Animal Gods in Ancient Egypt

Do you know any ancient Egyptian gods?

Write down any you might know here:

While you learn about these gods keep an eye out for symbols that you see appear in different images!

They can offer clues as to what a god may have meant to the people that worshiped them!

Bastet: The Cat Goddess

Bastet, the cat goddess is one of the best known! This

sculpture represents her in her cat form.

What do you think she represented? Can you come up

with a reason cats may have been so important to the

Egyptians?

This sculpture of Bastet was part of an exhibit on ancient egypt at the Global Village Museum in Fort Collins

Bastet: The Protector of the HouseLucky for us the Egyptians wrote things down!

● Bastet was a goddess who protected the home and family

● She protected women and children from disease

● She is often represented as a cat, or like many other egyptian gods,

a person with the head of an animal

● Cats are considered household protectors because they keep out

pests that can cause illness, such as rats

Fun Fact:

Cats were often mummified and buried with their owners so that the two

could remain together in the afterlife. Today archaeologists still find

mummified cats in tombs and at shrines to the goddess Bastet.

Horus/Ra: The Falcon God

Horus is another well known egyptian god: he is typically depicted as a

falcon or as a man with the head of a falcon.

What do you think Horus and Ra represented to ancient egyptians?

What do you think the object on his head is for?

This cloth depiction of Horus was part of the same exhibition

Horus and Ra: The Divine KingThis depiction of Horus/Ra as a man with the head of a falcon is the most common.

In this depiction Horus is also wearing the same crown that the Pharaoh would

wear, this gives us a clue to what Horus represented.

● The Pharaohs of Egypt were considered divine beings, a sort of human/god

hybrid

● The Pharaoh was considered to be the living form of Horus in life making him

a symbol of the divine right of the Pharaohs to rule over Egypt.

● Ra, the sun and creator god is comprised of three parts:○ Ra, the creator○ Aten, the sun disc○ Horus, the son and physical body

Fun Fact:

Horus was worshipped for so long in Egypt that eventually he became associated

with the greek god Apollo

Sekhmet: The Lion Goddess

Sekhmet is another important Goddess in the Ancient Egyptian Pantheon

(pantheon is a word that refers to a group of gods)

What do you think Sekhmet was the goddess of? Do you think the fact

that she is a lioness is significant to her meaning?

Sekhmet: The Warrior

Sekhmet was a warrior goddess as well as a goddess of healing

● Sekhmet lead the Pharaohs in war

● She was thought to protect them from harm

● She not only protected the Pharaohs in life, but was thought to help protect

them in the afterlife as well

● Sekhmet was thought to breathe fire, and the hot winds of the desert were

considered to be like her breath

Fun Fact:

In her mythology Sekhmet is considered to be the wrathful side of the Sun god Ra,

in one story she goes on a rampage so severe that she nearly destroys all of

humanity. To stop her Ra poured out a great quantity of beer stained red with a

mineral called ochre and she became so drunk she stops destroying the world.

Anubis: The Jackal GodHave you seen a representation of Anubis before?

If so where?

Anubis: The Undertaker

Anubis was a god of death, mummification, the afterlife, cemeteries, and the

underworld

● Anubis is one of the most widely depicted gods in ancient egypt

● He is not evil, like other ancient gods of death he is often confused with

the idea of Satan, but his role was to be a protector and guide in the

afterlife

● His role was to guide the recently deceased to the next life in the

egyptian underworld

Fun Fact:

Some egyptologists think that the image of a jackal or wild dog became

associated with death because jackals were often seen trying to scavenge for

food in cemetaries.

Isis: the Kite Goddess

Isis is another Egyptian deity associated

with a bird. Compare and contrast this

image of Isis with the depiction of Horus

you saw earlier. How are they different?

What elements do they share?

Isis: The Universal Goddess

Isis is considered to be the divine mother of the Pharaohs and Horus, she is also a

goddess of the sky, motherhood, healing, and resurrection in the afterlife

● She is normally depicted as a human woman, but in depictions in the myth of

Osiris she often has the wings of a Kite

● Isis was also associated with protective magic

Fun Fact:

Worship of Isis was so widespread that she eventually became an important deity

in both ancient Greece and Rome.

Did you notice these symbols?

What others did you notice?

Aten: The Sun Disk

The image of the Aten is often associated with

the ancient egyptian gods. The sun is one of the

oldest and most worshiped gods in ancient

egypt. The Aten is an important aspect of the

sun god and its image is often shown with other

important gods as a symbol of their divinity.

Fun Fact:

One of the Pharaohs, Akhenaten, tried to

change the religion of ancient Egypt and made

Aten the only god. Why do you think he made

the change? Do you think the name Akhenaten

is related to his status as Pharaoh?

The Wadjet: The Eye of Horus

The Wadjet, or Eye of Horus is one of the

most widely spread symbols of Ancient

Egypt. It is a symbol of royal power and good

health. It is also a strong symbol of

protection. Pharaohs were often buried

with Wadjet necklaces to protect them in

the Afterlife.

Fun Fact:

Ancient Sailors would paint the Wadjet on

their ships to ensure safe travel.

The Ankh: A Symbol of Life

While it isn’t known exactly where it came from, the Ankh

is another widely spread symbol from ancient Egypt. In

Egyptian writing, or hieroglyphics, it is the word for life. It

is often seen with gods in ancient Egyptian art because it

was the symbol for life.

What do you think some of these symbols mean today?

Your Turn!

Create your own ancient egyptian god! Draw a picture of your own god and come up with some symbols

and stories to go along with them. Share the photos with your teacher and classmates. If you’d like to

share them with us at The Global Village Museum, you can put them on social media with the hashtag

#GVM and we will see them!