The Gods of Egypt

The Egyptians told many stories about the creation of the world. Most of them start by imagining a time when nothing existed except the Waters of Chaos. In some stories the first thing to emerge from the waters is a blue lotus whose petals hide the infant sun god. Others start with the Primeval Mound, the first dry land, rising above the waters. To the mound comes a phoenix or a hawk, or a goose called the Great Cackler, who lays the world egg.

In another version a creator god exists in the dark waters of chaos for countless ages before realizing that he is lonely. “With the thoughts of his heart and the words of his mouth” the Creator made gods and goddesses. Next he created a world with Egypt at its center. The first people were formed from the tears of the Creator. The Creator is sometimes identified with the sun god and sometimes with other important gods such as Ptah or Amon. Another story attributes the creation of the world to the ram-god Khnum, who made the universe on his potter’s wheel.

Egyptian gods and goddesses (deities) were all forms of the Creator but they took on identities of their own. Some had special areas of interest. For example, Thoth was god of wisdom and writing, while Hathor was goddess of love and death.

Strange and sacred creatures

Deities could be shown in full human or animal-headed human form. They often wear distinctive headdresses and carry sacred symbols such as the ankh (the sign of life). Some deities had several forms. The god Sobek could appear as a crocodile or as a man with the head of a crocodile. The goddess Hathor might be shown as a beautiful woman, as the head of a woman with cow’s ears, as a cow, or as a cow-headed woman. The sun god had numerous forms, some of them worshiped as separate gods. The rising sun was Khepri, shown as a scarab-beetle, the noonday sun was Horus, the hawk god, and the setting sun was Atum, shown as a ram-headed man.

Late in Egyptian history the cult of sacred animals became very important. Creatures such as the ibises sacred to Thoth or the crocodiles sacred to Sobek lived in temples and were given elaborate burials when they died.

Egyptian temples

A temple was the palace of the deity who lived in the cult statue. The statue was hidden inside a shrine in the sanctuary, the holiest part of the temple. Every morning the chief priest entered the sanctuary and opened the shrine. Many rituals were performed, including clothing and perfuming the statue and presenting a meal. In return for these offerings the gods were asked to keep Egypt safe and prosperous.

Ordinary people could not watch the daily ritual but they did join in festivals. On these occasions divine statues were carried outside the temple so the gods might “speak” to the people. The larger temples contained bakeries, butcher shops, breweries, and grainstores to take care of the needs of the god and his human servants. Some temples were centers of learning and artists and craftsmen made a wide range of goods in temple workshops.

The major temples were state-controlled, so the goods were distributed by the government. Kings gave estates, ships, and slaves to support temples. In the 12th century b.c.e. the temple of Amon at Karnak had more than 100,000 people working for it.

A - Horus, son of Osiris, a
sky god closely linked with the king.
B - Set, enemy of Horus and Osiris, god of storms.
C - Thoth, a moon deity and god of writing, counting, and wisdom.
D - Khnum, a ram god who shapes men and their kas on his potter’s wheel.
E - Hathor, goddess of love, birth, and death.
F - Sobek, the crocodile god, Lord of the Faiyum.
G - Ra, the sun god in his
many forms.
 

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About The Author

Scott Shields

Last three pieces by this author:

Write your own history in the Ashmolean Museum | New Acropolis Museum Opening 20th June 2009 | Eat, Sleep and Play around Stonehenge

Scott currently lives in London trying to figure out what people want to read, see, hear and play in Heritage Key. Help him out by emailing info@heritage-key.com.