gods

Gods and Goddesses

The ancient Egyptians worshipped many gods and goddesses, about 2,000 in fact. It was very important to pray to the gods. The Egyptians thought the gods were responsible for everything that happened to them. One of the most important things the Egyptian thought the gods did was to bring the yearly flood of the Nile River. Some of the major gods and goddesses are shown below.

Amun was the first god of Egypt. His name means the hidden one or the invisible one. The Egyptians believed Amun created Egypt and all of the other gods and goddesses. Ancient Egyptians believed the sun rising each day was actually Amun driving his golden boat across the sky.

Seth was the god of storms and destruction. He was Osiris's brother. One day Seth became jealous of his brother and decided to kill him. He made a cedar box and dared his brother to get into it. When his brother was in, Seth slammed the lid shut and threw it in the Nile River. When it washed ashore, Seth chopped Osiris into pieces and scattered them all over the place.

Osiris was the god of the dead. Before his jealous brother killed him, Osiris taught the Egyptians about agriculture, justice, and the proper way to worship the gods. Osiris's wife Isis gathered up all of Osiris's scattered pieces, wrapped him up like a mummy, and used magic to bring him back to life. Osiris is usually shown as a green-skinned mummy.

Isis was the goddess of childbirth, healing, and magic. She was the sister and wife of Osiris. She used her magic to save her husband's life after he was killed by his brother Seth. She taught people about agriculture and medicine.

Horus was the god of the sky. He had the head of a falcon. Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris.

Anubis was the god of mummification. He had a jackal head. Anubis was the guide to the afterlife. He would lead a dead person's spirit to the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony. When someone died, Anubis attended the mummification. When a priest was mummifying a person, he would wear a jackal mask.

When someone died, they thought they would come face to face with the great god Thoth. Thoth was the god of writing and numbers. He recorded the results of the Weighing of the Heart ceremony. Thoth had an ibis head and was also the moon god. Thoth invented numbers.

Hathor was the goddess of fertility, childbirth, happiness, love, trees, drink, joy, and dancing. She is sometimes shown with a cow's head. In this picture, Hathor has a human head, but she is wearing a headdress made of cow horns.

Amun was the first god of Egypt. His name means the hidden one or the invisible one. The Egyptians believed Amun created Egypt and all of the other gods and goddesses. Ancient Egyptians believed the sun rising each day was actually Amun driving his golden boat across the sky.
Seth was the god of storms and destruction. He was Osiris's brother. One day Seth became jealous of his brother and decided to kill him. He made a cedar box and dared his brother to get into it. When his brother was in, Seth slammed the lid shut and threw it in the Nile River. When it washed ashore, Seth chopped Osiris into pieces and scattered them all over the place.
Osiris was the god of the dead. Before his jealous brother killed him, Osiris taught the Egyptians about agriculture, justice, and the proper way to worship the gods. Osiris's wife Isis gathered up all of Osiris's scattered pieces, wrapped him up like a mummy, and used magic to bring him back to life. Osiris is usually shown as a green-skinned mummy.
Isis was the goddess of childbirth, healing, and magic. She was the sister and wife of Osiris. She used her magic to save her husband's life after he was killed by his brother Seth. She taught people about agriculture and medicine.
Horus was the god of the sky. He had the head of a falcon. Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris.
Anubis was the god of mummification. He had a jackal head. Anubis was the guide to the afterlife. He would lead a dead person's spirit to the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony. When someone died, Anubis attended the mummification. When a priest was mummifying a person, he would wear a jackal mask.
When someone died, they thought they would come face to face with the great god Thoth. Thoth was the god of writing and numbers. He recorded the results of the Weighing of the Heart ceremony. Thoth had an ibis head and was also the moon god. Thoth invented numbers.
Hathor was the goddess of fertility, childbirth, happiness, love, trees, drink, joy, and dancing. She is sometimes shown with a cow's head. In this picture, Hathor has a human head, but she is wearing a headdress made of cow horns.