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Egyptian Gods

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Introduction What is now known as Egyptian mythology was the religion

of Ancient Egypt (3300-30 BC) The Egyptian gods were represented with human torsos and

human or animal heads The ka, a duplicate of the body, accompanied the body

throughout life and, after death, departed from the body to take its place in the kingdom of the dead

The ka, however, could not exist without the body; the corpse had to be preserved. Bodies were embalmed and mummified

After arriving in the kingdom of the dead, the ka was judged by Anubis/Osiris, the king of the dead (feather test).

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Part I. Egyptian mythology The Egyptians believed that in the beginning, the

universe was filled with the dark waters of chaos The first god, Ra (The Sun God), appeared from the

water as the land of Egypt appears every year out of the flood waters of the Nile

Ra spat and out of the spittle came out the gods Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture)

The world was created when Shu & Tefnut gave birth to 2 children: Nut (sky) & Geb (the Earth)

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Osiris was the son of Geb and Nut and king of Egypt. His brother Seth represented evil in the universe

He murdered Osiris and himself became the king. After killing Osiris, Seth tore his body into pieces, but Isis (The wife of Osiris) rescued most of the pieces for burial beneath the temple

Seth made himself king but was challenged by Osiris's son-Horus. Seth lost and was sent to the desert. He became the God of terrible storms.

Osiris was mummified by Anubis and became God of the dead. Horus became the King and from him descended the pharaohs.

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Eye of Horus

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Part I. Egyptian mythology Egypt had a highly developed view of the afterlife with

elaborate rituals for preparing the body and soul for a peaceful life after death

Beliefs about the soul and afterlife focused heavily on preservation of the body, or ba (the soul was known as the ka). This meant that embalming and mummification were practiced, in order to preserve the individual's identity in the afterlife

The intestines, lungs, liver and the stomach were preserved separately and stored in canopic jars protected by the Four sons of Horus

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Isis: Egyptian Mother Goddess; wife of Osiris Osiris: Egyptian God of the dead and the underworld

One of the four children of the earth (Geb) and the sky (Nut)

Horus: the Eye of Horus is an important Egyptian symbol of power God of the sky, Horus became depicted as a

falcon, or as a falcon-headed man Son of Isis and Osiris

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Isis

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Other Gods Bast: Egyptian cat goddess of the home and of the

domestic cat; daughter of the sun god Ra Sobek: Egyptian crocodile god; aids in the

destruction of Seth Anubis: Egyptian god of the dead/embalming,

represented as a black jackal or dog Apophis: God of Evil, Chaos

Other Gods Bes: Protector of Households (Mothers and Children,

Childbirth) Nekhbet: Goddess of Upper Egypt Nephthys: Goddess of Night, Tomb, Mourning Thoth: God of the Moon, Writing, Knowledge

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Part IV. Animals Many creatures were also mummified, sometimes

thought to be pets of Egyptian families, but more likely they were the representations of the Gods. The ibis, crocodile, cats, nile perch and baboon can be found in perfect mummified forms