Ancient Egyptian Gods & Godesses
HathorHathor was a protective goddess. She was also the goddess of love and joy.
Hathor was the wife of Horus, and was sometimes thought of as the mother of the pharaoh. Hathor was connected with foreign places and materials. For instance, Hathor was the goddess of the desert and the turquoise mines in the Sinai. A large temple was built to honour Hathor at Dendera. |
HorusHorus was a god of the sky.
He is probably most well-known as the protector of the ruler of Egypt. The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was the 'living Horus'. The ancient Egyptians had many different beliefs about the god Horus. One of the most common beliefs was that Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris. After Osiris was murdered by his brother Seth, Horus fought with Seth for the throne of Egypt. In this battle, Horus lost one of his eyes. The eye was restored to him and it became a symbol of protection for the ancient Egyptians. After this battle, Horus was chosen to be the ruler of the world of the living. One of the best-preserved temples in Egypt today was dedicated to Horus. It is located in Upper Egypt at a town called Edfu. |
IsisIsis was a protective goddess. She used powerful magic spells to help people in need.Isis was the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus.
Since each pharaoh was considered the 'living Horus', Isis was very important. Isis is often shown holding Horus on her lap. Isis is associated with thrones because her lap was the first 'throne' that Horus sat upon. This amulet is called the 'Isis knot' and is a symbol of protection. A temple was built to honour Isis at Philae. It is still standing today. |
KhepriKhepri was a god of creation, the movement of the sun, and rebirth.The scarab beetle lays its eggs in a ball of dung. Then, it rolls the ball along the ground until the young beetles are ready to hatch.
When the young beetles are ready, they crawl out of the ball. The ancient Egyptians believed that the beetles just appeared from nowhere- as they believed that their creator god had appeared from nowhere. Thus, they thought that the scarab beetle was special. In certain creation stories, Khepri is connected with the god Atum. He is also connected with the sun god Ra who pushed the sun through the sky every day. |
NutNut was the sky-goddess, whose body created a vault or canopy over the earth.
Nut was the sister/wife of Geb, the god of the earth. She was also the mother of Isis, Osiris, Nepthys and Seth. The ancient Egyptians believed that at the end of the day, Nut swallowed the sun-god, Ra, and gave birth to him again the next morning. |
OsirisOsiris was the god of the dead, and ruler of the underworld.
Osiris was the brother/husband of Isis, and the brother of Nepthys and Seth. He was also the father of Horus. As well as being a god of the dead, Osiris was a god of resurrection and fertility. In fact, the ancient Egyptians believed that Osiris gave them the gift of barley, one of their most important crops. A large temple was built to honour Osiris at Abydos. |
PtahPtah was the god of craftsmen.
In one creation myth Ptah was a creator god. He spoke the words and the world came into being. |
RaRa was the sun god. He was the most important god of the ancient Egyptians.The ancient Egyptians believed that Ra was swallowed every night by the sky goddess Nut, and was reborn every morning.
The ancient Egyptians also believed that he travelled through the underworld at night. In the underworld, Ra appeared as a man with the head of a ram. |
TawaretTawaret was a goddess who protected women during pregnancy and childbirth.
Many of the gods and goddesses in ancient Egypt had temples built to honour them. Other gods and goddesses like Tawaret and Bes were worshipped by people in their own homes. This is an amulet of the goddess Tawaret. People often wore amulets like this, or kept them in their homes. ThothThoth was the god of writing and knowledge.
The ancient Egyptians believed that Thoth gave them the gift of hieroglyphic writing. Thoth was also connected with the moon. |
TefnutTefnut was the goddess of moisture.
She was the wife of Shu and the mother of Nut (the sky) and Geb (the earth). |