Ancient Egyptian Religion. Introduction Major Characteristics: –Belief in many gods (polytheistic) who had both human and animal heads –A belief in the.

Ancient Egyptian Ancient Egyptian Religion Religion

IntroductionIntroduction• Major Characteristics:

– Belief in many gods (polytheistic) who had both human and animal heads

– A belief in the afterlife• Necessitated the practice of mummification

• Elaborate pyramids and temples built to entomb pharaohs & to honor the gods

– Egyptian gods represented aspects of the natural environment (sun, moon, crocodiles, etc.)

• Gods were complex

Egyptian TemplesEgyptian Temples• Egyptian temples were the

place where:– the gods lived

– Priests worked

• Servants worked in the temples to ensure that they were properly cared for

• Temple Estates:– Provided produce (food) for

the god’s table as well as food for the priesthood

Temple of Edfu

Religious FestivalsReligious Festivals

• Images of the gods would be carried out in procession or travel by river to visit other deities– Only chance for “ordinary people” to interact with

the god of a local temple

Egyptian Religious BeliefsEgyptian Religious Beliefs

• Egyptians revered gods related to fertility & child rearing

• Egyptians believed in a sophisticated form of the afterlife– The existence of the ka, the ba, and the akh continued

to exist in the afterlife and required maintanence– Considerable time and expense required to ensure the

body of the dead was properly preserved so the spirits could return to the body

The Gods & Goddesses The Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Egyptof Ancient Egypt

The Gods & Goddesses of The Gods & Goddesses of Ancient EgyptAncient Egypt

• Ancient Egyptians worshipped a number of gods & goddesses– Each god had different roles and functions– Gods could manifest themselves by appearing in

the guise of animals, the sky, moon, etc.

ShuShu• The god of air and

wind• Actions experienced

in the hot desert air & fresh air that cooled men & animals

• Depicted as a man with a feather on his head

• Creation god—creation began with his & his sister’s (Tefnut) existence Geb

Nut

TefnutTefnut• Function is not exactly

clear, though perhaps her role as wife & mother might have been purpose

• Daughter of Atum & Shu

• Sister & Husband to Shu– Children: Geb & Nut

GebGeb

• God of the Earth– Son of Shu & Tefnut

– Wife Nut

– Children: Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, & Seth

• Often colored green, or vegetation shown growing out of him

NutNut

• Goddess of the sky• Wife of the god Geb (her brother)• Children: Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, & Seth

SethSeth• God of chaos & confusion

– Son of Geb & Nut

– Siblings: Osiris, Isis, & Nephthys

• Murdered his brother (Osiris)

• Fought Horus over who would be king– Turned into a Hippopotamus

– Tore out Horus’s Eye

– Divine Tribunal ruled in favor of Horus

Ramesses III is crowned by Horus on the left and Seth on the right.

Osiris: God Osiris: God of the of the

AfterlifeAfterlife• He is one of the most

important deities of Ancient Egypt

• He is the god of death and resurrection– He ensured existence in

the afterlife

Isis: Isis: Universal Universal MotherMother

• Goddess exemplified the devoted wife & mother

• Goddess of love, magic, wisdom, & “Great Lady of the Heaven’s”

• Powers:– She could use her powers to restore

life and help mothers & children

Isis:Isis:• Daughter of Geb and Nut• Brothers Osiris & Seth; Sister

Nephthys• Wife & Sister of Osiris & mother

of his son Horus• Assembled the first mummy of her

husband (Osiris) after she gathered all his pieces and temporarily brought him back to life

Maat, goddess of truth & justice, kneels before the great mother goddess Isis, and spreads out her wings to protect the cartouche containing the name of Queen Nefertari.

Isis with her horned crown Papyrus

HorusHorus• The Falcon god• Son of Osiris & Isis• The name Horus means

'the far-away one', referring to his function as a sky god.

• Left Eye: Moon• Right Eye: Sun

HorusHorus

The The Eye of Eye of HorusHorus

The Eye of Horus: The injury inflicted by Seth on the eye of Horus is alluded to in the Pyramid Texts, where royal saliva is prescribed for its cure. The restored eye of Horus became the symbol for the state of soundness or perfection, known as the Udjat Eye. Used as an amulet, it became the symbol for protection and painted on the sides of rectangular coffins. 

Horus: The Horus: The Falcon Falcon

GodGodHorus the Falcon God: Many falcon gods existed throughout Egypt, though over time, a good number of these assimilated to Horus, the most important of the avian deities. Yet, from all his of many forms, it is nearly impossible to distinguish the "true" Horus. Horus is mostly a general term for a great number of falcon deities.

NephthysNephthys• Her name means “Lady of the

House”• Daughter of Geb and Nut• Sister of Osiris, Seth, and Isis• Married Seth—though always

remained loyal to her sister Isis• Function in Ancient Egyptian

religion not entirely clear– She usually appears as the

companion of her sister Isis

AmmutAmmut• Name means: “She who swallows the dead”

• Body: Composite being with the head of a crocodile, the body of a lion, & the back end of a hippopotamus

• Animal who would eat the heart of a person who failed the “Weighing of the Heart Ceremony”

PtahPtah• Originally associated with

craftsmen & referred to as the “divine craftsman”

• Patron of workmen in workshops & tomb builders

• Creation Story: Created world by using his heart and tongue—words that were spoken came into being

• Created the “Opening of the Mouth” ritual

Ma’atMa’at• Personification of truth, justice,

judgment, & harmony.• She is responsible for:

– Regulating the seasons, the stars, and actions of humans and gods

• Portrayed as a woman with an ostrich feather on her head or by the feather alone

• To live by Ma’at was to live by a strict code of ethics

• She plays a role in “Weighing of the Heart Ceremony”

Egyptian Goddess: Ma’at

She is the wife of Thoth.

Goddess of Truth, Justice and Universal OrderShe is depicted as a tall woman wearing a

crown surmounted by a huge ostrich feather. Her totem symbol is a stone platform or

foundation, representing the stable base on which order is built.

ThothThoth• The god of wisdom and writing• He also functions as a moon god• He’s usually depicted as:

– A man with the head of a baboon, an ibis (sometimes entirely as an ibis)

– He is seen often holding a scribes palette and a pen in his hands

– On his head, the 2 phases of the moon depicted (the crescent & full moon)

ThothThoth

God of the Moon, Magic and Writing In art, Thoth was usually depicted with the head of an ibis, deriving from his name, and the

curve of the ibis' beak, which resembles the crescent moon. Thoth the Scribe, wrote the story of our reality then placed it into grids for us to experience and learn through the

alchemy of time and consciousness.

HathorHathor• Bovine (cow) goddesses of love• Hername means “House of

Horus”• Considered mother of ruling

pharaoh• Worshiped everywhere in Egypt• Caused the sun god Re to be

born daily, therefore having a Life-Giving Role: “Lady of Life”

• Role as a funerary goddess & important to the dead because she protected the dead• Sometimes depicted as a lioness

HathorHathor• Often depicted often as a cow

emerging from western mountains• She was associated pleasurable

aspects in life: music, dance, sexuality, and alcohol

• determined fate of newborn children• Often depicted with cow horns on

her head or entirely as a cow

Hathor & Seth

HapHapy(i)y(i)

• God of the Nile inundation (the annual flooding of the Nile River)

• Worshipped as the embodiment of floods and the ensuing fertility

Hapy(i)Hapy(i)• Depicted as an

androgynous figure with:– A beard– Pendulous breasts and a

pot-belly– Wearing a headdress of

papyrus plants– Son of Horus

SobekSobek• Crocodile god & was

worshipped everywhere– Depicted as a man with the head

of a crocodile

• Associated with strength & power of a pharaoh

• Warded off crocodiles of the Nile River

MinMin• The god of fertility, creation,

and the power of the pharaoh.• He was celebrated each year

in a pre-harvest festival• Associated with male potency

& regeneration/fertility• He was the protector of the

desert and foreign lands (particularly in the south where the quarrying was undertaken)

AnubisAnubis

• Jackal-headed god

• Watcher of the graveyards and conductor of souls

• God of mummification– According to myth, he was able to restore life to the body of the

murdered Osiris by embalming his corpse and wrapping it in linen

Anubis with King Tut

MontuMontu• Falcon-headed warrior god

(god of war)• One of most important deities

in Ancient Egypt• Represented the more

aggressive aspects of kingship—the association of conquering neighboring lands & countries

• Amun took over as the cult god of Thebes

Amun: Amun: King of King of

the Godsthe Gods• Considered the greatest

of all Egyptian gods• He is the king of the

gods • He is the creator god

Statuette of Amun, Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 22, ca. 945–715 B.C.E.

AmunAmun• His name means 'the hidden one'. • He was probably originally a god of the air,

and despite his much more important position later, that is what he basically remained.

• Air is one of life's primary necessities and texts from the New Kingdom thus call him 'Lord of the Breath of Life'.

Amun: Amun: King of King of

the Godsthe Gods

• Main sanctuary was the immense temple complex at Karnak

Temple of Seti I at Abydos: Left to Right (Ra-Horakhty & Sety I kneeling to Amun)

Amun’s Blue Skin: imitates the color of lapis lazuli, which was the most prized stone in Ancient Egypt

Ra Horakhty: shown here with a rams head topped with a solar disc

Sety I: shown here kneeling before Amun

The Theban Triad - Amun, Mut and The Theban Triad - Amun, Mut and KhonsKhons

MutMut• The consort to Amun.• The mother goddess of

the New Kingdom, the queen of the gods at Waset (Thebes).

• She came to represent the Eye of Ra, the ferocious goddess of retribution and daughter of the sun god Ra.

KhonsKhons• The son of Amun and

Mut. • The god of the moon

and time. • One of the companions

of Thoth. • He is a great lover of

games, and is frequently shown playing a game of Senet against Thoth.

Ra (Re)Ra (Re)• The Sun god of

Ancient Egypt• Depicted as hawk-

headed figure wearing a headdress featuring the solar disc

SekhmeSekhmett

• Goddess of destruction– Her name means “The Powerful

One” & refers to her wild and dangerous nature

– Qualities allow her to protect pharaoh from his enemies

• Usually depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness and a closed mouth

SekhmetSekhmet• Because Sekhmet was the

cause of illnesses, she was also the one who could cure them.

• The priests of Sekhmet had a special link with medicine and magic.

• The Sekhmet priest had to ward off disease-bearing demons with magic.

BastetBastet• Cat goddess—originally a lion

goddess• Depicted as a woman with the

head of a lioness or cat and sometimes depicted just as a cat

• Linked to Sekhmet & became associated with myths concerning the sun’s eye

• Called the daughter of the sun god Re (his eye or eye of the moon)

BastetBastet• Many bronze statues of cats

have been uncovered as tributes to Bastet

• Many cats were buried (mummified) in tombs close to where she was worshipped

Amun-RaAmun-Ra• From an early stage,

Amun formed links with important gods from other places, such as Re, the god of Heliopolis, thus forming Amun-Re and appearing as such in many texts and representations.

• Became “supreme god”