POLYTHEISM is the belief in and worship of many gods. Typically, these gods are distinguished by particular functions, and often take on human characteristics. This was particularly true in ancient Greece and Rome. In ancient Egypt, gods take on the form and characteristics of objects found in nature, including trees, sacred herbs, cattle, animals and animal-- human hybrids. The belief in multiple gods is probably the result of an earlier belief in vaguely defined spirits, demons and other supernatural forces. These belief systems are similar to animism, ancestor worship and totemism. In polytheism, these supernatural forces are personified and organized into a cosmic family. This "family" becomes the nucleus of a particular culture's belief system. The family of gods was used to explain natural phenomena and to establish a culture's role in the universe. 1
Typically, the number of gods would expand as the culture's belief system developed, eventually resulting in a hierarchical system of deities. Over time, the lesser gods would diminish in stature or vanish altogether. Each region had its own chief god/goddess The god/goddess often had bodies of men/women and a head of an animal BOOK OF THE DEAD contained the instructions, chants, and incantations so a person could reach the underworld WEIGHING OF THE HEART A special judgment ceremony to determine whether or not a person would go on to Osiris and the Underworld The person s BA or soul Anubis checking the scale THOTH recording results OSIRIS awaiting new arrivals Individual s heart MA AT s Feather of Truth AMMUT awaiting to eat the heart of evil souls CANOPIC JARS Held the internal organs of a mummified person Guarded by the Sons of Horus Religious Symbolism Duamutef jackal - stomach Hapi baboon lungs Imseti human - liver Qebhsenuf falcon - intestines FUNERARY AMULETS Placed in the layers of the wrappings around a mummy Religious Symbolism ANHK Symbolizes life DJED Strength & Stability SCARAB Symbolizes rebirth TET Protects the limbs 2
ANUBIS God of Mummification Jackal or Jackal-headed man APEDEMAK Nubian God of War Lion-headed man Worshipped mainly in Nubia, a conquered region south of Egypt 3
BASTET Goddess of Cats Cat-headed woman HATHOR Goddess of Beauty, Love, Women, the Sky, Fertility, Music & Dance Cow-headed woman HORUS God of the Pharaoh Falcon-headed man wearing the double crown Revenged the death of his father Osiris by defeating Set 4
ISIS Goddess of Motherhood, Women & Magic Woman wearing hieroglyph for throne on her head Restored Osiris s body OSIRIS God of the Afterlife Green skinned man wrapped like a mummy wearing an Atef crown & holding a crook & flail Killed by Set and restored by Isis & Anubis SET God of Chaos, Evil, the Desert, War, Violence, Conflict & Sandstorms Donkey-headed man Slayer of Osiris, defeated by Horus 5
PTAH God of Architects, Artisans & creation of the Earth Green-skinned mummiform man wearing a skull cap & holding a combined djed and was scepter RE or RA God of the Sun Falcon-headed man with a sun-disk on his head SOBEK God of all forms of water Crocodile-headed man wearing a solar disk and the atef crown 6
THOTH God of all Wisdom, Scribes, and Writing Ibis-headed man or baboon HEQET Goddess of Birth Frog-headed woman KHNUM God of Creation Ram-headed man MA AT Goddess of Law, Truth & Order Woman with an ostrich feather on her head NEITH Goddess of Hunting Woman holding weapons & wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt NEPHTHYS Goddess Who Protects the Dead Woman wearing the hieroglyph for lady & home on her head 7
AMMUT Destroyer of Evil Souls Head of a crocodile, mane and forelegs of a lion, and hindquarters of a hippopotamus SEKHMET Goddess of War and Vengeance Lion-headed woman with a solar disk 8
ATEN The Aten gained its prominence during the reign of Akhenaten. The heretic king made an effort to unite all the peoples of Egypt under one god. He abolished the traditional cults of Egypt and replaced them with the Aten. The god had no physical image, but it was represented as a solar disk projecting many downward rays that ended as human hands. Sometimes holding ankhs, the symbol of eternal life. 9