The Ancient Egyptians were clever people who thought of fascinating gods and goddesses and creative explanations for why things are the way they are. The Egyptians created so many myths and legends and there are multiple versions of each story.
Worship of Gods and Goddesses
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Gods were a major component of the culture in Ancient Egypt. There were as many as 2000 gods and goddesses during the time of the Ancient Egyptians. Unlike Greek and Roman gods, Egyptian gods do not have one characteristic that represents them. There were daily offerings given to the gods at the temples dedicated to them or the statues of them but no human sacrifices. For most of the Ancient Egyptian era, the Egyptians worshipped more than one god except for when they were in the reign of the Pharaoh Akhenaten. He convinced the Egyptians to believe in only one god which was his patron god, Aten.
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Groupings and Appearances of the Gods
Most gods were half-human and half-animal. The gods' head would be the head of an animal special to them. For example, Ra had the head of the hawk, Hathor had the head of the cow, and Anubis had the head of the jackal. There were groups of nine gods called an ennead. The greatest and most well-known ennead was made up of Ra and his family. There were household gods that only some people worshipped and common household gods were Bes and Tauert. Some gods were more popular than others because of pharaoh preferences so they were worshipped by all the people of Egypt.
Most gods were half-human and half-animal. The gods' head would be the head of an animal special to them. For example, Ra had the head of the hawk, Hathor had the head of the cow, and Anubis had the head of the jackal. There were groups of nine gods called an ennead. The greatest and most well-known ennead was made up of Ra and his family. There were household gods that only some people worshipped and common household gods were Bes and Tauert. Some gods were more popular than others because of pharaoh preferences so they were worshipped by all the people of Egypt.
It's Story Time
The Story of Isis and Osiris:
In the days before Re left the earth, he put a curse on the goddess Nut so that she could not have children on any day of the year. Nut went to Thoth, the god of knowledge, for help who challenged the moon god, Khonsu to a challenge. Thoth won each game, therefore gaining enough light from Khonsu to add five extra days in the year. Because the moon god lost so much light to Thoth, he cannot shine every night in each month so he takes all month before he can be in his full glory again. In the five days, Osiris, Seth, Isis, and Nephthys were born. Osiris, the eldest, married Isis and became ruler of Egypt and was loved by all. Seth, the evil son, was jealous of his brother so he tricked Osiris into getting into a chest and killed the god's body. Horus fought Seth "to avenge his father and mother for the evil done to them." Horus defeated Seth and became the ruler of Egypt.
In the days before Re left the earth, he put a curse on the goddess Nut so that she could not have children on any day of the year. Nut went to Thoth, the god of knowledge, for help who challenged the moon god, Khonsu to a challenge. Thoth won each game, therefore gaining enough light from Khonsu to add five extra days in the year. Because the moon god lost so much light to Thoth, he cannot shine every night in each month so he takes all month before he can be in his full glory again. In the five days, Osiris, Seth, Isis, and Nephthys were born. Osiris, the eldest, married Isis and became ruler of Egypt and was loved by all. Seth, the evil son, was jealous of his brother so he tricked Osiris into getting into a chest and killed the god's body. Horus fought Seth "to avenge his father and mother for the evil done to them." Horus defeated Seth and became the ruler of Egypt.
The Story of Re:
Before there was any land in Egypt, there was an empty wasteland called Nun. Out of the darkness came a great shining egg and Re was born. Re had a huge amount of power and he could take on any form he wanted. First, he named Shu and there was wind; he named Tefnut and there was rain; he named Geb and the earth came into being; he named Nut and a sky appeared over his head; he named Hapi and the river Nile started flowing through Egypt. Re named everything on earth including mankind. He took on the form of a human and ruled Egypt as a pharaoh for thousands of years. As Re became very old, he was mocked and teased by the people of Egypt so he got angry. He created the goddess, Sekhmet to kill men but she got out of control so Re had to put an end to her killing spree. Re continued to rule Egypt. Isis, daughter of Nut, was wiser than everyone and she knew everything except for one thing: Re's Secret Name which is the source of his power. It was her quest to find his Secret Name so she placed a cobra on Re's route between the two kingdoms of Egypt. The cobra bit Re and as the poison of its bite started flowing through his veins, the gods of Egypt crowded around him. Isis, the healer, tricked Re by saying that she could only save him if he told her his secret name. Re, in his dying state, passed his name of power from his heart to Isis' heart. Isis got rid of the poison inside of Re and he took his place in the high heavens where he traveled across the sky every day.
Before there was any land in Egypt, there was an empty wasteland called Nun. Out of the darkness came a great shining egg and Re was born. Re had a huge amount of power and he could take on any form he wanted. First, he named Shu and there was wind; he named Tefnut and there was rain; he named Geb and the earth came into being; he named Nut and a sky appeared over his head; he named Hapi and the river Nile started flowing through Egypt. Re named everything on earth including mankind. He took on the form of a human and ruled Egypt as a pharaoh for thousands of years. As Re became very old, he was mocked and teased by the people of Egypt so he got angry. He created the goddess, Sekhmet to kill men but she got out of control so Re had to put an end to her killing spree. Re continued to rule Egypt. Isis, daughter of Nut, was wiser than everyone and she knew everything except for one thing: Re's Secret Name which is the source of his power. It was her quest to find his Secret Name so she placed a cobra on Re's route between the two kingdoms of Egypt. The cobra bit Re and as the poison of its bite started flowing through his veins, the gods of Egypt crowded around him. Isis, the healer, tricked Re by saying that she could only save him if he told her his secret name. Re, in his dying state, passed his name of power from his heart to Isis' heart. Isis got rid of the poison inside of Re and he took his place in the high heavens where he traveled across the sky every day.
The Girl with the Red Rose Slippers (The very first Cinderella story):
In the time of Pharaoh Amasis' reign, there was a city called Naucratis where a wealthy Greek merchant called Charaxos bought a beautiful Greek slave named Rhodopis. He gave her a wonderful life with a beautiful home with a garden, slave girls, jewelry, and a pair of red rose slippers. One afternoon, a bird swooped out of the sky and grabbed her precious red rose slippers and Rhodopis was devastated. The eagle dropped the slippers to Pharaoh Amasis and he vowed to find the girl who the slippers belonged to. The Pharaoh said "Let my messengers go forth through all the cities of the Delta and, if need be, into Upper Egypt to the very borders of my kingdom. Let them take with them this rose-red slipper which the divine bird of Horus has brought to me, and let them declare that her from whose foot this slipper came shall be the bride of Pharaoh!" He found Rhodopis and the slippers fit her foot perfectly so she left Charaxos and moved to the palace where the Pharaoh made her his queen. Rhodopis and Pharaoh Amasis lived happily together for the rest of their lives.
In the time of Pharaoh Amasis' reign, there was a city called Naucratis where a wealthy Greek merchant called Charaxos bought a beautiful Greek slave named Rhodopis. He gave her a wonderful life with a beautiful home with a garden, slave girls, jewelry, and a pair of red rose slippers. One afternoon, a bird swooped out of the sky and grabbed her precious red rose slippers and Rhodopis was devastated. The eagle dropped the slippers to Pharaoh Amasis and he vowed to find the girl who the slippers belonged to. The Pharaoh said "Let my messengers go forth through all the cities of the Delta and, if need be, into Upper Egypt to the very borders of my kingdom. Let them take with them this rose-red slipper which the divine bird of Horus has brought to me, and let them declare that her from whose foot this slipper came shall be the bride of Pharaoh!" He found Rhodopis and the slippers fit her foot perfectly so she left Charaxos and moved to the palace where the Pharaoh made her his queen. Rhodopis and Pharaoh Amasis lived happily together for the rest of their lives.
Meet the Gods
My name is Isis and I am the wife of Osiris, the Divine Mother, and the Guardian of Coffins. I am an important link between gods and humans because the Pharaoh is my son as the Pharaoh is considered "the living Horus." I am loved by the people of Egypt because I taught them how to read, grind corn, make bread, spin flax, and weave cloth. I am an amazing magician and I created the first cobra which bit Ra to get him to reveal his secret name to me. After tricking Ra and gaining power from his secret name, I became the most powerful Egyptian goddesss. I am also known as Aset. I usually appear as a woman with a headdress in the shape of a throne or I have a pair of cow horns with a sun disk.
My name is Osiris and I am the husband of Isis, god of the dead and lord of the Underworld. I was murdered by my brother, Set, who tricked me into getting into a chest. It was because I was the first living thing to die that I became the god of the dead. I am also the God of resurrection and fertility. It was believed that I gave the Egyptians the gift of farming so I was also called the god of vegetation. I inherited the throne of Egypt after Geb, the god of the Earth. I am the father of Anubis and Horus. I am also known as Ned-Er-Tcher, Ausar, Wesir and Usire. I usually appear as a mummified man wearing a white cone-like headdress.
My name is Horus and I am the son of Isis and Osiris, god of the sky and the protector of the ruler of Egypt. I was born magically after my father's murder and was raised by Isis on a floating island called Chemmis. I have many different forms such as Harsiesis (Horus, son of Isis), Harpokrates (The infant Horus), Ra-Harakh (Horus of the two horizons), Harmakhis (Horus of the horizon), and Haroeris (Horus the elder). I am the most complicated god because I have so many forms. I usually appear as a man with the head of a hawk or just as a hawk.
My name is Set and I am the god of Chaos, storms and confusion. I am the brother of Isis and Osiris, brother/wife of Nephthys. I am the murderer of Osiris but I was defeated by Horus. I stood on the front of Ra's boat that takes him across the sky and protected him from the serpent, Apep. I ruled Lower Egypt and Horus ruled Upper Egypt but then I was banished to the desert forever by the counsel of the gods. The Egyptians believed that red represents evil so my hair and eyes are red in some forms. I am also known as Setekh, Setesh, Seth, Seti, and Sutekh. I usually appear as a man with the head of the unidentifiable animal (known as the Set animal).
My name is Thoth but it is pronounced "Tot". I hate it when people say my name wrong! I am the god of writing and knowledge. Ancient Egyptians believed I gave them the gift of hieroglyphic writing. I invented astronomy, geometry, and medicine. The Egyptians believed I wrote the Book of the Dead which was used to guide people through the journey of their death. I am the husabnd of Maat. I am the scribe of the gods and the patron of all scribes. I am also known as Tahuti, Tehuti and Thot. I usually appear as a man with the head of an ibis holding a writing palette.
My name is Ra and I am the sun god. I am the most important god to the Ancient Egyptians. I travel across the sky in a boat called the Manjet-boat. I would go through twelve provinces which symbolizes the twelve hours of daylight. I am swallowed by Nut at night and reborn in the morning. At night, I travel through the Underworld and I am called Auf which means "corpse." On my daytime journey, I had to defeat the snake Apep and on stormy days, it was believed that I was defeated by Apep and the sun was swallowed. I am also known as Re. I usually appear as a man with a hawk head and a headdress with a sun disk.
My name is Maat and I am the goddess of truth, justice and harmony. It is believed that if the Pharaoh didn't live by and keep Maat (order), there would be chaos and confusion all over Egypt. During the Weighing of the Heart ceremony, the dead person's heart would be weighted against the feather of Maat. If the dead's heart was as "light as a feather," they could live an eternal life in the realm of the gods (the Duat). I also help Ra travel across the sky everyday. I usually appear as a woman with an ostrich plume in my headband.
The Underworld and Heaven
Duat:
There are many Egyptian texts written about the Duat such as Book of Gates, Book of Caverns, Coffin Texts, Amduat and the Book of the Dead so there are multiple explanations of the Duat. The Duat is a sky region that divides the "land of the living" from the "land of the dead." The five pointed star in a circle is considered the symbol of the Duat to the Ancient Egyptians. According to Clesson H. Harvey, Dua means "dawning" and with the added t, Duat means "the dawning eye." Because gods and goddesses are immortal, they don't truly die so when they are defeated or killed, they go to the Duat. Some believed there are multiple layers of the Duat such as the River of Night; the Land of the Dead which includes the First Cataract, the Lake of Fire, Gates of the West, the Hall of Judgement and the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Houses; the Land of the Demons which holds the Sea of Chaos; the Abyss; and all the Houses of Night.
There are many Egyptian texts written about the Duat such as Book of Gates, Book of Caverns, Coffin Texts, Amduat and the Book of the Dead so there are multiple explanations of the Duat. The Duat is a sky region that divides the "land of the living" from the "land of the dead." The five pointed star in a circle is considered the symbol of the Duat to the Ancient Egyptians. According to Clesson H. Harvey, Dua means "dawning" and with the added t, Duat means "the dawning eye." Because gods and goddesses are immortal, they don't truly die so when they are defeated or killed, they go to the Duat. Some believed there are multiple layers of the Duat such as the River of Night; the Land of the Dead which includes the First Cataract, the Lake of Fire, Gates of the West, the Hall of Judgement and the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Houses; the Land of the Demons which holds the Sea of Chaos; the Abyss; and all the Houses of Night.
Journey:
"Instead of seeing death as an end to life, the ancient Egyptians saw it as the beginning of a dangerous journey" (Ancient Egypt Practices). The Book of the Dead was written to guide dying people through this journey and process. The Egyptians believed for life after death, you need a sound ba and ka. Your ka is your soul and your ba is a physical shell which is your body. The ka supposedly goes to the spirit realm in dreams, to heaven or to the Duat. Your ka and ba must be in complete balance with the Maat. Maat is the order of the universe personified as a goddess.
"Instead of seeing death as an end to life, the ancient Egyptians saw it as the beginning of a dangerous journey" (Ancient Egypt Practices). The Book of the Dead was written to guide dying people through this journey and process. The Egyptians believed for life after death, you need a sound ba and ka. Your ka is your soul and your ba is a physical shell which is your body. The ka supposedly goes to the spirit realm in dreams, to heaven or to the Duat. Your ka and ba must be in complete balance with the Maat. Maat is the order of the universe personified as a goddess.
If a person wants reach the realm of the gods after Death...
1. They must pass through through the Underworld
2. Their heart is weighed on a scale by Anubis and Thoth
3. The good and bad deeds of the person are considered
4. People who have done a lot of bad deeds get eaten by a demon called Ammit
1. They must pass through through the Underworld
2. Their heart is weighed on a scale by Anubis and Thoth
3. The good and bad deeds of the person are considered
4. People who have done a lot of bad deeds get eaten by a demon called Ammit
If someone has failed their life, they would be incarnated on Earth as a second chance. Someone will only meet Osiris if they are in complete harmony with the Maat. If someone passed Weighing of Heart, they will go to the "Fields of Offerings" with Ra which is known as paradise and an everlasting life of peace. In the afterlife, there was a heavenly Nile River. In the beginning, only Pharaohs could enter the afterlife but Osiris changed that and allowed anyone who passed the Weighing of the Heart to enter. Because of this concept, there was not a lot of crime in Egypt so the Egyptians' hearts would be "as light as a feather" and they could go into the afterlife. To enter the afterlife, a person's body must be preserved so grave robbing was the most terrible crime because it takes away someone's chance at entering the amazing afterlife.
Bibliography
Information:
http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/egyptian-mythology.php
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/explore/main.html
http://historylink101.com/n/egypt_1/gods_introduction.htm
http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777190168/
http://www.aldokkan.com/religion/gods.htm
http://www.isismoontemple.com/temple07beliefs.html
http://www.civilisations.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcr02e.shtml
http://www.egyptianmyths.net
http://www.pakhomov.com/duat.html
http://kanechronicles.wikia.com/wiki/Duat
http://www.greatdreams.com/osiris.htm
http://www.ctio.noao.edu/instruments/ir_instruments/osiris2soar/osbio.html
http://www.egyptartsite.com/
http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/egyptian_goddess_isis.htm
http://egypt.mrdonn.org/afterlife.html
Pictures:
Horus: whitewolf.wikia.com
Osiris: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowns_of_Egypt
Set: http://www.experience-ancient-egypt.com/egyptian-god-seth.html
Thoth: http://www.worldegyptianritemasons97.com/_CHANGE_THE_WORLD_.html
Maat: http://landofgoddesses.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/maat/
Ra: http://www.love-egypt.com/gods.html
Body: http://www.burkemuseum.org/static/RR/EM/em.htm
Ammit the devourer: http://egyptology007.blogspot.ca/2009/12/ammit-also-spelt-ammut-and-ahemait.html
Isis, Horus and Osiris: http://colleryant3145.wikispaces.com/
Ennead: http://www.aelives.com/gods.htm
Red rose slippers: http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/3109927/
Isis: http://www.touregypt.net/egypt-info/magazine-mag08012001-magf5.htm
Five pointed star: http://www.pakhomov.com/duat.html
Anubis: http://www.ancient-egypt.org/index.htm
All gods: http://everywordisonestepcloser.blogspot.ca/2012/03/egyptian-mythology-and-religio.html
Weighing of the heart: what great paintings say
Pharaoh and wife worshipping Ra: http://www.humanitywinsilluminatilose.com/?p=2458
Worship/mummy http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/hell.htm
Afterlife boat: http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptafterlife.html
Afterlife: http://www.aldokkan.com/religion/afterlife.htm
Bes: http://paganroots.com/information/gods/egyptian-gods-goddesses/bes/attachment/bes5/
http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/egyptian-mythology.php
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/explore/main.html
http://historylink101.com/n/egypt_1/gods_introduction.htm
http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777190168/
http://www.aldokkan.com/religion/gods.htm
http://www.isismoontemple.com/temple07beliefs.html
http://www.civilisations.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcr02e.shtml
http://www.egyptianmyths.net
http://www.pakhomov.com/duat.html
http://kanechronicles.wikia.com/wiki/Duat
http://www.greatdreams.com/osiris.htm
http://www.ctio.noao.edu/instruments/ir_instruments/osiris2soar/osbio.html
http://www.egyptartsite.com/
http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/egyptian_goddess_isis.htm
http://egypt.mrdonn.org/afterlife.html
Pictures:
Horus: whitewolf.wikia.com
Osiris: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowns_of_Egypt
Set: http://www.experience-ancient-egypt.com/egyptian-god-seth.html
Thoth: http://www.worldegyptianritemasons97.com/_CHANGE_THE_WORLD_.html
Maat: http://landofgoddesses.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/maat/
Ra: http://www.love-egypt.com/gods.html
Body: http://www.burkemuseum.org/static/RR/EM/em.htm
Ammit the devourer: http://egyptology007.blogspot.ca/2009/12/ammit-also-spelt-ammut-and-ahemait.html
Isis, Horus and Osiris: http://colleryant3145.wikispaces.com/
Ennead: http://www.aelives.com/gods.htm
Red rose slippers: http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/3109927/
Isis: http://www.touregypt.net/egypt-info/magazine-mag08012001-magf5.htm
Five pointed star: http://www.pakhomov.com/duat.html
Anubis: http://www.ancient-egypt.org/index.htm
All gods: http://everywordisonestepcloser.blogspot.ca/2012/03/egyptian-mythology-and-religio.html
Weighing of the heart: what great paintings say
Pharaoh and wife worshipping Ra: http://www.humanitywinsilluminatilose.com/?p=2458
Worship/mummy http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/hell.htm
Afterlife boat: http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptafterlife.html
Afterlife: http://www.aldokkan.com/religion/afterlife.htm
Bes: http://paganroots.com/information/gods/egyptian-gods-goddesses/bes/attachment/bes5/