Gods and Goddesses of Egypt

**Amun

Appearance:

Man with a ram-head
A ram
Man wearing an ostrich plumed hat

Amun was one of the most powerful gods in ancient Egypt.
At the height of Egyptian civilisation he was called the 'King of the Gods'.


Amun
Amun was important throughout the history of ancient Egypt. However, when Amun was combined with the sun god Ra he was even more powerful. He was then called Amun-Ra.

A large and important temple was built at Thebes to honour Amun.

**Atum
'The All' or 'Perfection'

Appearance:

Man with the double crown

Atum was a creator god.
The ancient Egyptians believed that Atum was the first god to exist on earth.


Atum
The ancient Egyptians believed that Atum rose from the waters of chaos (Nun) and created all the gods.

**Bes

Appearance:

Dwarf with lion and human features
Dwarf wearing the skin of a lion

Bes was the protector of pregnant women, newborn babies and the family.

Bes
The ancient Egyptians also believed that Bes protected against snake and scorpion bites.

Amulets of Bes were popular at all levels of Egyptian society.


**Bastet

Appearance:

Woman with the head of a cat

Bastet was a protective goddess.

Bastet
Bastet was usually seen as a gentle protective goddess. However, she sometimes appeared with the head of a lioness to protect the king in battle.

The cat was a symbol of Bastet. The ancient Egyptians made many statues of cats like this one to honour Bastet.

Bastet was one of the daughters of the sun god, Ra. A great temple was built in her honour at Bubastis in the Delta.

**Geb

Appearance:

Man lying down below the arch of the sky goddess Nut
Man with a goose on his head

Geb was the god of the earth.
Geb was the husband and brother of the sky goddess Nut. He was also the father of Osiris, Isis, Nepthys and Seth.

When Seth and Horus fought for the throne of Egypt, Geb made Horus the ruler of the living.

The ancient Egyptians believed that earthquakes were Geb's laughter.

**Hathor
'House of Horus'

Appearance:

Woman with the ears of a cow
A cow
Woman with a headdress of horns and a sun disk

Hathor was a protective goddess. She was also the goddess of love and joy.

Hathor was the wife of Horus, and was sometimes thought of as the mother of the pharaoh.


Hathor sistrum
Hathor was connected with foreign places and materials. For instance, Hathor was the goddess of the desert and the turquoise mines in the Sinai.

A large temple was built to honour Hathor at Dendera.

**Isis

Appearance:

Woman with headdress in the shape of a throne
A pair of cow horns with a sun disk

Isis was a protective goddess. She used powerful magic spells to help people in need.
Isis was the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus.

Since each pharaoh was considered the 'living Horus', Isis was very important.



Isis with Horus
Isis is often shown holding Horus on her lap. Isis is associated with thrones because her lap was the first 'throne' that Horus sat upon.

This amulet is called the 'Isis knot' and is a symbol of protection.

A temple was built to honour Isis at Philae. It is still standing today.

**Tawaret
'The Great One'

Appearance:

Head of a hippopotamus with the arms and legs of a lion, the back and tail of a crocodile, and the breasts and stomach of a pregnant woman.

Tawaret was a goddess who protected women during pregnancy and childbirth.


Many of the gods and goddesses in ancient Egypt had temples built to honour them. Other gods and goddesses like Tawaret and Bes were worshipped by people in their own homes.
This is an amulet of the goddess Tawaret. People often wore amulets like this, or kept them in their homes.

**Seshat

Appearance:

Woman wearing a panther skin dress and a star headdress

Seshat was the goddess of writing and measurement.