Egyptian Gods

Creators: Gavin

Corey Sarah Aaron

Giza: Royal Cemetery

Valley of the Kings: Royal Cemetery

=Cairo

Temple of Amun in Karnak

- King of the Gods- One of the most powerful gods in

Ancient Egypt- Combined with Sun-god Ra = creation

of Amun-Ra- Temple in Thebes was built to honor

Amun- Egyptian equivalent of Zeus

Amun

Amun-Ra

- Principle Egyptian Sun God for centuries- Also god of great antiquity- Central God of the Egyptian Parthenon- Recognized as an off world God- Symbolized setting sun + trip through

underworld East

Symbol of Ra

Ra

- Daughter of Ra- Represented destructive force of the sun- Known as “Eye of Ra”- Lioness-headed goddess of war and

destruction (Offspring of fire in Ra’s eye)- Known to pierce enemies with fire- Created as a weapon to destroy man

Sekhmet

- Goddess of motherhood, queen ship, wild birds, creator of life/death/rebirth

- In the form of a vulture- Originally the patron of Upper Egypt in

the old Kingdom.- Carries symbols of life and power in

talons- Protector of the King + his mother of his

divine nature

Nekhbet

Nekhbet seated on the left

In the beginning, there was only Nu (swirling water chaos)

From the water rose Atum, who created himself from his thoughts & will

After creating the first land, Atum created more gods

When Atum’s tears hit the ground, man was created

Atum and his Offspring

Atum’s Daughter

Tefnut

Atum’s Son Shu

- Osiris (divine ruler) murdered by Set (jealous brother associated /w chaos)

- Osiris’ wife + sister resurrected Osiris conceived a heir, Horus

- Years later, Horus defeated Set + became king himself

- Symbolizes pharaonic succession + the changing of seasons

Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys

Set

Horus

- Each night, Ra traveled through the Duat (underworld)

- During his journey, Ra met Osiris + renewed his life

- Each night, Ra fought /w Apep (serpentine god representing chaos)

- Apep’s defeated + meeting with Osiris lead to the rising of the sun each morning.

- Represented rebirth + victory over chaos

Apep

Ra’s Journey

Structure of Egyptian Religion: - Each town had at least one temple - Priests of temples dedicated their

lives and offering to the gods - Priests and Egyptians worshipped

many gods + differed from area to area

Ancient Egyptian Temple

Sham el-Nessim- Marks the start of the spring- “Sniffing the Breeze”- People ate salted fish (Fissekh)

- Offered many foods/items to the gods

Time of Celebration

Yom el-Neel- The overflowing of the Nile- Very big event- Processions to Nile from all over Egypt- Involved human sacrifice

Humans (specifically women) were thrown into the river

- Ancient equivalent of “ground breaking” ceremony

- Involves placing food + other offerings key structural points

- Present through all Kingdoms (Old, Middle, New)

- Performed: give godly protection to buildings

- Bodies embalmed and mummified- Placed in sarcophagus

- After 70 days, funeral profession held- Involves elaborate “opening of the

mouth” ceremony- Food + Drink sacrifices made- Performed: allowed dead to move on to

the afterlife

Mummification Process Scarab Amulet

Egyptian Sarcophagus

- Afterlife = in the heavens (realm of the sun)- After someone died, they were judged- Ceremony = “Weighing of the Heart”- Ceremony occurred before Osiris (deceased

had to swear hadn’t committed any crimes)- If declared “true of voice” sent to afterlife- In addition to this test…

- Heart of the deceased weighed against the principles of truth + justice (maat)

- Heart balanced with maat sent to Fields of Hetep (eternal paradise)

- If heart was heavy /w wrongdoings heart eaten by Ammit (the gobbler)

Ceremony

Ammit

This goddess of war and destruction was the daughter of Ra.

A. SethB. HathorC. SekhmetD. Isis

Each night, Ra traveled to (the) _________ and fought Apep.

A. Fields of HetepB. UnderworldC. IaruD. Cairo

This god had a temple built after him in Thebes.

A. AmunB. SekhmetC. BastetD. Osiris

After someone died in ancient Egypt, their soul went through this ceremony.

A. “Opening of the Mouth”B. “Sniffing of the Breeze”C. “Test of Justice”D. “Weighing of the Heart”

This important Egyptian holiday marked the beginning of the spring.

A. Feast of MontuB. Sham el-NessimC. Eid-al-AdhaD. Yom el-Neel

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