Egyptian

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Egyptian Gods and Goddesses and the Afterlife
By Sheryl Johnson Social STudies
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Purpose

• You will become familiar with some of the
  different deities of Ancient Egypt and the
  religious beliefs that Ancient Egyptians held
  pertaining to life and death.

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Ancient Egyptians believed in and worshipped many
gods. They believed that their gods had created
and ruled the world. While each god served a
particular need or purpose, some were more
important than others.
Ancient legends led to the birth of many of the
Egyptian gods and goddesses.
It is not known why the Egyptians chose to
associate some gods and goddesses with animals or
why a certain animal species came to represent a
specific deity. All of the animals that
developed sacred associations were native to
Egypt as some time during its history.
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Osiris
According to Egyptian mythology Osiris was the
king of Egypt who was killed by his jealous
brother Seth. Seth cut up Osiris body and
scattered the parts throughout Egypt. However,
Osiris faithful wife, Isis gathered up the
pieces and using her magical abilities, put them
back together. Nevertheless, Osiris could never
again live like the other gods, so instead,
Osiris reigned as the lord of the
underworld. Because the legend told of Osiris
death and rebirth, the Egyptians honored him as
the god of the dead. He is depicted as a mummy
holding the crook and flail, the insignia
associated with kings.
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Isis
Isis is the faithful wife of Osiris
Horus
Horus is the son of Osiris and Isis.
According to legend, there was a battle between
Horus and his uncle Seth for the throne of Egypt.
Horus was also wanting to avenge his fathers
murder. Horus eventually won and became the
ruler of Egypt. However, during the battle, Seth
tore out and broke Horus eye by smashing it on
the ground. Another god, Thoth, picked up the
eye and restored it. It is Horus eye that
became a very powerful amulet known as the
wedjet-eye and it is frequently seen in tombs or
in jewelry.
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Thoth is the restorer or the eye. He is
generally depicted with the head of an ibis,
which is a common Egyptian bird. He was the
scribe of the gods and was also believed to have
invented writing. He possessed wonderful magic
and was also associated with the moon and time.
Thoth
Hathor was a major deity and was identified with
beauty and music. She took several forms, all of
which were related to a cow. Sometimes she was
depicted with a cows head or just with the ears
or horns of a cow. Many temples were built in
her honor.

Hathor
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Sekhmet
Sekhmet represented war, destruction, and
pestilence. She was usually portrayed with the
head of a lion on a womans body. She was also
associated with the cat.
Anubis
Anubis had the head of a jackal, and came to be
honored as the god of the necropolis. He also
served as the god of embalming, and was in charge
of preparing bodies for burial.
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Works Cited
Pictures
I found the clip art of the various Gods and
Goddesses and other Egyptian symbols at
www.neferchichi.com I have permission to use
these pictures. I downloaded them on 10/20/01.
Information
Ancient World History Development Team. World
History Program Ancient Egypt and the Near
East. Palo Alto, CA Teachers Curriculum
Institute, 1997. Armento, Beverly J., Gary B.
Nash, Christopher L. Salter, and Karen K. Wixson.
A Message of Ancient Days. Boston Houghton
Mifflin Co., 1991.
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Your Job! Choose your favorite God or
GoddessRequirements

• Cover sheet (Picture of God)
• Report that tells about your God.
• What they represent and control?
• Any special symbols?