Amun | God of Thebes. A man wearing a tall plumed head-dress. Identified with Ra as Amun-Ra. |
|
Anubis | Jackal god of embalming or mummification and of the dead and cemeteries. Depicted as jackal-headed man or jackal. |
Apis bull with sun disc on head (replica), SACHM 2584 |
Bastet | Cat goddess of grace and joy. Depicted as cat-headed woman or cat. Her main cult centre was Bubastis. Also identified with Sekhmet, the lion goddess. They were the Goddesses of the West (Sekhmet) and the East (Bastet). |
Bastet, cat goddess, SACHM 1723 |
Bes | Ugly dwarf. He protected children. He was the god of music and dance, but also the god of war. Not depicted in profile, but full face. |
Bes plaque, SACHM 1753 |
Hathor | Cow goddess in animal or human form. Often depicted as a woman with cow’s ears. Her main cult centre was Dendera. |
Horus the Elder, Hathor’s consort, Crypt of Hathor temple, Dendera, SACHM Photo Archives |
Horus | Falcon-headed sky god who became a god of the sun and the king. Later identified as the son of Osiris. |
Horus as Horus the Elder, Edfu temple, SACHM Photo Archives |
Isis | Goddess in human form. Mother of Horus as the king. She was also the wife of Osiris. Also connected with Hathor. Cult centre at Heliopolis |
|
Khepri | Scarab beetle. Khepri is also a form of the sun god Ra, and god of the rising sun. |
Khepri in the form of a scarab, SACHM 2954 |
Khnum | A creator and potter god. Depicted as a ram-headed man wearing the White Crown, or a flat-horned ram. His main cult centre was Elephantine. |
Ruins of Khnum temple, Island of Elephantine, SACHM Photo Archives |
Maat | Daughter of Ra. Woman with feather symbol on her head. Symbol of world order, justice and truth. | |
Osiris | Ruler of the dead, always in a mummiform. His main cult centre was at Abydos. |
Statuette of Osiris, SACHM 2592 |
Ptah | Creator god and protector of craftsmen. Depicted in human form with a scull cap on his head. Cult centre at Memphis. |
Ptah, Sobek & Horus the Elder temple, Kom Ombo, SACHM Photo Archives |
Ra | Sun god with many forms. His main cult centre was at Heliopolis. | |
Sekhmet | Lioness goddess of war and destruction. Associated with Ptah. Also identified with Bastet, the cat goddess. They were the Goddesses of the West (Sekhmet) and the East (Bastet). |
Sekhmet, SACHM 1613 |
Seth | God of wind, storms and deserts. Enemy of Osiris and Horus. He is depicted as an unidentifiable animal-headed human figure. Lord of Lower Egypt. |
Seth doing battle with Horus, SACHM Photo Archives |
Sobek | Crocodile god of Kom Ombo. Depicted as crocodile-headed man or crocodile. |
Sobek, Sobek & Horus the Elder temple, Kom Ombo, SACHM Photo Archives |
Tauert | A Predynastic hippopotamus goddess who helped women in childbirth. Also associated with domestic life. She is also a mother-goddess. |
Statuette of Tauert, SACHM 4269 |
Thoth | God of wisdom and scribe of the gods. Also a creator god. He is depicted as an ibis-headed man or as a baboon. He is associated with Maat. He presides over the Judgement of the Dead. |
Thoth to the right of the scales, Book of the Dead. Copy painted on linen, SA Cultural History Museum |