THE GODDESS AND MAGICK
Egyptian Pantheon
Egyptian Pantheon
Aah (Aah-te-Huti) Minor Egyptian moon god. A manifestation of Thoth in the form of an ibis.
Aken Egyptian underworld god. Keeper of the ferryboat of the underworld.
Akephalos A type of headless demon of Hellenistic Egypt. Those demons were believed to be the spirits of beheaded criminals.
Aker Egyptian earth god who ruled over the meeting point between the eastern and western horizons in the Egyptian underworld. Guardian of the gate through which the Pharaoh entered the underworld. He provided safe passage for the barque of the sun during its nightly passage through the underworld. Aker was represented by two lion or human heads facing away from each other.
Akeru Egyptian chthonic earth gods associated with the god Aker.
Amaunet "Hidden One." Egyptian mother or fertility goddess. Amaunet merged with the god Neith at the beginning of time. She was a member of the group of Egyptian gods known as the Ogdoad. Amun was her consort among the Ogdoad. She was regarded as a guardian deity of the Egyptian Pharaohs and had a prominent part in the Pharaoh's accession ceremonies.
Amenhotep (AmenhotepSonofHapu) Egyptian architect who was raised to the status of god of building.
Amentet (Amenthes) Egyptian goddess of the west and of the underworld.
Am-heh Egyptian chthonic underworld god.
Ammut (Ammit) "Devouress of the Dead." Egyptian demonic goddess who attended the judging of the dead. She was depicted as having the head of a crocodile, the torso of a lioness, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus. She waited in the Judgment Hall of the Two Truths during the weighing of the heart ceremony, and devoured those deemed to be sinners.
Amun (Amon, Amana, Ammon, Hammon, Amen) "The Hidden One". Egyptian sky god who came to be regarded as a sun god and the head of the Egyptian pantheon. Originally a local god of Khmun, then also of Thebes. Amun's cult rose in prominence as Thebes rose to a preeminent political position within Egypt. In the New Kingdom he became associated with the Heliopolitan sun god Re as AmunRe, in which form he was the "king of the gods" and the guardian deity of the pharaohs. The pharaohs, who had been considered "sons of Re," thus came to be regarded as incarnations of AmunRe. Amun took on the role of a primeval deity and creator in the cosmology of the New Kingdom, creating earth and sky out of his thought. He was a member of the Ogdoad, paired with the goddess Amaunet and representing hidden power. Also a member of the Theban triad, which made him the husband of Mut and adoptive father of Khons. Amun was depicted in human form, with blue skin and either the head of a bearded man or a ram's head with curved horns. He wore a crown composed of a modius surmounted by two tall feather plumes. He was sometimes depicted in ithyphallic form with an oversized erect penis. His true appearance was considered beyond human understanding. He was said to be "hidden of aspect, mysterious of form," invisible yet omnipresent throughout the cosmos. Amun's sacred animals were the ram and the goose. His primary sanctuaries were at Karnak and Luxor near Thebes. Amun and his influential Theban priests suffered a temporary eclipse during the reign of Akhenaton, who tried to impose a monotheistic worship of Aton. The cult of Amun revived soon after Akhenaton's death. It was not until the sack of Thebes by the Assyrians in 663 B.C.E. that Amun was reduced to mere local importance. As Ammon, however, he had an oracle at the Siwa Oasis in the western desert that remained prominent at least until the time of Alexander the Great, who visited the oracle.
Amun-Re (Amon-Ra) A combination of Amon and Ra worshiped in later Egyptian history. Under this name the Theban god Amun became the national god of Egypt.
Andjety (Anezti, Anedjti) Egyptian underworld god. His worship originated in the ninth nome of Lower Egypt. His cult center was at Busiris. Andjety was responsible for the rebirth of the individual in the afterlife. Depicted in anthropomorphic form, he wore a high conical crown surmounted by two feather plumes. He bore the crook and flail. He was associated with Osiris, whose symbols were also the crook and flail.
Anhur (Anhert, Anhuret) Egyptian warrior and hunter god. His cult originated in the Upper Egyptian city of Thinis, near Abydos. His consort was the lion goddess Mekhit. He was depicted as a bearded warrior wearing a long robe and a headdress with four tall plumes. He often carried a spear. Anhur was the champion of Egypt who hunted and slew the enemies of the sun god Re. He was sometimes equated with the god Shu. The Ptolemaic Greeks equated him with Ares. His main cult center was at Sebennytos in the Nile Delta.
Anti Egyptian guardian deity. Depicted as a falcon or a human with a falcon's head, often standing on a crescent shaped boat.
Anubis Egyptian god of the dead, represented as a black jackal, a dog, or as a man with the head of a jackal. After the early period of the Old Kingdom, he was superseded by Osiris as god of the dead. He was relegated to a supporting role as a god of the funeral cult and the care of the dead. His parents are usually given as Re in combination with either Nephthys or Isis. In the Book of the Dead he was depicted as presiding over the weighing of the heart of the deceased in the Hall of the Two Truths. The Greeks later identified him with Hermes. That resulted in the composite deity Hermanubis.
Anuket Egyptian goddess personifying the Nile as nourisher of the fields, and particularly associated with the lower cataracts near Aswan. She also appears to have been a protective deity of childbirth. Her principal sanctuary was at Elephantine. She was variously considered the daughter of Re, Khnum, or Satis.
Apep Egyptian snake god, the eternal enemy of the sun god Re and the cosmic order. Apep was the personification of darkness and evil.
As Egyptian fertility god called the Lord of Libya. Worshiped at oases in the Libyan desert.
Aton (Aten) Egyptian sun god. His cult reached a peak under the Pharaoh Akhenaten, who attempted to establish a monotheistic cult with Aton as the sole object of worship. Akhenaten built the city Akhetaton, now Tel elAmarna, to serve as Aton's cult center. Egypt returned to polytheism after Akhenaten's death. Aton was depicted as a winged sun disk or as a sun disk from which rays ending in hands extended.
Atum Primeval Egyptian creator god. Evening aspect of the sun god Re, representing the setting sun. The two were later combined as the god AtumRe. His principal cult center was at Heliopolis. He was represented by the black bull Mnevis, bearing the the sun disk and snake between its horns.
Ausaas Egyptian wife of Horus.
Ba Egyptian ram god of Mendes in Lower Egypt.
Babi Egyptian demon of darkness mentioned in the Books of the Dead.
Banebdjedet (Ba Neb Tetet, Banebdedet, Baneb Djedet, Banaded) Egyptian ram god. Consort of the fish goddess Hatmehyt and father of Harpokrates. Depicted in anthropomorphic form with the head of a ram.
Ba-Pef Egyptian chthonic underworld god.
Bastet (Bast, Ubasti) Egyptian cat goddess. Goddess of music and the dance. Daughter of the sun god Re, although sometimes regarded as the daughter of Amun. Wife of Ptah and mother of the lion god Mihos. Her cult was centered on her sanctuary at Bubastis in the Delta region. A necropolis has been found containing mummified cats.
Bat Egyptian cow goddess of fertility. Primarily a deity of Upper Egypt. She was depicted as a cow or in human form with cow's ears and horns.
Behedti Egyptian god in the form of a crouching falcon. He later was identified as a local form of the god Horus at Behdet.
Benu Egyptian birdlike sun god. Linked with Atum, the better known sun god of Heliopolis. Said to have been self created from the primeval ocean.
Bes Egyptian dwarf god believed to guard against evil spirits and misfortune. Bes was usually represented as ugly and grotesque in appearance with a large head, protruding tongue, bow legs and a bushy tail. His appearance was meant to scare off evil spirits. He was originally the protective deity of the royal house of Egypt.
Beset Egyptian goddess. A female version of Bes.
Buchis Egyptian holy bull of Hermonthis, the living image of the god Month. He had a white body and a black head.
Buto (Edjo, Udjo, Wadjet, Wadjit) guardian goddess of Lower Egypt.
Chensit Egyptian goddess of the twentieth nome of Lower Egypt.
Chenti-cheti Originally an Egyptian crocodile god, he later took on the form of a falcon.
Chenti-irti (Machentiirti) Egyptian falcon god of law and order, identified with Horus.
Chepre Egyptian primeval scarab god connected with the rising sun. He was identified first with Atum and then later with Re.
Cherti Egyptian ram god and ferryman of the dead. His cult was centered on Letopolis.
Chnum Egyptian ram god and protector of the source of the Nile. Depicted in human form with a ram's head. He was said to fashion children out of clay and then place them in the mother's womb.
Chons Egyptian moon god, son of Amun and Mut. He was usually depicted as a young man in the posture of a mummy.
Chontamenti Egyptian god of the dead and of the land of the west. Represented as a crouching dog or jackal.
Dedun Nubian god of wealth and incense. Associated with the riches of the southern lands. Usually depicted in human form but occasionally as a lion.
Djebauti Egyptian local god.
Dua Egyptian god of toiletry.
Duamutef Egyptian funerary god, son of Horus.
Esenchebis Greek name for Isis.
Geb (Keb, Seb) Egyptian earth god. Son of Shu and Tefnut. Brother and consort of the sky god Nut. Father of Osiris, Seth, Isis, and Nephthys. Geb was generally depicted lying on his back often wearing the crown of Lower Egypt, with the naked body of Nut arched above him. In this context he was often shown with an erect penis pointing upward toward Nut. Sometimes the air god Shu was shown standing on the body of Geb supporting Nut and perhaps separating her from Geb. Geb's skin was often green indicative of his role as a god of fertility and vegetation. The goose was his sacred animal and his symbol in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Geb was also said to imprison the souls of the dead, preventing them from passing on to the afterlife. The laughter of Geb was said to cause earthquakes.
Ha Egyptian god of the western desert.
Hapi Egyptian son of Horus.
Harmerti Egyptian guardian god of Seden.
Harpre Egyptian god of Hermonthis.
Harsaphes Egyptian ram god.
Hathor (Athyr) Egyptian cow goddess. Daughter of Nut and Re. In early Egyptian mythology she was the mother of the sky god Horus, but was later replaced in this capacity by Isis. Hathor then became a protector of Horus. She was depicted either as a cow or in human form wearing a crown consisting of a sun disk held between the horns of a cow. Her name appears to mean "house of Horus," referring to her role as a sky goddess. Hathor was often regarded as the mother of the Egyptian Pharaoh who styled himself the son of Hathor. Hathor was often symbolized by the papyrus reed, the snake, and the Egyptian rattle known as the sistrum. Her image could also be used to form the capitals of columns in Egyptian architecture. Her principal sanctuary was at Dandarah where her cult had its early focus. At Dandarah she was Worshiped as a goddess of fertility, women, and childbirth. At Thebes she was regarded as a goddess of the dead under the title of the "Lady of the West." The Greeks identified Hathor with Aphrodite.
Hatmehyt (Hatmehit) Egyptian goddess.
Hedetet Egyptian scorpion goddess.
Heket (Heqet) Egyptian goddess of creation, birth and the germination of corn. She was depicted as a frog.
Hemen Egyptian falcon god.
Hemsut (Hemuset) Egyptian goddess of fate.
Heron Egyptian god.
Hesat Egyptian divine white cow.
Hetepet Egyptian cult centre goddess.
Hez-ur Egyptian baboon god.
Hike (Heka) Egyptian personification of magic.
Hor-Hekenu Egyptian variant of Horus.
Horus (Har or Hor) Egyptian sky god. Usually depicted as a falcon or in human form with the head of a falcon. The sun and the moon are said to be his eyes. Son of Isis and the dead Osiris. He was born at Khemmis in the Nile Delta, and Isis hid him in the papyrus marshes to protect him against Seth, his father's murderer. Horus later avenged the death of his father against Seth. Horus lost his left eye (the moon) in the contest between the two. Horus was identified with Lower Egypt and Seth with Upper Egypt in this battle, which lasted eighty years. The gods judged Horus to be the winner, and Seth was either killed or castrated. The consequence of Horus's victory was the union of Upper and Lower Egypt. The Egyptian Pharaoh was believed to be an incarnation of Horus, and the name of Horus formed part of his name. The Pharaoh was said to become Horus after death. Seth restored the eye he had torn from Horus, but Horus gave it instead to Osiris. The image of the "eye of Horus", a human eye combined with the cheek markings of a falcon, became a powerful amulet among the Egyptians. Among the various manifestations of Horus are:
Harakhte (Harakhti, Heraktes) "Horus of the horizon." Horus at Heliopolis, linked with Ra in the sun cult. In this form he is associated with the rising sun.
Harendotes (Har-nedj-itef, Har-End-Yotef) "Horus the Saviour of his Father." A reference to the avenging of his father's murder.
Harmachis (Heru-Em-Akhet, Harmakis) "Horus in the horizon." Horus as symbol of resurrection, linked with the setting sun.
Haroeris (Har Wer) "Horus the elder." In this form Horus battled against Seth.
Harpokrates (Heru-Pa-Khret, Harpakhrad) "Horus the child." This refers to his birth and secret rearing by Isis. Depicted as a naked child on Isis's lap.
Harsiesis (Harsiese, Har-si-Ese, Hor-Sa-Iset) "Horus, Son of Isis."
Harsomtus (Har-mau) "Horus the Uniter." This is a reference to his role in uniting Upper and Lower Egypt.
Hor Behdetite (Behedti) "Horus of Behdet." Originally a local form of Horus as Behdet in the Delta region. In this form he was symbolized by the winged solar disk.
Hu, Sia, and Heh Egyptian deities of essential forces in creation.
Ihi (Ehi) Egyptian god of the sistrum.
Imhotep (Imhetep) Egyptian god of learning and medicine.
Imiut Egyptian protective deity of underworld.
Imset (Amset) Egyptian son of Horus.
Inmutef (Iunmutef) Egyptian bearer of the heavens.
Ipet (Ipi) Egyptian hippopotamus goddess.
Isdes Egyptian lord of the west and judge of the dead.
Isis (Aset, Eset) Egyptian mother goddess. Daughter of Geb and Nut according to the Heliopolitan genealogy. Sister and wife of Osiris. Mother of Horus. She was depicted in human form, crowned either by a throne or by cow horns enclosing a sun disk.
Naunet Egyptian goddess of the underworld.
Nebtuu Egyptian local goddess.
Nechbet Upper Egyptian guardian goddess of the monarch.
Nechmetawaj Egyptian goddess.
Neferhor Egyptian god.
Nefertum Egyptian god whose principal sanctuary was at Memphis. He was symbolized by the lotus flower. Son of Ptah and Sekhmet or Bast. He is often depicted with a lion's head.
Nehebu-Kau Egyptian serpent god of the Underworld.
Neheh Egyptian personification of eternity.
Neith Egyptian goddess of war and domestic arts. Her symbol was a shield bearing crossed arrows. Her principal sanctuary was at Sais in the Nile Delta. She was said to be a self begotten virgin. Some traditions also regarded her as a primeval creator goddess.
Nekhbet Guardian goddess of Upper Egypt who looked after children and mothers. She was usually depicted as a vulture, wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt.
Nenun Egyptian falcon god.
Neper Egyptian corn god.
Nephthys Egyptian goddess of the dead. Sister of Isis, Osiris, and Seth. Mother of Anubis by Osiris. Depicted with horns and a solar disc on her head. Her principal sanctuary was at Heliopolis. She guards the corpse of Osiris along with Isis.
Nepit Egyptian female counterpart of god Neper.
Nun (Nu) Egyptian personification of the primal waters which were the source of all life.
Nut Egyptian goddess of the sky and the heavens. Daughter of the air god Shu and moisture goddess Tefnut in the Heliopolitan genealogy. She was typically depicted as a woman with her elongated and naked body arching above Shu and the earth god Geb to form the heavens. Sometimes she appeared in the form of a cow whose body froms the sky and heavens. Nut was the barrier separating the forces of chaos from the ordered cosmos in this world. Her fingers and toes were believed to touch the four cardinal points or directions. The sun god Re was said to enter her mouth after setting in the evening and travel through her body during the night to be reborn from her vulva each morning. Nut was also a goddess of the dead the Pharaoh was said to enter her body after death, from which he would later be resurrected. Her principal sanctuary was at Heliopolis.
Ogdoad Egyptian group of four pairs of gods of Hermopolis.
Onuris Greek form of the Egyptian god Anhuret.
Osiris Egyptian god of the underworld and vegetation. His parents were Nut and Geb. He was the brother of Nephthys and Seth. He was brother and husband of Isis. Isis gave birth to Horus after Osiris' death, having impregnated herself with his semen. Osiris is depicted in human form wrapped up as a mummy, holding the crook and flail. He is often depicted with green skin, alluding to his role as a god of vegetation. His major cult centres were at Busiris in the Delta and Abydos in Upper Egypt. One of the dying gods, he was the focus of a famous legend in which he was killed by the rival god Seth. At a banquet of the gods, Seth fooled Osiris into stepping into a coffin which he promptly slammed shut and cast into the Nile. The coffin was born by the Nile to the Delta town of Byblos, where it became enclosed in a tamarisk tree. Isis discovered the coffin and brought it back. The story to this point was attested only by Herodotus. Seth took advantage of Isis' temporary absence on one occasion, cut the body to pieces, and cast them into the Nile. Isis searched the land for the body parts of Osiris, and was eventually able to piece together his body, save his penis, which had been swallowed by a crocodile. It was thus that Osiris became a god of the dead and ruler of the Egyptian underworld. The scattering of the body parts was seen as an allusion to the scattering of grain in the fields and thus to Osiris' role as a vegetation god.
Pachet Egyptian goddess of the desert.
Petbe Egyptian god of retaliation.
Petesuchos Egyptian crocodile god.
Pharaoh Egyptian kings viewed as god s.
Ptah Egyptian creator god and god of artisans, designers, builders, metal workers, architects, and masons. His major cult centre was at Memphis. His sacred animal was the bull and he was particularly represented by the Apis Bull at Memphis. According to the Memphite creation myth Ptah was the primary force in creation; thinking and speaking the cosmos into existence. Elsewhere, he was said to have created the cosmos out of mud. In that tradition it was Ptah who was preeminent among the gods.
Ptah-Seker-Osiris Egyptian composite funerary god.
Qebhsnuf Egyptian son of Horus, Canopic guardian of the viscera after mummification. He was represented as a mummified man with the head of a falcon.
Qetesh Originally a Syrian goddess, Qetesh came to be Worshiped in Egypt as a goddess of love. She was considered to be one of the forms of Hathor.
Rat-taui Egyptian goddess.
Re (Ra) Egyptian sun god and creator god. He was usually depicted in human form with a falcon head, crowned with the sun disc encircled by the uraeus, a stylized representation of the sacred asp. The sun itself was taken to be either his body or his eye. His principal cult centre was at Heliopolis. Re was also considered to be an underworld god, closely associated in this respect with Osiris. By the third millennium B.C.E. Re's prominence had already become such that the pharaohs took to styling themselves sons of Re. According to one tradition, Re was said to have created himself out of the mound that grew from the primeval lotus blossom. He then created Shu and Tefnut, who in turn engendered the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut. Another tradition states that Re created mankind from his own tears.
Renenutet Egyptian goddess of harvest and the suckling of babies.
Renpet Egyptian goddess of youth and spingtime.
Reret Egyptian hippopotamus goddess.
Resheph Egyptian version of the Sumerian Aleyin or Amurru, originally a vegetation god. Regarded by Egyptians as a warrior.
Ruti Pair of lions worshiped in Egyptian Letopolis.
Saa Egyptian personification of intelligence.
Sachmet Egyptian goddess of war.
Sai Egyptian personification of destiny.
Satet Egyptian goddess of first cataract of Nile.
Satis Egyptian wife of Chnum.
Sebek Egyptian crocodile god of Fayum.
SechatHor Egyptian cow goddess.
Sed Egyptian saviour god.
Seker Egyptian god of the Memphis necropolis, funerary god. Depicted in human form with a hawk's head.
Sekhmet Egyptian goddess of war and battle. Depicted in human form with the head of a lioness. She was the consort of Ptah and the mother of Nefertum and Imhotep.
Selket Egyptian goddess of conjugal union. Depicted with a scorpion body and a human head.
Sentait Egyptian cow goddess.
Sepa Egyptian chthonic god.
Septu Egyptian war god.
Seshat Egyptian goddess of writing, letters, and archives.
Sesmu Egyptian god of oil and wine pressing.
Seth Egyptian god of thunder.