The Gods of Egypt | Almost Nobody Knows – Egyptian Mythology | 10 Best Gods Of Egypt

The Gods of Egypt

The Gods of Egypt. The Egyptian civilization gave birth to one of the world’s most complex and fascinating religions, with stories filled with powerful gods and fantastic creatures. Major gods like Osiris, Horus and Isis are well known to lovers of Egyptian history and mythology.

But what not everyone knows, is that there were some primordial gods of Egypt. Some of these deities were worshiped during specific periods of Egyptian history and others over time had their names and appearance changed, acquiring new roles and assignments within the Egyptian pantheon.

But what would be Egyptian civilization without the River Nile? The Nile was so relevant throughout history that many deities have been attributed as guardians or rulers of the river.

The goddess Anuket

The Gods of Egypt the goddess Anuket was initially related to the flow of the waters of the Nile river; more specifically as the ruler of the first Nile waterfall.

• The name Anuket can be translated as the one who embraces, and her cult was practiced mainly on the island of Elephantine in Upper Egypt.
• Anuket was also the goddess of hunting, called the lady of gazelles. An animal deemed sacred and protected by the goddess.
• Over time Anuket acquired a maternal trait in the Egyptian religion as a protector of labor and sometimes being portrayed as breastfeeding the pharaoh.

During the new empire period, the Anuket cult included a festival to celebrate the floods of the Nile river; an event much awaited by the ancient Egyptians who approached that time of the year as a phase of renewal and rebirth.

The god Hapi

Another deity related to the waters of the Nile was the god, Hapi.

• Hapi was a god with unique physical traits with blue or green skin and a chubby body depicting the abundance brought by the river.
• Hapi was worshiped in every Egyptian religion and his role was so important that he was often revered above Ra, the sun god.
• He was also known as the father of the gods and albeit represented as a male deity, he has the strange ability to breastfeed.
• Hapi would have been responsible for feeding Osiris when he was killed by Seth, helping the god’s resurrection.

Besides fertilizing the soil to nurture plantations and animals, the Nile also provided a rich source of food.

The goddess Hatmehit

The ancient Egyptians believed that the fish of the Nile were bred and guided by the goddess Hatmehit.

• Hatmehit was depicted as a woman with a fish head or wearing a crown with a big fish on top.
• Her cult was most popular in lower Egypt where the goddess increased to schools of fish remarkably important to feed the population.

The goddess Khnum

Among the ancestral Egyptian gods, one stood out for his major importance for the creation of human beings. Khnum was an ancient god with a sheep’s head.

• His name means the modeler.
• Khnum’s origin is related to the pre-dynastic period of Egyptian history.
• Originally, he was a water god but due to his great skill as a potter, he started to shape all living beings.
• Khnum was responsible to give shape to all newborns while also taking charge of creating the spirit.
• Blessing it with intelligence and creative capacity, true gifts very useful for human beings, Khnum was also the protector of the dead.

Prayers invoking his help can be found in the book of the dead. As it was believed that he could help the deceased during the final judgment. Believing in the afterlife also influenced many aspects of Egyptian daily life. Funerals had several rituals to mark the passing of the deceased.

The goddess Anput

The Egyptians attempted to support the goddess Anput to guide them during the funeral rituals.

• Anput was the goddess of mummification and Anubis, the feared god of the dead.
• Anput was depicted wearing a crown with an ornament symbolizing a jackal.
• In rarer representations, she appears as having a jackal head just like her husband, Anubis.

The goddess Serket.

Another particularly important deity in funeral matters was the goddess, Serket.

• She is one of Egypt’s oldest goddesses and was depicted as a hybrid between woman and scorpion.
• She had a strong connection with medicine, particularly for treatments against bites and stings from poisonous animals.
• The Egyptians made prayers and sacrifices for Serket to protect them against snake and scorpion attacks.
• However, the goddess could also punish sinners by sending her venomous animals to attack them.

Serket protected the soul of the deceased pharaohs guiding them to the underworld. She also helped in the process of rebirth of the pharaoh blowing the breath of life into his new mortal bodies. For this, it was common to find Serket’s paintings in the mummification halls and sarcophagi of the nobility.

The goddess Anat

The goddess Anat was an important divinity mainly worshiped in upper Egypt.

• Her cult gained strength during the period known as the middle empire when egypt was under the rule of the Hyksos, a SemiticAsian people.
• Anat originated in ancient Canaanite religion and despite being a goddess of a foreign culture, she was positively welcomed by the Egyptians to the point that the famous pharaoh Ramesses II adopted Anat as her personal guardian and protector in battle.
• Anat was depicted as a beautiful woman wearing a crown adorned with ostrich feathers.

Albeit her noble appearance, the goddess was revered as an entity focused on fertility and carnal desires. Besides having a violent and unpredictable character, she took pleasure in war and almost always carried a spear and a bronze club. Curiously, Anat also sought to promote peace agreements after battles.

Another important aspect of Egyptian society was war. During their history, the Egyptians fought against peoples like the Libyans, Nubians, Hittites and many others. With so many enemies willing to invade the Egyptian lands, a divine intervention in favor of the Egyptians was much needed.

The goddess Anhur

The god Anhur was an ancient god of war patron of the Egyptian army and protector of warriors.

• Sometimes, he is portrayed as a strong man carrying a spear, but his most famous depiction is that of a man with a lion’s head symbolizing strength and courage.
• Anhur also had to protect his father Ra, the sun god.
• Anhur stood in front of Ra’s solar bars to defend it against the attacks of the terrible snake, Apophis earning Anhur the epithet killer of enemies.

Albeit a god of war, Anhur was not always violent. He was responsible for stimulating creativity in humans. During the festivals held in his honor, battles and heroic acts were emulated to glorify the lion god.

Like humans, not all Egyptian gods could be classified as good or bad. Some had bipolar and unexpected behavior.

The goddess Taweret

The goddess Taweret was the protector of women and helped them during labor; improving the health of both mother and new-born baby.

• The name Taweret means the great one.
• Her most common representation is that of a hybrid creature divided between hippopotamus, crocodile and lion; three of the animals most feared and respected by the Egyptians.
• Taweret’s cult originated during the ancient empire but most evidence points out that it was a domestic deity since no temples in her honor were found. But a large number of statues were encountered in the horns of the ancient Egyptians.

Pregnant women often carry with them an amulet depicting the goddess. Although Taweret was a motherly figure, she could also manifest as a very dangerous and demonic force, bringing deadly diseases and bad luck to those who would incite her anger.

Even with the god supervising their creations, it would be impossible to maintain life, were it not for the existence of a suitable air for breathing.

The goddess Shu

The god Shu oversaw light, air and winds in our world.

• Shu was responsible for eliminating the primordial darkness that enveloped the world separating day and night and the world of the living from the world of the dead.
• As the god of the air, he represented the diving space between sky and earth with the clouds being considered as his bones.

The goddess Ptah

One of the most powerful gods in Egyptian mythology was equally one of the most mysterious. Ptah was a primordial god of creation.

• He would have created himself and then the universe using only his thought.
• Ptah was described as a mummified man holding a scepter, a symbol of his royalty and authority.
• He was the patron of masons, sculptors, carpenters and painters providing his followers with the knowledge and inspiration to conduct beautiful architectural works.
• Ptah’s construction and architectural abilities were compared to the Greek god Hephaestus. Ptah was worshiped everywhere in Egypt but was particularly popular in the cities of Memphis and Heliopolis where he was seen as the creator of all things giving rise to the concept of a god as the great architect of the universe; something that would become popular in other religions. The number and variety of gods are so vast that historians believe that some deities of the ancient Egyptian pantheon have yet to be discovered. Ultimately, Egyptian mythology will continue to entice future generations by keeping alive the stories of the Egyptian gods. Curated by Ishmael Osekre, and Bright Ofori.