Egyptian+Gods+and+Goddesses

(By: Kyle Alsheskie) (Group Members: Jenny Shaba, Kyle Alsheskie, Julian Pierce, and Neal Weeratunga) Next Page: Egyptian Myths

=Introduction=

Egyptian Mythology has been around for more than three thousand five hundred years. The Egyptian people thought everything to be holy and important. Things like a river, a tree, the sun, and the moon. There are hundreds of different Gods and Goddesses associated with Egyptian Mythology. All of them have different forms, some have more than one. Some of the Gods and Goddesses are sacrificed or resurrected. The Egyptian Gods also had a very unique relationship with humans. There are many stories like that of Osiris that explains the creation and destruction according to Egyptian Mythology. These myths are passed down by mouth from generation to generation. In all types of mythology there are heroes and Egyptian is no exception.




 * Ra**: is the eagle god of the sun. In Egypt he is also the King of the gods, he is the most known and is the most worshipped of all the Egyptian gods.
 * Anubis**: is the god of mummification. First was the God of the dead until Osiris took that over. He is the son of Osiris, and one of the most ancient gods.
 * Bast**: is the Cat goddess. She is one of the most known goddesses in Egypt and is said to be the daughter of Ra. She is closely related with Artemis, as she is a wild goddess and she once was the goddess of the moon, as was Artemis.
 * Sehkmet**: goddess of fire, war and plague. The name means, "the mighty one" and it fits her well as she was one of the most powerful gods of Egypt. She is very destructive and can send plagues and fiery arrows on command.
 * S****erqet**: is the goddess of scorpions. Also known as Selkis, she was also very dangerous but if you were on her side she was a protective goddess. Thought to either be the mother or daughter of Ra.
 * Nut**: is the goddess of sky and stars, mother of gods. She protects the Earth from the darkness and the demons that are inside it. Other gods entered the underworld through her fingers.
 * Geb**: is the green god of Earth, and vegetation. The husband of Nut, and father of Atum, Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys. He was also a protector of Earth.
 * Horus**: is the god with falcon's head, god of pharaohs and sky. There is not one Horus, but many falcon gods. He is worshipped by invading tribes of Egypt. He is the protector of the pharaohs.
 * Osiris**: is the god of the afterlife. Resides in the underworld and is married to Isis, father of Horus. He decides if the dead are worthy to enter into the blessed land. He is the second most known god behind his father, Ra.
 * Isis**: is the goddess of magic and healing, wife of Osiris. She is the oldest deity in all of Egypt. She is worshipped universally by all Egyptians. Temples are found everywhere in Egypt in her honor. She is looked to for guidance by the people that pray to her.
 * Seth**: is the god of deserts and evil. When prayed to, his followers are given the strength of the storm. Thought of as evil to the Egyptians and very few followed his religion, as a coup towards the current pharaoh.
 * Thoth**: is the god of forethought, writing, and wisdom. He created magic and invented writing. He is also the mediator god and is sent by the others to solve their problems.
 * Ma’at**: is the goddess of truth. He was the one who maintained the law and brought justice to the ones that broke it. Decided whether or not a soul was allowed in the promise land.
 * Amun**: is the god of Thebes, king of gods in New Kingdom. He also replaced Montu as the god of war. The Egyptians also call him “the hidden one”
 * Wadjet**: is the goddess of pregnancy and motherhood, goddess in snake form. She was the main goddess of Lower Egypt. She was depicted as a snake because she was ready to strike at any moment.
 * Anuket**: is the goddess of river Nile. She was imported from Nubia. She was also called the nourisher of the fields because of when the Nile overflows.
 * Hathor**: is the goddess of the moon and children. Associated with the Queen of Egypt, she is a very ancient goddess. The way Egyptians worshipped her was through song and dance.
 * Ptah**: is the creator god. He is the first of all gods and he created all other things. He is the husband of Bast and father of Nefertem, Mahes, and Imhotep.
 * Bes**: is the dwarf god of safe journey. He does not look Egyptian, but that of a god out of central Africa. He is protector of childbirth and would dance around when there was a child being born and ward off the demons.
 * Sobek**: is the god of crocodiles. He was also a guardian of major gods like Ra and Set. Also a protector of the pharaoh and gives him strength when he needs it.



Analysis
These are not the only gods and goddesses of Egypt, there are approximately 74, these are just the main ones. Many of them are still worshipped to this day, even after nearly four thousand years. Egypt seems to be a culture that has a lot more gods and goddesses compared to other cultures. Most of these gods are similar to those of Greece. However the ones like the goddess of cats and the god of mummification, are ones that would only be found in Egyptian history. All of them can be related to one out of Greek culture even the ones that are only in Egypt, like Bast who is the goddess of cats. She is related to Artemis from the Greek gods. So, the gods out of all these ancient cultures are for the most part similar, with a few exceptions. For all of them it is not good to be on their bad side. When prayed to these gods have all kinds of different ways to help someone, but if someone is on their bad side they will know it.

__SEE ALSO:__ **http://www.touregypt.net/godsofegypt/** **http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Egyptian_gods_and_goddesses** __ Pictures: __ [] [] []