The Egyptians practiced polytheism-the belief in many gods. Their religion was based on service to these gods. They believed that everything was controlled by the gods. Another aspect of their religion was the belief that animals were sacred. Thus, many gods were portrayed as animals or humans with animal characteristics.
As the creation myth states, the god Atum or Re was the sun god. He was the main god of the Egyptians. He created the twin deities,Shu (the god of air) and Tefnut (the goddess of moisture). These two gods begot Nut (the goddess of air) and Geb (the god of the earth).
These two gods in turn had:
Nephthys - the goddess who befriends and protects the dead
Osiris and Isis married and gave birth to Horus, the child god. Seth and Nephthys also married (although Nephthys had a child with Osiris). This child was Anubis the god of the dead. Another important goddess was Ma'at who was the goddess of justice and truth who was represented by a feather. Thoth was the god of writing and the sun god's messenger. Ptah was the god of craftsmen. Every region of Egypt had their own special god. For example, Ptah was the god of Memphis. Amun was the god of Thebes and when it became the official capital of Egypt, he became merged with the sun god, Re (sometimes called Ra). Amun's wife Mut and son Khonsu (the moon god) became the Thebian Triad or the sacred family of Thebes.
Egyptians believed in three different parts of the soul. The ka was the life force or spiritual double of the person. The royal ka symbolized a pharaoh's right to rule and was passed down from one pharaoh to the next pharaoh. The ba was the human-headed bird that leaves the body at death. The head is the exact likeness of the dead person. The akh symbolized the spirit of Re and the soul afer it has been transferred to light, in the afterlife. Death was seen as a temporary interruption of existence and the Egyptians had many beliefs as to how a pharaoh was judged after death. Anubis was believed to accompany the king to the afterworld. He supposedly placed their heart on a scale to weigh their hearts against the feather of the goddess Ma'at. The god Osiris would judge the king and the god Thoth recorded the results. If the heart was heavy with sin, the pharaoh was considered unworthy to dwell in the afterlife and the goddess Ammut would devour the heart.
Another aspect of the Egyptian religion, was the importance of pharaohs who were believed to be divinely appointed representatives of the gods. Priests were advisers to the pharaoh but they also had other duties. Priests worked at temples and conducted the daily rituals of clothing, feeding, and putting to bed the statues that represented the gods to whom the temples were dedicated. Other rituals were done to nourish the ka of a deceased pharaoh. Priests shaved of all their body hair, and washed their bodies twice a day as a ritual act of purification.
Osiris and Isis married and gave birth to Horus, the child god. Seth and Nephthys also married (although Nephthys had a child with Osiris). This child was Anubis the god of the dead. Another important goddess was Ma'at who was the goddess of justice and truth who was represented by a feather. Thoth was the god of writing and the sun god's messenger. Ptah was the god of craftsmen. Every region of Egypt had their own special god. For example, Ptah was the god of Memphis. Amun was the god of Thebes and when it became the official capital of Egypt, he became merged with the sun god, Re (sometimes called Ra). Amun's wife Mut and son Khonsu (the moon god) became the Thebian Triad or the sacred family of Thebes.
Egyptians believed in three different parts of the soul. The