Egyptian deities are the gods and goddesses worshipped in Egypt. The beliefs and rituals surrounding these gods form the core of Kemetism, which emerged sometime in prehistory. Deities represent natural forces and phenomena, and the Egyptians support and appease them through offerings and rituals so that these forces would continue to function according to maat, or divine order. After the founding of the Egyptian state in 3150 BC, the authority to perform these tasks was controlled by the pharaoh, who became the gods' representative and managed the temples where the rituals are carried out.
The gods' complex characteristics were expressed in stories and in intricate relationships between deities: family ties, loose groups and hierarchies, and combinations of separate gods into one. Deities' diverse appearances in art—as animals, humans, objects, and combinations of different forms—also alluded, through symbolism, to their essential features.
In different eras, various gods were said to hold the highest position in divine society, including the solar deity Ra, the mysterious god Amun, and the mother goddess Isis. The highest deity was credited with the creation of the world and often connected with the life-giving power of the sun. The Egyptians came to recognize a single divine power that lay behind all things and was present in all the other deities. Yet they never abandoned their original polytheistic view of the world, except during the era of Atenism in the 14th century BC, when official religion focused exclusively on an abstract solar deity, the Aten.
Gods are assumed to be present throughout the world, capable of influencing natural events and the course of human lives. People interacted with them in temples and unofficial shrines, for personal reasons as well as for larger goals of state rites. Egyptians prayed for divine help, used rituals to compel deities to act, and called upon them for advice. Humans' relations with their gods were a fundamental part of Egyptian society.
List of Deities
Image | Name | Atribute | Cult Center | Image | Name | Atribute | Cult Center |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Major Deities | |||||||
Male | Female | ||||||
Aker | A god of Earth and the horizon | Abydos | Amunet | Female counterpart of Amun and a member of the Ogdoad | Waset | ||
Amun | A creator god, patron deity of the city of Thebes, and the preeminent deity in Egypt during the New Kingdom | Waset | Anat | A war and fertility goddess, originally from Syria, who entered Egyptian religion in the Middle Kingdom. A daughter of Ra, thus, in Egypt, a sister of Astarte | Tanis | ||
Anhur | A god of war and hunting, general of the gods | Sesostria | Anput | The goddess of funerals, embalming and protector of the dead, female counterpart to Anubis | Hardai | ||
Anpu | The god of funerals, embalming and protector of the dead | Hardai | Anuket | A feathered headdress wearing goddess of Egypt's southern frontier regions, particularly the lower cataracts of the Nile | Elephantine | ||
Aten | Sun disk deity who became the focus of the monolatrous or monotheistic Atenist belief system in the reign of Akhenaten. Was also the literal sun disk | Akhetaten | Bastet | Goddess represented as a cat or lioness, patroness of the city of Bubastis, linked with protection from evil | Bubastis | ||
Atum | A creator god and solar deity, first god of the Ennead | Heliopolis | Bat | Cow goddess from early in Egyptian history, eventually absorbed by Hathor | Hutsekhem | ||
Banebdjedet | A ram god, patron of the city of Mendes | Mendes | Hathor | One of the most important goddesses, linked with the sky, the sun, sexuality and motherhood, music and dance, foreign lands and goods, and the afterlife. One of many forms of the Eye of Ra. She is often depicted as a cow | Tentyra | ||
Bennu | A solar and creator deity, depicted as a heron | Heliopolis | Hatmehit | Goddess of Mendes, good scents and perfumery | Mendes | ||
Bes | Apotropaic god, represented as a dwarf, particularly important in protecting children and women in childbirth | Hermopolis | Heqet | Frog goddess said to protect women in childbirth | Qus | ||
Geb | An earth god and member of the Ennead | Memphis | Hesat | A maternal cow goddess | Heliopolis | ||
Hapi | Personification of the Nile flood, His form is represented in the Egyptian Coat of Arms | Elephantine | Amentet | An afterlife goddess closely linked with Isis and Hathor | Canopus | ||
Heryshaf | Ram god worshipped at Herakleopolis Magna | Hutnesut | Isis | Wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, linked with funerary rites, motherhood, protection, and magic. She became a major deity in Greek and Roman religion | Per-Hebit and Wabt | ||
Heka | Deity of magic and medicine | Senyt | Iusaaset | Consort Of Atum, Goddess Of Creation, and Acacia Trees. | Heliopolis | ||
Horus | A major god, usually shown as a falcon or as a human child, linked with the sky, the sun, kingship, protection, and healing. Often said to be the son of Osiris and Isis. | Behdet and Hierakonpolis | Maat | Goddess who personifies truth, justice, and order | All cities, but Hermopolis in particular | ||
Iah | A moon god | Busiris | Mafdet | A predatory goddess said to destroy dangerous creatures | Abydos | ||
Ihy | A child deity born to Horus and Hathor, representing the music and joy produced by the sistrum | Memphis | Mehet-Weret | A celestial cow goddess | Akhmin | ||
Khepri | A solar creator god, often treated as the morning aspect of Ra and represented by a scarab beetle | Heliopolis | Menhit | A lioness goddess | Iuniet | ||
Khnum | A ram god, the patron deity of Elephantine, who was said to control the Nile flood and give life to gods and humans | Elephantine | Meret | The goddess of rejoicing who established cosmic order | Elephantine | ||
Khonsu | A moon god, son of Amun and Mut | Waset | Meretseger | A cobra goddess who oversees the Theban Necropolis, protector of the blind | Waset | ||
Maahes | A lion god, son of Bastet | Taremu | Meskhenet | A goddess who presides over childbirth | Pertaweret, household deity | ||
Min | A live bull god worshipped at Heliopolis as a manifestation of Ra | Akhmin | Mut | Consort of Amun, worshipped at Thebes | Waset | ||
Mnevis | A live bull god worshipped at Heliopolis as a manifestation of Ra | Heliopolis | Neith | A creator and hunter goddess, patron of the city of Sais in Lower Egypt | Sais | ||
Montu | A god of war and the sun, worshipped at Thebes | Waset | Nekhbet | A vulture goddess, the tutelary deity of Upper Egypt | Nekheb | ||
Nefertum | God of the lotus blossom from which the sun god rose at the beginning of time. Son of Ptah and Sekhmet | Memphis | Nepit | A goddess of grain, female counterpart of Neper | Memphis | ||
Nemty | Falcon god, worshipped in Middle Egypt, who appears in myth as a ferryman for greater gods | Badari | Nephthys | A member of the Ennead, the consort of Set, who mourned Osiris alongside Isis | Hutsekhem | ||
Neper | A god of grain | Memphis | Nut | A sky goddess, a member of the Ennead | Memphis | ||
Osiris | god of death and resurrection who rules the underworld and enlivens vegetation, the sun god, and deceased souls | Abydos | Pakhet | A lioness goddess mainly worshipped in the area around Minu tombs | Menatkhufu | ||
Ptah | A creator deity and god of craftsmen, the patron god of Memphis | Memphis | Qed-her | Gate Goddess of Duat, Goddess of receptionist | Abydos | ||
Ra | The foremost Egyptian sun god, involved in creation and the afterlife. Mythological ruler of the gods, father of every Egyptian king, and the patron god of Heliopolis | Heliopolis | Qetesh | A goddess of sexuality and sacred ecstasy from Syria and Canaan, adopted into Egyptian religion in the New Kingdom | Pelusium | ||
Resheph | Syrian god of war and disease | Avaris | Renenutet | An agricultural goddess | Tarenenut | ||
Seth | An ambivalent god, characterized by violence, chaos, and strength, connected with the desert. Murderer of Osiris and enemy of Horus, but also a supporter of the king | Nubt | Renput | Goddess who personifies the year | Hermopolis | ||
Shezmu | A god of wine, Blood, and oil presses who also slaughters condemned souls | Behdet | Satet | A goddess of Egypt's southern frontier regions | Elephantine | ||
Shu | Embodiment of wind or air, a member of the Ennead | Iunu | Sekhmet | A lioness goddess, both destructive and violent and capable of warding off disease, protector of the pharaohs who led them in war, the consort of Ptah and one of many forms of the Eye of Ra | Memphis | ||
Sobek | Crocodile god, worshipped in the Paiyom and at Nubt | Shedet | Serqet | A scorpion goddess, invoked for healing and protection | Tjenu | ||
Sokar | God of the Memphite Necropolis and of the afterlife in general | Memphis | Seshat | Goddess of writing and record-keeping, depicted as a scribe | Memphis | ||
Sopdu | A god of the sky and of Egypt's eastern border regions | Per-Sopdu | Sopdet | Personification of the star Sirius, mother of Sopdu | Memphis | ||
Thoth | A moon god, and a god of writing and scribes, and patron deity of Hermopolis | Hermopolis | Taweret | Hippopotamus goddess, protector of women in childbirth | Pertaweret, household deity | ||
Tutu | Slayer of demons | Djasdjasetet | Tefnut | Lioness goddess of moisture and a member of the Ennead | Taremu | ||
Wadj-wer | Personification of the Mediterranean sea or lakes of the Nile Delta | Memphis | Wadjet | A cobra goddess, the tutelary deity of Lower Egypt | Buto | ||
Wepwawet | A jackal god, the patron deity of Zawty, connected with warfare and the afterlife | Zawty | Wosret | Protector of the young | Waset | ||
Hermaphroditic | |||||||
Heh | Personification of infinity and a member of the Ogdoad | Hermopolis | Nun | Personification of the formless, watery disorder from which the world emerged at creation and a member of the Ogdoad | Memphis | ||
Kek | The god of Chaos and Darkness, as well as being the concept of primordial darkness. Kek's female form is known as Kauket. | Hermopolis | Tatenen | Personification of the first mound of earth to emerge from chaos in ancient Egyptian creation story | Memphis | ||
Secondary Deities | Tertiary Deities | ||||||
Male | Female | Male | Female | ||||
Aani | Hery-sha-duat | Ahti | Perit | Ȧakhu | Khenti-Khas | Untả | Neb ảri-t-qerr-t |
Aati | Hu | Amathaunta | Pesi | Ảakhu-ḥetch-t | Maa-ảb-khenti-ảḥ-t-f | Up | Neb ảrit-tcheṭflu |
Abu | Rā-Ḥerakhty | Ammit | Qererti | Ảakhu-ra | Maa-ảtht-f | Up-hai | Neb ảs-ḥatt |
Am-heh | Rem | Amn | Qerhet | Ảakhu-sa-ta-f | Maa-en-Rā | Up-shāt-taui | Neb ȧs-ur |
Amenhotep I | Reshep | Anhefta | Raet-Tawy | Ảakhui | Maa-f-ur | Up-uatu | Neb Ȧter |
Amenhotep son of Hapu | Sah | Anit | Rekhit | Ȧmi-beq | Maa-ḥa-f | Upi-sekhemti | Neb ȧter-Shemā |
Amu-Aa | Sebeg | Anuke | Sait | Ảmi-haf | Maa-mer-f | Upt-heka | Neb ảur |
Anaf | Sebiumeker | Ảpet | Sefkhet-Abwy | Ami-Ḥe-t-Serqet-Ka-hetep-t | Maga | Upȧst | Neb Aut |
An-hetep-f | Sed | Astarte | Sehith | Ảmi-kar | Men-t | Upu | Neb Bȧa-t |
An-mut-f | Sekhemus | Ba'alat Gebal | Sekhat-Hor | Ảmi-keḥau | Meni | Ur | Neb ḥekau |
An-tcher-f | Sepa | Beset | Sekhet-Metu | Ảmi-naut-f | Menu | Urȧrset | Neb ḥetep |
Andjety | Sepes | Besna | Seret | Ảmi-nehţ-f | Menu-nesu-Ḩeru | Ur-at | Neb Khasa |
Ani | Sepṭu | Esna | Sesenet-Khu | Ảmi-neter | Menu-qeṭ | Ur-heka | Neb Khebit |
Anti | Serapis | Hedetet | Shemat-Khu | Ảmi-Nu | Meţ-en-Ảsảr | Ur-henhenu | Neb peḥti |
Apedemak | Igai | Heptet | Shentayet | Ȧmi-Pe | Meţ-ḥer | Ur-henu | Neb Per-res |
Apep | Imhotep | Heret-Kau | Shenty | Ảmi-reţ | Meṭes | Ur-khert | Neb petti |
Āpesh | Kagemni | Hert-ketit-s | Shesmetet | Ảmi-seḥseḩ | Meţes | Ur-maati-f | Neb Sa |
Apis | Khentekhtai | Hert-Nemmat-Set | Swenet | Ảmi-sekhet-f | Meţes-ảb | Ur-metuu-ḩer-ȧat-f | Neb Sam |
Arensnuphis | Khenti-Amenti | Hert-sefu-s | Ta-Bitjet | Ảmi-sepa-f | Meṭes-neshen | Ur-peḥti | Neb sau-ta |
Asclepius | Khenti-qerer | Heru-pa-kaut | Tafner | Ảmi-suḥt-f | Meţi | Ur-peḩui-f | Neb sebu |
Ash | Kherty | Heset | Ta-Sent-Nefert | Ảmi-ta | Meţni | Urrtȧ | Neb Septi |
Astennu | Khesfu | Hetepes-Sekhus | Tayt | Ảmi-ut | Meţu-ta-f | Female | Neb-t ȧakhu |
Ba | Kneph | Iabet | Temet | Ảnmut-făbesh | Neb | Ảmi-khent-āat | Neb-t ȧnemit |
Ba-Ra | Mandulis | Iat | Temtith | Antywy | Neb ảa | Ảmi-pet-seshem-neterit | Neb-t ānkh |
Baal | Mehen | Ipy | Tenenet | Aqen | Neb ảmakh | Ảmi-urt | Neb-t ānkhiu |
Babi | Imset | Ishtar | Themath | Ảri | Neb ankh | Ảmi-utchat-sảakhu-Ảtemt | Neb-t Ảţu |
Ba-Pef | Nefer Hor | Iusaaset | Thermuthis | Ảri-em-ăua | Neb āq-t | Ảmit-Qeţem | Nebt-Āu-Khenti-Ṭuat |
Bata | Neferhotep | Iw | Thmei | Ảri-en-ȧb-f | Neb Kheper-Khenti-Ṭuat | Ảmit-she-t-urt | Neb-t au-t-ȧb |
Buchis | Nehebu-Kau | Kebehut | Tjenmyt | Ảri-ḥetch-f | Neb Khert-ta | Āpertra | Neb-t Kheper |
Dedun | Panebtawy | Ken | Unut | Ảri-ren-f-tehesef | Neb pāt | Ảrit-ȧakhu | Neb-t usha |
Denwen | Petbe | Khefthernebes | Usit | Ảri-tchet-f | Neb seb-t | Ảriti | Nebetun |
Djebuty | Peteese | Matit | Wepset | Ảrit-Ảmen | Neb Uast | Ba-khati | Nebt Ānnu |
Djefa | Pihor | Mehit | Werethekau | Athpi | Neb-Un | Baiut-s-ảmiu-heh | Neterit-nekhenit-Rā |
Dionysus-Osiris | Ptah-hotep | Menhit | Hedjhotep | Aati | Neb user | Ḥebit | Un-baiusit |
Fa | Qebeḥsenuf | Meret | Shai | Ba | Neb utchat-ti | Hetemit | Unnit |
Fetket | Qebui | Nakith | Faltis | Ba-ảakhu-hā-f | Nebti | Ḥunit | Unnuit |
Gengen Wer | Ra-ateni | Naunet | Semi | Ba-em-uār-ur | Nekenher | Ḥunit Pe | Upit |
Ha | Seta-Ta | Nebethetepet | Ba-ta | Neter | Ḥunit urit | Ur-ā | |
Ḥapy | Setcheh | Nebt-Ankhiu | Ba-tau | Neterti | Ḥuntheth | Urit | |
Hapy-Wet | Setem | Nebt-Khu | Ba-utcha-hāu-f | Neter bah | Ḥurit urit | Urit-ȧmi-t-Ṭuat | |
Hardedef | Shed | Nebt-Mat | Ḥeb | Neter neferu | Maa-ā | Urit-em-sekhemu-s | |
Harmachis | Shehbui | Nebt-Setau | Ḥun-sāḥu | Neter-hāu | Maa-neter-s | Urit-en-kru | |
Harsomtus | Sia | Nebt-Shat | Ḥutchai | Neter-ka-qetqet | Neb Ȧa-t | Urit-ḥekau | |
Haurun | Sopdu | Nebt-Shefshefet | Khenti-en-Sa-t | Neter-kha | Neb Ȧa-t-Then | Urti-ḥethati | |
Heneb | Duamutef | Nefertari (Queen Ahmose Nefertari) | Khenti-heh-f | Netrit-ta-meh | Neb āāu | ||
Henkhisesui | Weneg | Nehmetawy | Khenti-ḥenthau | Netrit-Then | Neb-ābui | ||
Heru-Khu | Wenenu | Pelican | Khenti-Ḥet Ȧnes | Nuuhuikhet | Neb ȧkeb | ||
Yam | Khenti-kha-t-ảnes | Unnti | Neb Ȧnit |