Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

There were many Egyptian gods and goddesses worshipped by ancient Egyptians. Many of them had different symbols. These symbols mostly represented animals such as jackals, falcons, cats, crocodiles etc. The figure of the god or goddess was mostly part human and part animal.

Examples of Egyptian gods and goddesses part human and part animal;

Anubis (God of tombs and ruler of the underworld) – Human body and head of a jackal
Horus (Solar God) – Human body and head of a falcon
Ra (Sun God) – Human body and head of a hawk
Thoth (God of knowledge, wisdom and hieroglyphs) – Human body and head of a ibis
Seth (God of chaos) – Human body and head of a fantastic animal, which was called the Seth animal
Sekhmet (Goddess of war) – Body of a woman and the head of a lioness

Horus

Seth

(Courtesy: Pictures scanned from the book ‘Egyptology’)

Why did Ancient Egyptians believe in gods and goddesses?

Ancient Egyptians believed in gods and goddesses, because they believed gods and goddesses looked after them by day.

What did Ancient Egyptians do to make the gods and goddesses listen to them?

1) They prayed to the gods and goddesses in the hope that they would be rewarded.

2) They wrote their prayers down on stones.

3) They made carvings of ears hoping their god would listen.

List of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

Name of the god or goddess	Kind of the god or goddess	Reason to believe the god or goddess
1) Re	God of the Sun	He was seen as the creator of all things and the supreme judge.
2) Sakhmet	Lioness headed goddess	She was a war goddess and a supporter of Re.
3) Osiris	God of the underworld	He was also god of the Nile flood and of growing plants.
4) Isis	Mother goddess	She protected the coffins of people who died and was a mourner (express sadness) at their funerals.
5) Bastet	Cat goddess	She was the daughter of Re, the Sun god. She was a kind and generous protector.
6) Anubis	The god of funerals

Osiris

Isis

(Courtesy: Pictures scanned from the book ‘Egyptology’)

How did Ancient Egyptians give thanks to the gods and goddesses?

1) They held festivals for the gods and goddesses at different times of the year. These were holidays when people could enjoy themselves.

2) They wrote their praise to the god or goddess on stones.

Also, click here to read more about Ancient Egypt.

Written By : K8School