Thursday 23 June 2011

Egyptian Deity

A brief overview of some of the main Egyptian deities:

AMMUT: The Eater of Souls. This deity sits in judgment in the Hall of the Two Truths and devours those who do not pass the trial. Often shown with the head of a crocodile, the front body of a leopard, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus.

ANUBIS: This jackal headed god is the one who comes to you at death and
guides you through the darkness to the judgment chamber. Messenger of the gods. Protector and Patron of mortuaries, and overseer of the judgment of the dead in the Hall of the Two Truths; He is also the guide and presiding spirit of the embalming process in particular and the journey of departed souls to their final destiny in general.

BAST/BASTET: Goddess of occultism and magick. She is the female aspect of the Sun God Ra. In earlier images she is portrayed as having the head of a lioness, later these images show her with the head of a cat. She is the patron goddess of cats.

GEB: This is the Earth God, usually shown as green in colour. He is the Lord of all vegetation and soil. He is also the patron god of herbalism and is also considered to be a healer.

HAPI/HAPY: God of the Nile, and a fertility deity.

HATHOR: She is the daughter of Ra, and a Goddess symbolizing love and sexuality. She was considered to be mother to all the Pharoahs. Her talents also include the knowledge of every child’s destiny.

HORUS: Son of Osiris and Isis. He was the first sovereign of the Egyptian state and the land he wrested from Seth when he avenged the killing of Osiris. Pharaohs after him were thought to be incarnations of Horus. He represents national and dynastic stability, he is the divine source of sovereignty.

ISIS: Sister and wife of Osiris. Goddess of Magick, motherhood and Healing. She is the female aspect of sovereignty. She is also a symbol of rebirth and reincarnation.

MA’AT: Goddess of truth, law and justice. She signifies the scales in the Hall of Two Truths. Every Pharoah was considered to be beloved of Ma’at. She is a pillar of society.

NEPHTHYS: Goddess of women. Sometimes cited as the mother of Anubis. She is the protectress of the mortuary, she guides the spirits of deceased Pharoahs.

NUIT/NUT: Goddess of Sky and wind. She is the mother of Osiris, Isis and Nephthys. She is the heavens, the starlight and through her mouth the sky boat of the sun passes each evening, and emerges between her legs each morning reborn. Her voice is thunder.

OSIRIS: He is a God Force with Isis as his Goddess Force. He represents the destiny and the life beyond life. He is the judge of souls in the Hall of Two Truths, he is the guardian, guide and ruler of the afterlife of spirits. He is the promise of eternal life and the triumph of order over chaos.

RA: A primary solar deity. He is the spirit of the sun at its fullest strength he embodies heat, light and majesty. The phrase Eye of Ra represents retribution and his blaze of power, striking down his enemies with his gaze.

SESHET: Goddess of scribes, writing and history. She is seen as the founder of temples. She is the consort to Thoth.

SETH: He is the Dark Serpent aspect of the God. God of drought and storm, Lord of the desert. In most mythologies he seems to be at war with his brother Osiris in which he defeats Osiris but in turn is defeated by Horus. The usual image of him is as a long snouted beast.

THOTH: God of divinity of knowledge and understanding. He is patron god to scribes and the inspiration for all arts and sciences. He is said to have created writing. He is revered for being totally honest. He is the scribe in the Hall of Two Truths. He has lunar associations. Usually depicted with an Ibis head. He is husband to Ma’at.

The Hall of Two Truths – Egyptian culture was obsessed with the idea of life after death, hence all the trouble and effort they went to in embalming and preservation of the body after death. The hall of Two Truths was believed to be entered by your soul to have its deeds read, there judgment would be passed on your life by Thoth and the heart weighed on scales of Ma’at by Osiris in the presence of many judges.

Tansy
X

Information taken from various internet sources

3 comments:

  1. I especially love Bast and Isis, and Thoth is one that I am constantly researching... Thank you for posting!! I love learning about Egyptian dieties xxxxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hate to be a pain, but your information on Bast is wrong. You said "She is the female aspect of the Sun God Ra. In earlier images she is portrayed as having the head of a lioness" <--that is all associated with Sekhmet, who happens to be my patron goddess. Sekhmet is specifically the lion-headed goddess. Where as she is the the female version of Ra and his right eye (the sun) Bast is his left eye (the moon).

    I've been studying the Egyptian pantheon for a decade and a half.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you Leigh, we always appreciate input! We don't work with the Egyptian pantheon personally so it's always good to hear from someone that has more experience.

    ReplyDelete