The ancient Egyptians worshipped hundreds of gods and goddesses. Some, like Ra and Amun, were worshipped across the whole country; others belonged to a single town. Many could take more than one form, and they were often joined together or grouped into families. This guide covers the gods you will meet most often on temple walls and in tombs during a trip to Egypt.
How the gods were shown
Gods appeared as humans, as animals, or as humans with animal heads. The animal told you something about the god’s character: the falcon for the sky and kingship, the jackal for the cemetery, the lioness for fierce power, the cow for motherhood. Crowns and objects also help to identify them. Read more about ancient Egyptian religion.
The main gods and goddesses
Ra
The sun god and, for much of Egyptian history, the king of the gods. He sailed across the sky in a boat by day and through the underworld by night. He is shown with a falcon’s head topped by a sun disc, and was often merged with other gods as Amun-Ra or Ra-Horakhty.
Amun
The “hidden one”, god of Thebes, who became king of the gods in the New Kingdom as Amun-Ra. Karnak was his great temple. He is shown as a man wearing a crown with two tall feathers, or as a ram.
Osiris
God of the dead and of rebirth, murdered by his brother Seth and brought back to life by Isis. He is shown as a mummified king with green or black skin, holding the crook and flail. His holy city was Abydos. Read the story of Osiris.
Isis
The great mother goddess, wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, famous for her magic and devotion. Her worship spread across the Roman Empire. Her temple is Philae.
Horus
The falcon-headed sky god, son of Isis and Osiris, who defeated Seth to win the throne. Every living king was seen as Horus. His temple is Edfu, and his healed eye became the Eye of Horus.
Seth
God of chaos, storms and the desert, the murderer of Osiris. He was also a protector, standing at the prow of Ra’s boat to fight the serpent Apophis. He is shown with the head of a strange animal with a curved snout and square ears.
Anubis
The jackal-headed god of embalming and cemeteries, who guided the dead and oversaw the weighing of the heart.
Thoth
God of wisdom, writing and the moon, shown with the head of an ibis or as a baboon. He recorded the result of the judgment of the dead.
Hathor
Goddess of love, music, joy and motherhood, shown as a cow or a woman with cow’s ears or horns holding a sun disc. Her temple is Dendera.
Ptah
Creator god of Memphis and patron of craftsmen, shown as a mummified man in a skullcap.
Bastet
The cat goddess of the home, women and protection, worshipped at Bubastis in the Delta.
Sekhmet
The lioness goddess of war and plague, the fierce form of the sun’s power. Her priests were also doctors.
Maat
Goddess of truth, justice and cosmic order, shown with an ostrich feather on her head. The heart of the dead was weighed against her feather.
Nut and Geb
The sky goddess Nut, arching over the earth, and the earth god Geb lying beneath her. Nut swallowed the sun each evening and gave birth to it each morning, as shown on the ceilings of Dendera and the royal tombs.
Shu and Tefnut
The god of air and the goddess of moisture, the first pair created by Atum.
Atum
The creator god of Heliopolis, who rose from the waters of chaos. Read about the creation myths.
Khnum
The ram-headed god of the Nile’s source, who shaped people on a potter’s wheel. His temples are at Esna and on Elephantine Island.
Sobek
The crocodile god of the Nile and fertility, worshipped at Kom Ombo and in the Fayoum.
Khonsu
The young moon god, son of Amun and Mut, with a temple inside Karnak.
Mut
The mother goddess of Thebes, wife of Amun, shown wearing the double crown or as a vulture.
Nephthys
Sister of Isis, who helped her mourn and restore Osiris. She protected the dead.
Bes
A dwarf god with a lion’s mane who protected homes, children and women in childbirth. He was one of the most popular gods in daily life.
Taweret
The hippopotamus goddess of childbirth and fertility, often shown on amulets and furniture.
Aten
The disc of the sun, worshipped as the only god under Akhenaten.
Osiris StorySee them for yourself
Every temple in Egypt is a gallery of gods. With a good Egyptologist you will soon recognize them on the walls of Karnak, Edfu and the Valley of the Kings. See our Egypt tour packages.
