god of vegetation Osiris and Nephthys, sister of Isis. Nephthys hid the newborn Anubis from her husband Set in the swamps of the Nile Delta. The mother goddess Isis found the young god and raised him.
Later, when Set killed Osiris, Anubis, organizing the burial of the deceased god, wrapped his body in fabrics impregnated with a special composition, thus making the first mummy. Therefore, Anubis is considered the creator of funeral rites and is called the god of embalming. Anubis also helped judge the dead and accompanied the righteous to the throne of Osiris. Anubis was depicted as a jackal or a black wild dog (or a man with the head of a jackal or dog).
The center of the cult of Anubis is the city of the 17th nome of Kas (Greek Kinopolis - “dog city”).

Apis

Apis, in Egyptian mythology, the god of fertility in the guise of a bull with a solar disk. The center of the cult of Apis was Memphis. Apis was considered the Ba (soul) of the god Ptah, the patron saint of Memphis, as well as the sun god Ra. The living embodiment of God was a black bull with special white markings. The Egyptians believed that the ritual running of the sacred bull fertilized the fields. Apis was associated with the cult of the dead and was considered the bull of Osiris. Sarcophagi often depicted running Apis with a mummy on his back. Under the Ptolemies, Apis and Osiris completely merged into a single deity, Serapis. To keep the sacred bulls in Memphis, not far from the Temple of Ptah, a special Apeion was built. The cow that gave birth to Apis was also revered and kept in a special building. In the event of the death of a bull, the whole country was plunged into mourning, and its burial and the choice of a successor were considered important state business. Apis was embalmed and buried according to a special ritual in a special crypt at the Serapenium near Memphis.

Apep

Apep, in Egyptian mythology, a gigantic serpent personifying darkness and evil, the eternal enemy of the sun god Ra. Apep lived in the depths of the earth, where his struggle with Ra took place. Every night Apep would lie in wait for Ra, sailing in a solar boat along the underground Nile, and drink all the water from the river. In the nightly battle with Apep, Ra always emerged victorious and forced the monster to spew out water back.
In another myth, Ra, in the form of a red cat, cut off the head of the serpent Apep under the sacred simokor, the tree of life, of the city of Heliopolis. Later, the Egyptians considered Apep as the image of the evil desert god Set.

Aten

Aten (“disk of the sun”), in Egyptian mythology, god is the personification of the solar disk. The heyday of the cult of this god dates back to the reign of Amenhotep IV (1368 - 1351 BC). At the beginning of his reign, Aten acted as the embodiment of all the main sun gods. Amenhotep IV then declared Aten one god all of Egypt, prohibiting the worship of other gods. He changed his name from Amenhotep ("Amon is pleased") to Akhenaten ("pleasing to Aten" or "useful to Aten"). The pharaoh himself became the high priest of God, considering himself his son. Aten was depicted as a solar disk with rays that ended in hands holding the sign of life ankh, a symbol of the fact that life was given to people, animals and plants by Aten. It was believed that the sun god was present in every object and living creature. Aten was depicted as a solar disk, the rays of which end in open palms.

Geb

Geb, in Egyptian mythology, the god of the earth, the son of the god of air Shu and the goddess of moisture Tefnut. Geb quarreled with his sister and wife Nut ("sky"), because she daily ate her children - the heavenly bodies, and then gave birth to them again. Shu separated the spouses. He left Heb down and Nut up. The children of Geb were Osiris, Set, Isis, Nephthys. The soul (Ba) of Hebe was embodied in the god of fertility Khnum. The ancients believed that Geb was good: he protects the living and the dead from snakes living in the earth, people need plants, which is why he was sometimes depicted with a green face. Geb was associated with the underworld of the dead, and his title “prince of princes” gave him the right to be considered the ruler of Egypt. The heir of Geb is Osiris, from him the throne passed to Horus, and the pharaohs were considered the successors and servants of Horus, who considered their power as given by the gods.

Gore

Horus, Horus ("height", "sky"), in Egyptian mythology, the god of the sky and the sun in the guise of a falcon, a man with the head of a falcon or a winged sun, the son of the fertility goddess Isis and Osiris, the god of productive forces. Its symbol is a solar disk with outstretched wings. Initially, the falcon god was revered as a predatory god of the hunt, with his claws digging into his prey. According to myth, Isis conceived Horus from the dead Osiris, who was treacherously killed by the formidable desert god Set, his brother. Retiring deep into the swampy Nile Delta, Isis gave birth to and raised a son, who, having matured, in a dispute with Set, sought recognition of himself as the sole heir of Osiris. In the battle with Set, the killer of his father, Horus was first defeated - Set tore out his eye, the wonderful Eye, but then Horus overpowered Set and deprived him of masculinity. As a sign of submission, he placed the sandal of Osiris on Seth's head. Horus allowed his wonderful Eye to be swallowed by his father, and he came to life. The resurrected Osiris handed over his throne in Egypt to Horus, and he himself became the king of the underworld.

Min

Min, in Egyptian mythology, the god of fertility, the "producer of harvests", who was depicted with an erect phallus and a raised whip in his right hand, as well as wearing a crown decorated with two long feathers. It is believed that Ming was originally revered as a creator god, but in ancient times he came to be worshiped as the god of roads and protector of those wandering through the desert. Ming was also considered the protector of the harvest. Main holiday The Festival of the Steps was called in his honor. Sitting on his step, the god accepted the first sheaf, cut by the pharaoh himself.
Ming, as the “lord of the deserts,” was also the patron saint of foreigners; patron of Koptos. Min patronized the breeding of livestock, therefore he was also revered as the god of cattle breeding.

Nun

Nun, in Egyptian mythology, is the embodiment of the water element, which existed at the dawn of time and contained life force. In the image of Nun, ideas about water as a river, sea, rain, etc. are merged. Nun and his wife Naunet, personifying the sky along which the sun floats at night, were the first pair of gods, from them all the gods descended: Atum, Hapi, Khnum , as well as Khepri and others. It was believed that Nun headed the council of gods, where the lioness goddess Hathor-Sekhmet was tasked with punishing people who plotted evil against the solar god Ra.

Osiris

Osiris, in Egyptian mythology, the god of the productive forces of nature, the ruler of the underworld, the judge in the kingdom of the dead. Osiris was the eldest son of the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut, brother and husband of Isis. He reigned on earth after the gods Pa, Shu and Geb and taught the Egyptians agriculture, viticulture and winemaking, mining and processing of copper and gold ore, the art of medicine, the construction of cities, and established the cult of the gods. Set, his brother, the evil god of the desert, decided to destroy Osiris and made a sarcophagus according to the measurements of his older brother. Having arranged a feast, he invited Osiris and announced that the sarcophagus would be presented to the one who fit the bill. When Osiris lay down in the capophagus, the conspirators slammed the lid, filled it with lead and threw it into the waters of the Nile. The faithful wife of Osiris, Isis, found her husband’s body, miraculously extracted the life force hidden in him and conceived a son named Horus from the dead Osiris. When Horus grew up, he took revenge on Set. Horus allowed his magic Eye, torn out by Set at the beginning of the battle, to be swallowed dead father. Osiris came to life, but did not want to return to earth, and, leaving the throne to Horus, began to reign and administer justice in the afterlife. Osiris was usually depicted as a man with green skin, sitting among trees, or with a vine entwining his figure. It was believed that, like everything flora, Osiris dies every year and is reborn to new life, but the fertilizing life force in him remains even in death.

Ptah

Ptah, in Egyptian mythology, is the creator god, patron of arts and crafts, especially revered in Memphis. Ptah created the first eight gods (his hypostases - the Ptahs), the world and everything that exists in it (animals, plants, people, cities, temples, crafts, arts, etc.) “with tongue and heart.” Having conceived creation in his heart, he expressed his thoughts in words. Sometimes Ptah was called the father of even such gods as Ra and Osiris. Ptah's wife was the goddess of war, Sekhmet, and his son was Nefertum, the god of vegetation. IN Greek mythology Hephaestus most corresponds to him. Ptah was depicted as a mummy with an open head, with a staff standing on a hieroglyph meaning truth.

Ra

Ra, Re, in Egyptian mythology, the god of the sun, embodied in the image of a falcon, a huge cat or a man with a falcon's head crowned with a solar disk. Ra, the sun god, was the father of Wajit, the cobra of the North, who protected the pharaoh from the scorching rays of the sun. According to the myth, during the day the beneficent Ra, illuminating the earth, sails along the heavenly Nile in the barge Manjet, in the evening he transfers to the barge Mesektet and in it continues his journey along the underground Nile, and in the morning, having defeated the serpent Apophis in a nightly battle, he reappears on the horizon. A number of myths about Ra are associated with Egyptian ideas about the change of seasons. The spring blossoming of nature heralded the return of the goddess of moisture Tefnut, the fiery Eye shining on the forehead of Ra, and her marriage with Shu. The summer heat was explained by Ra's anger at people. According to the myth, when Ra grew old, and people stopped revere him and even “plotted evil deeds against him,” Ra immediately convened a council of gods led by Nun (or Atum), at which it was decided to punish the human race. The goddess Sekhmet (Hathor) in the form of a lioness killed and devoured people until she was tricked into drinking barley beer as red as blood. Having become drunk, the goddess fell asleep and forgot about revenge, and Ra, having proclaimed Hebe as his viceroy on earth, climbed onto the back of a heavenly cow and from there continued to rule the world. The ancient Greeks identified Ra with Helios.

Sobek

Sobek, Sebek, in Egyptian mythology, the god of water and the flood of the Nile, whose sacred animal was the crocodile. He was depicted as a crocodile or as a man with the head of a crocodile. The center of his cult is the city of Khatnecher-Sobek (Greek: Crocodilopolis), the capital of the Fayum. It was believed that the lake adjacent to the main sanctuary of Sobek contained the crocodile Petsuchos, as a living embodiment of the god. Sobek's admirers, who sought his protection, drank water from the lake and fed the crocodile delicacies. In the 2nd millennium BC. e. many kings called themselves Sebekhotep, i.e. “Sebek is pleased.” It is believed that the ancients perceived Sebek as the main deity, the giver of fertility and abundance, as well as the protector of people and gods. According to some myths, the god of evil Set took refuge in the body of Sobek to avoid punishment for the murder of Osiris. Sobek is sometimes considered the son of Neith, the great mother of the gods, the goddess of war, hunting, water and sea, who is also credited with the birth of the terrible serpent Apophis.

Set

Seth, in Egyptian mythology, the god of the desert, i.e., “foreign countries,” the personification of the evil principle, the brother and killer of Osiris, one of the four children of the earth god Heb and Nut, the goddess of the sky. The sacred animals of Seth were considered to be the pig (“disgust for the gods”), antelope, giraffe, and the main one was the donkey. The Egyptians imagined him as a man with a thin, long body and a donkey's head. Some myths attributed to Seth the salvation of Ra from the serpent Apophis - Seth pierced the giant Apophis, personifying darkness and evil, with a harpoon. At the same time, Seth also embodied the evil principle - as the deity of the merciless desert, the god of foreigners: he chopped sacred trees, ate the sacred cat of the goddess Bast, etc. In Greek mythology, Set was identified with Typhon, a serpent with dragon heads, and was considered the son of Gaia and Tartarus.

That

God is the one who weighs the soul. Drawing from the Book of the Dead by Hunifer, c. 1320 BC

Thoth, Djehuti, in Egyptian mythology is the god of the moon, wisdom, counting and writing, patron of sciences, scribes, sacred books, creator of the calendar. The goddess of truth and order Maat was considered the wife of Thoth. Thoth's sacred animal was the ibis, and so the god was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis. The Egyptians associated the arrival of the Tot ibis with the seasonal floods of the Nile. When Thoth returned Tefnut (or Hathor, as one of the myths says) to Egypt, nature blossomed. He, identified with the moon, was considered the heart of the god Ra and was depicted behind the Pa-sun, since he was known as his night deputy. Thoth was credited with creating the entire intellectual life of Egypt. “Lord of Time,” he divided it into years, months, days and kept count of them. The wise Thoth recorded the birthdays and deaths of people, kept chronicles, and also created writing and taught the Egyptians counting, writing, mathematics, medicine and other sciences.

It is known that his daughter or sister (wife) was the goddess of writing Seshat; Thoth's attribute is the scribe's palette. Under his patronage were all the archives and the famous library of Hermopolis, the center of the cult of Thoth. God “ruled all languages” and was himself considered the language of the god Ptah. As a vizier and scribe of the gods, Thoth was present at the trial of Osiris and recorded the results of weighing the soul of the deceased. Since Thoth participated in the justification of Osiris and gave the order for his embalming, he took part in the funeral ritual of every deceased Egyptian and led him to the kingdom of the dead. On this basis, Thoth is identified with the Greek messenger of the gods, Hermes, who was considered a psychopomp (“leader of the soul”). He was often depicted with a baboon, one of his sacred animals.

Khonsou

Khonsu (“passing”), in Egyptian mythology, the god of the moon, the god of time and its dimensions, the son of Amun and the sky goddess Mut. Khonsu was also revered as the god of travel. In the images of Khonsu that have come down to us, we most often see a young man with a sickle and a moon disk on his head; sometimes he appears in the guise of a child god with a finger at his mouth and a “lock of youth,” which boys wore on the side of their heads until adulthood. The center of the cult of Khonsu was Thebes; its main temple was located in Karnak.

Khnum

Khnum (“creator”), in Egyptian mythology, the god of fertility, the creator who created the world from clay on his potter’s wheel. He is often depicted as a man with the head of a ram, sitting in front of a potter's wheel on which stands a figurine of the creature he has just created. It was believed that Khnum created the gods, people, and also controlled the floods of the Nile. According to one legend, the scientist and sage Imhotep, a dignitary and architect of Pharaoh Djoser (III millennium BC), in connection with a seven-year famine, advised Djoser to make a rich offering to the god of fertility. Pharaoh followed this advice, and Khnum appeared to him in a dream, promising to free the waters of the Nile. That year the country received a wonderful harvest.

Shu

Shu (“empty”), in Egyptian mythology, the god of air, separating heaven and earth, the son of the solar god Ra-Atum, the husband and brother of the goddess of moisture Tefnut. He was most often depicted as a man standing on one knee with his arms raised, with which he supported the sky above the earth. Shu is one of the judges over the dead in the afterlife. In the myth of the return of Tefnut, the solar Eye, from Nubia, Shu, together with Thoth, taking the form of a baboon, singing and dancing, returned the goddess to Egypt, where, after her marriage to Shu, the spring flowering of nature began.

Mythology. Encyclopedia, -M.: Belfax, 2002
Legends and myths of Ancient Egypt, -M.: Summer Garden, 2001

- god - patron of the dead, creator of funeral rites, son of the god of vegetation Osiris and Nephthys, sister of Isis. Anubis was depicted as a man with the head of a jackal or a black wild dog, Sab.

Apis is the god of fertility in the guise of a bull with a solar disk. Apis is considered the Ba (soul) of the god Ptah, the patron saint of Memphis, as well as the sun god Ra. The living embodiment of God was a black bull with special white markings.

Aten – god – personification of the solar disk. Aten was depicted as a solar disk with rays that ended in hands holding the sign of life ankh, a symbol of the fact that life was given to people, animals and plants by Aten.

Baal is in Western Semitic mythology the god of storms, thunder, lightning, and rain associated with fertility. In Egyptian mythology, Baal corresponds to Set.

Geb is the god of the earth, the son of the god of air Shu and the goddess of moisture Tefnut. The children of Geb were Osiris, Set, Isis, Nephthys. The soul (Ba) of Hebe was embodied in the god of fertility Khnum.

Horus is the god of the sky and the sun in the guise of a falcon, a man with the head of a falcon or a winged sun, the son of the fertility goddess Isis and Osiris, the god of productive forces. Its symbol is a solar disk with outstretched wings.

Min is the god of fertility, the “producer of harvests,” who was depicted with an erect phallus and a whip in his right hand, as well as wearing a crown with two long feathers.

Nun is the embodiment of the water element, which existed at the dawn of time and contained life force. Nun and his wife Naunet, personifying the sky, were the first pair of gods, from them all other Egyptian gods descended.

Osiris is the god of the productive forces of nature, the ruler of the underworld, the judge in the kingdom of the dead. He taught the Egyptians agriculture, viticulture and winemaking, ore mining and processing, healing, city building, and established the cult of the gods.

Ptah is the creator god, patron of arts and crafts. Ptah created the first eight gods, the world and everything that exists in it - animals, plants, people, temples, etc.

Ra is the sun god, embodied in the form of a falcon, a huge cat or a man with a falcon's head crowned with a solar disk. Ra, the sun god, was the father of Wajit, the cobra of the North, who protected the pharaoh from the scorching rays of the sun.

Sebek is the god of water and the flood of the Nile, whose sacred animal was the crocodile. He was depicted as a crocodile or as a man with the head of a crocodile.

Set is the god of the desert, that is, “foreign countries,” the personification of the evil principle, the brother and murderer of Osiris, one of the four children of the earth god Geb and Nut, the goddess of the sky.

Thoth is the god of the moon, wisdom, counting and writing, patron of sciences, scribes, sacred books, creator of the calendar. Thoth's sacred animal was the ibis, and so the god was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis. Thoth's wife was the goddess of truth Maat.

Khonsu is the god of the moon, the god of time and its dimensions, the son of Amon and the sky goddess Mut. Khonsu was also revered as the god of travel.

Khnum is the god of fertility, the creator who created the world from clay on his potter's wheel. He is often depicted as a man with the head of a ram, sitting in front of a potter's wheel on which stands a figurine of the creature he has just created.

Shu is the god of air, separating heaven and earth, the son of the solar god Ra-Atum, the husband and brother of the goddess of moisture Tefnut. He was most often depicted as a man standing on one knee with his arms raised, with which he supported the sky above the earth.

Amon

In mythology, the ancient Egyptians are one of the sun gods. He was depicted as a man with a ram's head, since the ram and the goose, which symbolized wisdom, were sacred animals for him. The god Amon had a wife, the goddess Mut, and also a son, the god Khonsu. Initially, the cult of worshiping God originated in Thebes, but gradually it began to be revered throughout ancient Egypt.

Anubis

This is one of the most ancient and revered gods of the ancient Egyptians. It was believed that he punished sinners who went to hell. And it determines who it is time to go to another world, and who to stay in the world of the living. Anubis was depicted as a man with the head of a jackal, which symbolized the protection of the dead and connection with them.

Apis

He was revered by the Egyptians as the god of fertility. Depicted in the guise of a black bull with a solar circle. The cult originally began in Memphis. During the reign of the Ptolemies, Apis and the god Osiris merged into the single god Serapis. The sacred animal of this god was considered a black bull with special white markings, for which Apeion was built. If the bull died, then mourning was declared, and the funeral was carried out with a special ritual.

Aten

He was the deity of the solar spirit in ancient Egypt. Depicted as the sun, the rays of which were open palms. There is a version that the Temple of Aten was possibly located in the city of Heliopolis. For a long time was a minor deity.

Aker

One of the most ancient gods in Egyptian mythology. He was the god of the earth, the patron of the dead. He was often depicted as a lion.

Also one of the most ancient Egyptian gods. He was considered the deity of the Libyan desert. The Egyptians depicted him as a man with a falcon's head. The god's sacred animal was the falcon.

Bekh (Buhis)

Initially he was a god of local significance, but then became a pan-Egyptian deity. Depicted as a bull of a reddish or black and white color. The cult of God originated in the Egyptian city of Hermont. The god's sacred animal was a white bull with black markings.

This is the ancient Egyptian god of the Earth. He was depicted as a man wearing the crown of Upper or Lower Egypt on his head. God Geb was considered the god of good beginnings, who protects the living and the dead from the snakes that live in the earth.

Horus (Chorus)

In ancient Egyptian mythology, he is the god of the Sky and the Sun. Most often, the Egyptians depicted him as a falcon or as a man with a falcon's head. At first he was considered a predatory god, digging his claws into his prey. Then he was considered the patron of power.

Duamutif

An ancient Egyptian god of minor importance in mythology. Initially considered one of the star gods. It was believed that he guards and accompanies the dead, and also takes part in the embalming of bodies. The god was depicted in the form of a canopic jar, with a jackal’s head, into which the stomach of a deceased person was placed.

Isis

This is the strongest and most powerful goddess of Egyptian mythology. She is the goddess of the Moon, marital fidelity, fertility and navigation. She is subordinate to the elements of wind and water. The Egyptians depicted Isis as a winged woman or falcon. The goddess patronized women in labor and was the protector of family and children. The goddess's sacred animal is the white cow.

Maat

She is the Egyptian goddess of justice, truth and harmony. The origin of the cult takes place in the Theban necropolis. The goddess was mainly depicted with an ostrich feather in her hair. She placed this feather on the scales to determine how sinlessly the deceased person lived. If the sins did not outweigh the feather, then the deceased person went to live in heaven.

An ancient Egyptian god of fertility, promoting productivity, reproduction of people and livestock. Depicted as a man with a protruding phallus, right hand, who was raised and held by a whip. On his head was wearing a crown with two feathers.

Later, the god Ming became the patron of trade and protector of caravans.

Nefertum

Ancient Egyptian god of vegetation, god of spirits. He was the patron saint of perfumers. He was merciless to the enemies of the pharaohs and the enemies of Egypt. Most often depicted as a young man or child sitting in a lotus flower. His head was adorned with a lotus flower, with two feathers protruding from it. Sometimes depicted with the head of a lion.

Ancient Egyptian goddess of the Sky. She was associated with the cult of the dead, whom she raised to heaven and guarded their tombs. An image of Chickpeas was often placed on the inside of the sarcophagus lid.

She was also called the mother of the stars, from whom the gods are born. She is the mother of such gods as: Osiris, Seti, Isis, Nephthys and Horus.

Ancient Egyptian god personifying water element. It was believed that Nun and his wife Naunet were the progenitors of all the gods.

Osiris

One of the most important gods ancient Egyptians. He was considered the patron of productive relics, the king of the underworld, and also a judge in the kingdom of the dead.

Tradition says that Osiris taught Egyptian people agriculture, crafts, medical art and others, so that civilization develops.

Ptah

In the mythology of the ancient Egyptians, this is the creator god, who was the patron of crafts and arts. He was revered not only in Egypt, but also beyond its borders. The goddess of war - Sekhmet was his wife, and his son was the god Nefertum. He was depicted as a man in robes with an open head, holding a staff of “truth” in his hands.

The ancient Egyptian sun god, who occupies the most important place in ancient Egyptian mythology. He was incarnated in the form of a falcon or a man with the head of a falcon, as well as in the form of a giant cat. Portrayed as a pharaoh. There is an opinion that the cult of Ra contributed to the strengthening of power.

Also, the ancient Egyptians associated the god Ra with the idea of ​​the change of day and night, a series of seasons.

In mythology, the ancient Egyptians also bore the name Orion. He was considered the father of the stars and the god of the constellations. Was, mentioned in mythology Old Kingdom as the father of the gods. He was also considered the patron saint of dead people in the afterlife.

The Orion star belt became the basis for the ancient Egyptian calendar.

Sebek

In ancient Egyptian mythology, the god of Water, who according to legend is the incarnation of the murdered god Osiris. He was mainly depicted in the guise of a crocodile or a man with the head of a crocodile. He was the patron saint of fishermen and hunters. The domain of God was the Nile Valley.

The center of the cult of worship of the god Sebek in ancient Egypt was the city of Shebet. In this city there was a labyrinth temple in which lived the representative of God - a crocodile.

In ancient Egyptian mythology, he is the god of the desert, the god of foreign countries. He was considered the personification of evil. He was revered as a warrior god. Patronized the pharaohs. Portrayed as a man with thin body and the head of a donkey. The sacred animals were the antelope, the giraffe, the pig and the donkey, which was the main animal among them.

Thoth (Djehuti)

Ancient Egyptian god of wisdom and knowledge, the Moon. God Thoth patronized sacred books, sciences and scribes. He was the conductor of the soul of a deceased person to the kingdom of the dead. The ibis was considered the sacred animal of God. Most often depicted with the head of an ibis. His wife was the goddess Maat.

Khonsou

Ancient Egyptian god of time and god of the moon, god of travel. He was the patron of medicine. The ancient Egyptians depicted a man with a crescent moon on his head, and in it was a lunar disk.

Khnum

The ancient Egyptians had a god of fertility, who was also considered the creator of the world. According to legend, he created the world from clay on a divine potter's wheel. In ancient times, he was depicted as a man with a ram's head, who sits at his potter's wheel, and in the circle is a creature created by God. He was the ruler of the dangerous rapids of the Nile.

Ancient Egyptian god of Air, who separated the earth and sky. As a result, he was often depicted as a seated man, with his arms raised up to hold up the sky.

The god Shu was most revered in the city of Leontopolis.

The gods described in this article make up a very small part of total number gods who were worshiped in the territory ancient egypt. Everything that the Egyptians saw in nature soon began to be revered and deified. For each time of day or action of the Egyptians there was a god. Often, gods revered in one city began to be revered throughout Egypt and even beyond its borders.