Most Worshipped
Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
Portrayed with animal heads atop human bodies, ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses
dominated every aspect of life of both royalty and ordinary people. The culture of ancient
Egypt was based upon the belief in a pantheon of these strange looking creatures who
were worshiped in temples throughout Egypt with an aim to gain their favor. The
following is a list of fifteen most popular ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses.
Osiris
Osiris was a wise king who was married to
his sister Isis. When he was murdered by
their evil brother Seth, she used magic to
bring him back to life to conceive a son,
Horus who revenged his father’s death and
killed his uncle. His son became the king of
Egypt, while Osiris became the king of the
dead and the judge of the underworld.
Egyptians thus saw him as triumphant over
death; every pharaoh would be Osiris after
death whilst he was the embodiment of
Horus when alive. Osiris was also the god of
vegetation and was often painted with green skin, symbolizing new growth and renewal.
Isis
Isis was the ultimate goddess for she was the
mother of Horus and both wife and sister of
Osiris. When her beloved husband was
murdered by their brother Seth, she
collected the dismembered parts of Osiris’
body and put them together with bandages,
laying the foundation for the ancient
Egyptian practice of mummifying their
deceased. By bringing Osiris back to life, Isis
also introduced the concept of resurrection
that profoundly influenced other religions as well, including Christianity. Isis, portrayed as
a woman holding an Ankh in her hand and sometimes with a female body and cow’s head
or cow’s horns was also worshiped as goddess of fertility.
Horus
One of the most important ancient Egyptian gods was the
son of Osiris and Isis. According to the famous myth, he
revenged his father’s murder and killed his uncle Seth by
which he established himself as the new king of Egypt.
The early Egyptian pharaohs therefore legitimized their
rule by presenting themselves as incarnated Horus. Also
worshiped as the god of light and sky, Horus was usually
depicted as a falcon-headed male creature wearing a
white and red crown.
Thoth
The god of wisdom, writing and magic was most often
portrayed as an ibis-headed man. Thoth was the
scribe of the underworld who recorded the verdict on
the deceased in the Hall of Maat, maintained the
library of the gods, authored the spells in “The Book of
the Dead” and wrote “The Book of Thoth” (containing
the secrets of the universe). But he also played an
important role in many ancient Egyptian myths,
acting as an arbiter between the forces of good and
evil.
Ra
Ra or Re was the sun god and one of the most important
ancient Egyptian deities. He was also associated with
pyramid building and the resurrection of the pharaohs.
Symbolically born every morning with sunrise, Ra
symbolically died with every sunset after which he began
his journey into the underworld. In the later period, Ra
became closely associated with Horus and just like the
latter, he was usually portrayed as a falcon-headed man.
However, rather than with white and red crown, Ra was
depicted wearing a solar disc on his head..
Seth
Seth or Set was the god of desert and storms who later
also became associated with chaos and darkness. He
was painted as a man with the head of a dog with a long
snout and forked tail but he was sometimes also
depicted as pig, crocodile, scorpion and hippopotamus.
Seth is also one of the leading characters of the legend
of Osiris and Isis, and as a result of the growing
popularity of the Osiris cult, Seth became demonized
and his images were removed from the temples. In
some parts of ancient Egypt, however, he continued to
be worshiped as one the chief deities.
Mut
As the wife of Amon and mother of Khons, Mut was one of the
chief Theban gods. Venerated as the great divine mother, Mut
was usually depicted as a woman wearing a white and red
crown but she was sometimes also portrayed with the head or
body of a vulture and as a cow because in the later period, she
merged with Hathor, another great divine mother who was
usually depicted as a woman with cow horns and as a cow.
Bastet
Bastet was a feline goddess who was depicted either as a
cat or woman with the head of a cat. She was the
daughter of the sun god Ra and was closely associated
with domesticated cat. Bastet was worshiped for her
maternal, protective nature and was often painted
surrounded by kittens. But she was also believed to be
ferocious when necessary for cats were able to kill
snakes - one the most deadly creatures in ancient Egypt.
Amun
Amun or Amon which translates into “The Hidden One”
was the head of the Theban pantheon of gods and
goddesses. Worshiped as the king of gods (similarly as
Zeus by ancient Greeks), Amun was usually painted in a
human form but he was sometimes also portrayed with the
ram’s head. Like many other ancient Egyptian gods and
goddesses that were eventually assimilated with their
local/regional versions, Amun was later merged with Ra
into Amun-Ra which remained the chief god throughout
the period of ancient Egypt.
Ptah
Ptah began as a local god in Memphis but as
the influence of Memphis expanded over
Egypt, he became popular elsewhere as well.
He was the creator-god and the patron deity of
crafts and craftsmanship. Ptah was usually
depicted as a mummified figure with his hands
protruding through the bandaging to hold a
staff with the symbols of dominion and
stability.
Wadjet
Wadjet was worshiped as a cobra and was often included
in royal insignia as a symbol of sovereignty over Egypt.
She was seen as the protector of the living Horus – the
pharaoh. Wadjet was painted as poised and ready to
strike at any potential enemy of the pharaoh. She was
sometimes also depicted as a woman with two snake
heads. Depiction of Wadjet with a sun disc is known as
the uraneus, a popular emblem adorning the crowns of
ancient Egypt rulers.
Hathor
Hathor was the cow goddess who was
associated with dancing and music but
she was also known as the Lady of
Heaven, Earth and the Underworld. She
was very popular among ancient
Egyptians and was seen as wise, gentle
and affectionate to both the living and
dead. She protected women during
pregnancy and childbirth, and was also
worshiped as goddess as fertility.
Hathor was most often portrayed as a woman with cow horns featuring uraneus (Wadjet
and sun disc)
Sekhmet
Sekhmet was the goddess of war who was depicted as the
lion-headed goddess. She was the “Powerful One” and
destroyed the enemies of Ra but she also helped kings
against their opponents. Sekhmet was also associated
with medicine and both disease and health. Her portrayal
as a lioness or lion-headed woman often included the
uraneus, a symbol of royalty and divine authority of the
Egyptian pharaohs.
Anubis
Anubis was a jackal-headed god, the divine
embalmer who was closely associated with
mummification and the afterlife; he was
the custodian of the dead on their journey
into the afterlife. Anubis’ black skin (a
color associated with the dark Nile
deposits that made farming in ancient
Egypt so successful) was a symbol of
rebirth. He also attended the “Weighting of
the Heart” ceremony in the afterlife.
Maat
Maat was the personification and goddess of truth, morality,
justice, order, and harmony. She symbolized the natural
equilibrium of the universe; she was the opposite of chaos and
therefore the highest attainment of Egypt. The “Weighing of the
Heart” ceremony as depicted in the Book of the Dead took place in
the Hall of Maat. She was typically portrayed as a woman with an
ostrich feather on her head.