Ancient Egyptians

1. Ancient Egyptians Gods and Goddesses by Kelsey Rymell

2. Introduction • Religion played a big part in the lives of the Ancient Egyptians. Everyone believed in gods and goddesses. These gods would usually be in animal forms. The same animal may represent a different god depending on the area, temple, or time. • There were some gods and goddesses that were more important and than others. Here are some of the more important ones: • Ra, Isis, Osiris, Horus, Thoth. I hope you enjoy my presentation of some of these gods and the meanings.

3. Anubis • Anubis was Greek and the old caretaker of the cemeteries. He was considered to be the son of the god Re. • He was also connected to the cult as his son with the goddess Nephtys. • He was described as a jackal or a man with a jackal's head and was originally a local god in Upper Egypt. He guided the dead to the next life. • Embalming of the dead was a main job and he was the subject of the mortuary prayers in funerals. He remained famous during all periods of the long Egyptian history.

4. Eset • Isis is the Greek version for Eset and was from Lower Egypt. • She stood for motherhood, love, magic, children, medicine and peace. Through time the descriptions have never changed. • People ask her to make marriages happy, and with time she also joined the Osiris cult. • She was the goddess with a throne upon her head and her name simply meant "seat". • A popular image was her sitting and nursing her son Horus giving him a meal. Like Hathor she could also wear the sun disc within two standing cow-horns and a cobra snake. • Her parents were Nut and Geb, and she was sister to her husband Osiris plus Set and Nephtys. • Her temples were built all over Egypt in all times and her very popular worshipping was continued by the Greeks and Romans.

5. Geb • Geb was the old earth god from Heliopolis in Lower Egypt. He was the father of Osiris and all others gods except for Atum. • Geb was the first Egyptian king and at the end of his life he let his oldest son Osiris take over. Every new king claimed to be a relation of Geb. • Geb also represented the valleys and mountains and was often pictured with green complection (for the earth) or lying on the ground or with a goose over his head as he was said to have laid a egg which contained the sun. His nickname was "the great cackler" and his laughter was said to start earthquakes. His wife was his sister Nut.

6. Osiris • Osiris is the Greek name for Asar and was king of Underworld and originally a god of farming and nature. • He was said to be son of Re and he represented the dead king. Minor gods were taken into his vast cult and many legends were told about him. • He was the chief judge in the court in the underworld, where all the dead people were trying to come through to Paradise. • He always wore a mummy-dress and was brother to Isis, Horus the elder, Set and Nephthys. His parents were Geb and Nut.   

7. Kheper • Kheper, meaning "to become" was the god of creation or to be more exact rebirth, • He symbolized creation and family happiness and was seen on jewellery and often put within the bandages of mummies. • His name was taken into the kings' names and he could be named just as a scarab. He had no personal cult (but was integrated in Re's) and was known from the Old Kingdom.