#apedemak deity

[dian-and-the-gods]

Images

So um I may have 'made' something. u/Eternalspace1969 made images of many egyptian deities and posted them on Reddit for free use. Considering there were none of Apedemak and Aman I decided to try my hand at editing some of his images to make their representations. So here they are!

Lord Apedemak

Lord Aman

and Lady Amesemi

He has uploaded his own drawings on wikimedia, I really recommend checking them out!

[whencyclopedia]

Meroë

Meroe was a wealthy metropolis of the ancient kingdom of Kush in what is today the Republic of Sudan. It was the later capital of the Kingdom of Kush (c. 1069 BCE to c. 350 CE) after the earlier capital of Napata was sacked c. 590 BCE. Prior to that date, Meroe had been an important administrative centre.

The city was located at the crossroads of major trade routes and flourished from c. 750 BCE to 350 CE. Meroe is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. As no one yet has been able to decipher the Meroitic script, very little can be said for certain on how Meroe grew to become the wondrous city written about by Herodotus circa 430 BCE, but it is known that the city was so famous for its wealth in ancient times that Cambyses II of the Persian Achaemenid Empire mounted an expedition to capture it. The expedition faltered long before reaching the city owing to the difficult and inhospitable terrain of the desert (and, according to some claims, may never have been mounted at all). Still, the persistence of the story of Cambyses' expedition suggests the great fame of Meroe as a wealthy metropolis.

The city was also known as the Island of Meroe as the waters flowing around it made it appear so. It is referenced in the biblical Book of Genesis (10:6) as Aethiopia, a name applied to the region south of Egypt in antiquity meaning "place of the burnt-faces". Although there is evidence of overgrazing and overuse of the land, which caused considerable problems, Meroe thrived until it was sacked by an Aksumite king c. 330 CE and declined steadily afterwards.

Egyptian Influence & King Ergamenes

While there was a settlement at Meroe as early as 890 BCE (the oldest tomb discovered there, that of 'Lord A', dates from that year), the city flourished at its height between c. 750 BCE and 350 CE. The Kingdom of Kush, founded with its capital at Napata, was ruled by Kushites (called "Nubians" by the Egyptians) who, early on, continued Egyptian practices and customs and, though they were depicted in art as distinctly Kushite, called themselves by Egyptian titles. The historian Marc Van De Mieroop writes:

Meroitic culture shows much Egyptian influence, always mixed with local ideas. Many temples housed cults to Egyptian gods like Amun (called Amani) and Isis, but indigenous deities received royal patronage as well. A very prominent Nubian god was the lion-deity Apedemak, a god of war whose popularity increased substantially in this period. Local gods were often associated with Egyptian ones: in Lower Nubia, Mandulis, for example, was considered to be Horus's son. Hybridity is also visible in the arts and in royal ideology. For example, kings of Meroe were represented in monumental images on temples in Egyptian fashion but with local elements, such as garments, crowns, and weapons. (338).

In time, however, these practices gave way to indigenous customs and the Egyptian hieroglyphs were replaced by a new system of writing known as Meroitic. The break from Egyptian culture is explained by the ancient historian Diodorus Siculus who writes that in the time before the reign of King Ergamenes (295-275 BCE), it had been the custom for the high priests of the Egyptian god Amun at Napata to decide who became king and to set the duration of the king's reign.

As the health of the king was tied to the fertility of the land, the priests had the power to determine if the sitting king was no longer fit to rule. If they deemed him unfit, they would send a message to the king, understood to be from the god Amun himself, advising him that the time of his rule on earth was completed and that he must die. The kings had always obeyed the divine orders and had taken their own lives for the supposed good of the people. However, Diodorus continues:

who had received instruction in Greek philosophy, was the first to disdain this command. With the determination worthy of a king he came with an armed force to the forbidden place where the golden temple of the Aithiopians was situated and slaughtered all the priests, abolished this tradition, and instituted practices at his own discretion.

The archaeologist George A. Reisner, who excavated the cities of Meroe and Napata, has famously questioned Diodorus' account calling it "very dubious" and claiming that the Ergamenes story was a national myth which Diodorus accepted as historical truth. Since there is no ancient evidence contradicting Diodorus, however, and since there was clearly a significant cultural break between Meroe and Egypt with Ergamenes' reign, most scholars today accept the account of Diodorus as either certain or something close to actual events.

Continue reading...

[youremyheaven]

are you just spiritual or do you believe in different deities as well? Do you believe in monotheism or poly? Some call the deities worshipped by polys to be fallen angels or false gods, any views on this please? I was reading about different ancient deities all around the world and their indian counterparts, Apedemak=narsimha, shiva as atum, and the abrahamic texts consider animaloid deities as fallen angels and not gods. Share your opinions or research please .

I believe that God exists. I don't really believe in a humanoid looking/being God but some kind of superior force that's beyond rational comprehension. I believe in energy. I believe that everything is vibrational. My scientific knowledge is rudimentary at best but the universe does run on energy.

I think different religions and religious philosophies try to comprehend that which is essentially incomprehensible - the great mystery of the universe.

I don't think it's humanely possible to fully understand how we got here or who made us or what exactly is going on up there but through myth and religion, we try to personify and break things down to small meaningful rituals, rules, values, beliefs and ways of living to build our lives around.

Different deities from different religious scriptures are personifications of an inherently abstract concept- the Divine

I think it's powerful to have an intimate connection with an individual deity because the more energy you invest in something, the stronger the connection is and the more enriching and rewarding the experience becomes.

However if you ask me if there's 1028282920 gods up in the sky , I'd say no, it's a bit more complex than that

But I also don't think it's an old man with a long beard and glasses either

God is a state of vibrational being

When we create our reality we work with that godliness but only an ounce of it. God is a million leagues above anything we can conjure up.

[reasoningdaily]

50+ African gods names and meanings - Tuko.co.ke

African communities have so many gods and goddesses, and each one has its own role to play in life. Some gods and goddesses are for wealth, war, health, healing, protection, death, evil, creation, and so on. Africans who believe in these gods consider it essential to worship and adore these gods and goddesses to have a good and smooth life.

Even though the larger religions such as Christianity and Islam have made big inroads in the African continent, the African gods and goddesses are still worshipped today. Here are the names of African gods:

African god of war

Ogun - Ogun is a god of war who defends the Yoruba tribe and is depicted wearing armor and red eyes.

Kibuka - Kibuka is the Buganda god of war who secures victory in war by taking the form of a cloud, which hovered above his enemies and rained spears and arrows.

Age-Fon - During the days of wars and battles, Agé was called upon to protect and give strength to the warriors, leading them on which paths to take.

Menhit - The war goddess was believed to advance ahead of the Egyptian armies and cut down their enemies with fiery arrows.

Tano - He is the goddess of war and strife for the Ashanti people.

Apedemak - The Nubian lion-headed warrior god.

Takhar - He is the god of justice or vengeance. He is a demi-god in Senegal's Serer religion and is worshipped to protect believers against injury, bad omens, and abuse.

Maher- Ethiopian god of war

Shango - Shango is the Yoruba god of war and thunder. Oral tradition describes him as powerful, with a voice like thunder and a mouth that spewed fire when he spoke.

Oya - She is the wife of Shango. Oya is a ferocious and protective deity worshipped by the Yoruba. She is the goddess of wind, thunderbolt, and fire.

African god of wealth

Mukasa - He is the brother of Kibuka, the god of war. His main oracular sanctuary was found on an island in Lake Victoria. This god provides rain, food, and cattle.

Oko - Oko is the god of agriculture and fertility. He came to Earth and lived on a small farm, growing some of the most beautiful and delicious fruits and vegetables.

Olokun - Olokun is believed to be the parent of Aje, the orisha of great wealth. He gives great wealth, health, and prosperity to his followers.

Aje - Aje is a traditional goddess of abundance and wealth, often associated with the business of the marketplace in the Yoruba religion.

Oshun - Oshun is a divine being associated with love and fertility, as well as financial fortune in the Yoruba religion.

Ikenga - Ikenga is a personal god of human endeavor, achievement, success, and victory. He is grounded in the belief that a man's power to accomplish things is in his right hand.

Anyanwu - This is the goddess of the sun. She is revered as the goddess that promotes productivity, hard work, and overall positive well-being.

Njoku Ji - This is the guardian deity of yam in Igboland. She is prayed to for productivity during the farming season.

Mami Wata - Mami Wata is famous as the African god of money. The goddess has the power to bestow good fortune and status through monetary wealth.

Wamala - He is the god of wealth and prosperity.

Anayaroli - He is the god of wealth.

Ashiakle - She is a famous goddess of wealth and prosperity in West Africa.

Abena - She is known as the river goddess. Her name is associated with gold, brass, as well as with other wealth symbols.

African god of healing

Agwu - Nsi - This is the god of health and divination. This god is one of the basic theological concepts used to explain good and bad, health and sickness, poverty, and wealth in Igboland.

Osanyin - He is the Yoruba Orisha of herbalism, and he possesses the powers to cure all diseases.

Xu - He is the sky god of the Bushmen in South Africa. Xu is usually invoked during an illness.

Aja - Aja is a powerful healer in Yoruba legend. It is said that she is the spirit who taught all other healers their craft.

Babalu Aye - Babalu Aye is an Orisha often associated with plague and pestilence in the Yoruba belief system. Just as he is connected with disease and illness, he is also tied to its cures.

African evil gods

Amadioha - This is the most popular god in Igboland. He is the god of thunder & lightening. Amadioha is considered a gentleman among the deities and the cruelest when annoyed.

Adroa - Adroa is the god of death with two characters: good and evil. His body is split into two. One half is short and black, which represents evil, while the other half is tall and white and depicts goodness.

Gaunab - He is the Xhosa and Khoikhoi evil god. He is responsible for all misfortune, disease, and death.

Modimo - He represents all the good things. Yet, in the same breath, he had the power to destroy things and bring about natural disasters and devastation.

Ogo - He is the chaos god among the Dogon. Ogo is a horrifically awful trickster god, the embodiment of chaos, and a rebel of horribleness.

African god of death

Anubis - Anubis, the guardian of the dead, is one of the most well-known Egyptian gods. He's mainly depicted as a dog-like figure and leads the dead to Ma'at, where their hearts are weighed.

Ogbunabali - Literally meaning "the one that kills at night." He is known as the death deity. Ogbunabali is known to kill violently.

Gamab - Gamab lives in the sky and directs the fate of mankind. When it's time for someone to die, Gamab gets out his bow and shoots them down with an arrow.

Oya - She is also a goddess of death. Oya is the guardian of the gates of death, as she helps the dead in their transition from life.

African god of creation

Mbombo - Mbombo is the creator god in the mythology of the Kuba people. It is believed that Mbombo was alone, darkness and primordial water covered all the earth. He felt an intense pain in his stomach and then vomited the sun, the moon, and stars.

Olorun - He is the ruler of the sky and the creator of the sun.

Obatala - He is the creator of humans, mountains, valleys, forests, and fields.

Unkulunkulu - He grew from reeds and brought with him people and cattle. Upon his own creation, he created the earth and all of its creatures.

Ra - The sun god arose from Nun, a chaotic body of water that was the only thing in existence. He independently gave birth to Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the water goddess. They then produced Geb and Nut, the god of the earth and the goddess of the sky, respectively. The first humans to exist were from Ra's tears.

Kaang - He is the creator god of the universe, according to the San people.

Nana - Buluku - Nana Buluku is the mother of Mawu-Lisa and the goddess of creation. She is associated with the sun and moon.

Odomankoma - This is the name Akan-language speakers use to describe the eternal entity who deserves the credit for the work of creation, including creating the concept of trinity.

Modjaji - She is a South African goddess of rain whose spirits live in a young woman's body. The goddess is considered a key figure as she can start and stop the rain.

African god of fertility

Ala - She is the most respected god in Igboland. The goddess represents the earth, fertility, creativity, and morality.

Oshun - She is one of the most powerful of all orishas in the Yoruba religion. She is associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality.

Asase Ya - Asase Ya is the Earth goddess of fertility of the Ashanti people of Ghana. She is the wife of Nyame, the Sky deity, who created the universe.

Mbaba Mwana Waresa - She is the Zulu goddess of fertility.

Denka - He is the Dinka god of fertility.

Yemaya - She is the childbirth goddess in the Yoruba religion. She is considered the mother of all since she is the goddess of the living ocean.

Who is the most powerful African god?

Oshún is a Yoruba orisha, daughter of Yemoja, a Nigerian river goddess. She is the protector of the family and pregnant women. Oshun is typically associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality. She is considered one of the most powerful of all orishas in the Yoruba religion. She possesses human attributes such as vanity, jealousy, and spite.

There you have it. A comprehensive list of African gods' names and meanings. With the introduction of larger religions such as Islam and Christianity, the concept of African deity is slowly losing its meaning. However, some ethnic communities still believe in and worship these gods and goddesses even today.

Tuko.co.ke published an article about the list of major religions in Africa. Before the white man came to Africa, the African people had a doctrine. Little is known about the ancient African religions. However, it is a fact that all doctrines have common features such as belief in a supernatural power, the belief of life after death and the beliefs surrounding burial.

Research shows that the majority of citizens in Nigeria and Africa as a whole are devoted Christians. The African continent has a variety of religions practised across all regions. In Africa, religiosity has a big influence on arts, culture, lifestyle and traditions of its people.

[lionews]

my pride is egypt themed so im naming my lions after gods/deities, and apedemak and menhit are both egyptian deities apparently (apedemak only kind of, he was worshipped in a different religion but was still associated with ancient egypt's religion)? kind of confused why ld would use them in a space/star themed event?? why not just name the npcs after constellations or something? idk im a bit annoyed because theyd be good for my pride but i dont want the association with the npcs :( (before someone says get over it, theyre my lions and my naming scheme. itd feel weird to look at my pride and see their names because i don't associate them with egypt.)

anyway sorry for the yap fest, didnt mean to make it that long. not really pressed about it, im mostly just confused what their reasoning was.

.

[deitiesmasterlist]

Egyptian Deities

Goddesses

Amunet : Goddess of creation, protector of the kings.

Anuket : Goddess of the cataracts of the Nile and fertility.

Bastet : Goddess of protection, cats, perfume/ointments, fertility, pregnancy, children, music, the arts, and warfare. Symbols : feathers, cats.

Hathor : Goddess of the sky, the sun, sexuality and motherhood, music and dance, foreign lands and goods, and the afterlife.

Heqet : Goddess of protection of women in childbirth, fertilily.

Isis : Goddess of funerary rites, motherhood, protection, and magic.

Maat : Goddess of truth, justice, and order.

Menhit : Goddess of war and crown.

Mut : Mother goddess.

Neith : Goddess of creation and hunter.

Nekhbet : Goddess of protection. Symbols : Vulture.

Nephthys : Goddess of mourning, the night/darkness, service, childbirth, the dead, protection, magic, health, embalming, and beer.

Nepit : Goddess of grain.

Nut : Goddess of the sky, stars, cosmos, mothers, astronomy, and the universe.

Pakhet : Sun goddess of war, hunter and protection.

Renenutet : Goddess of nourishment and the harvest.

Satis : Goddess of war, hunting, and fertility.

Sekhmet : Goddess of the sun, war, protection and healing.

Tefnut : Goddess of moisture.

Wadjet : Goddess of protection.

Gods

Aker : God of the earth, underworld and the horizon. Symbols : Lion, sun disk.

Amun : Creator god, patron deity of the city of Thebes.

Am-heh : God of the underworld.

Anhur : A god of war and hunting. Symbols : feathers, spear, lance, lion.

Ani : God of festivals.

Anubis : God of death, mummification, embalming, the afterlife, cemeteries, tombs, and the Underworld. Carries the dead to the judgement place of the Underworld. Symbols : canine, wolf.

Apedemak : Warior god.

Apophis : God of chaos. Symbols : flint, snakes, crocodiles.

Aten : God of the sun disk, creator, giver of life, and nurturing spirit.

Atum : Creator god and solar deity.

Baal : God of the sky and storms.

Babi : God of the underworld, agressions, destruction, judgement, virility and sexuality of the dead in the underworld.

Bennu : Solar god of creation and rebirth. Symbols : heron.

Geb : God of the earth.

Hapi : Personification of the Nile flood.

Horus : A major god, god of the sky, the sun, kingship, protection, and healing. Symbols : Falcon.

Khepri : God of the rising sun, renewaland creation. Symbols : scarab beetle.

Khnum : God of creation, the source of the Nile, the patron deity of Elephantine. Symbols : Ram.

Khonsu : God of the moon, travelling, healing and protection. Symbols : falcon.

Maahes : God of war, weather and protection. Symbols : knives, lotus, lion.

Min : God of agriculture, fertility, sexuality and virility. Symbols : lettuce

Montu : God of war and the sun. Symbols : curved sword, spear, bow and arrows, knives, falcon, bull.

Nefertum : God of the lotus blossom. Symbols : lotus, lion, cat.

Neper : God of grain.

Osiris : God of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation.

Ptah : Creator god and patron of craftsmen and architects.

Ra : God of the sun, order, kings and the sky. Symbols : falcon.

Set : God of deserts, storms, disorder, violence, and foreigners. Symbols : donkeys.

Shu : God or peace, lions, air and wind.

Sobek : God of protection. Symbols : crocodile.

Sopdu : God of the sky and of Egypt's eastern border regions.

Thoth : God of the moon, writing and scribes, and patron deity of Hermopolis.

[ausetkmt]

A comprehensive list of famous 50+ African gods names and meanings

African communities have so many gods and goddesses, and each one has its own role to play in life. Some gods and goddesses are for wealth, war, health, healing, protection, death, evil, creation, and so on. Africans who believe in these gods consider it essential to worship and adore these gods and goddesses to have a good and smooth life.

Even though the larger religions such as Christianity and Islam have made big inroads in the African continent, the African gods and goddesses are still worshipped today. Here are the names of African gods:

African god of war

Ogun - Ogun is a god of war who defends the Yoruba tribe and is depicted wearing armor and red eyes.

Kibuka - Kibuka is the Buganda god of war who secures victory in war by taking the form of a cloud, which hovered above his enemies and rained spears and arrows.

Age-Fon - During the days of wars and battles, Agé was called upon to protect and give strength to the warriors, leading them on which paths to take.

Menhit - The war goddess was believed to advance ahead of the Egyptian armies and cut down their enemies with fiery arrows.

Tano - He is the goddess of war and strife for the Ashanti people.

Apedemak - The Nubian lion-headed warrior god.

Takhar - He is the god of justice or vengeance. He is a demi-god in Senegal's Serer religion and is worshipped to protect believers against injury, bad omens, and abuse.

Maher- Ethiopian god of war

Shango - Shango is the Yoruba god of war and thunder. Oral tradition describes him as powerful, with a voice like thunder and a mouth that spewed fire when he spoke.

Oya - She is the wife of Shango. Oya is a ferocious and protective deity worshipped by the Yoruba. She is the goddess of wind, thunderbolt, and fire.

African god of wealth

Mukasa - He is the brother of Kibuka, the god of war. His main oracular sanctuary was found on an island in Lake Victoria. This god provides rain, food, and cattle.

Oko - Oko is the god of agriculture and fertility. He came to Earth and lived on a small farm, growing some of the most beautiful and delicious fruits and vegetables.

Olokun - Olokun is believed to be the parent of Aje, the orisha of great wealth. He gives great wealth, health, and prosperity to his followers.

Aje - Aje is a traditional goddess of abundance and wealth, often associated with the business of the marketplace in the Yoruba religion.

Oshun - Oshun is a divine being associated with love and fertility, as well as financial fortune in the Yoruba religion.

Ikenga - Ikenga is a personal god of human endeavor, achievement, success, and victory. He is grounded in the belief that a man's power to accomplish things is in his right hand.

Anyanwu - This is the goddess of the sun. She is revered as the goddess that promotes productivity, hard work, and overall positive well-being.

Njoku Ji - This is the guardian deity of yam in Igboland. She is prayed to for productivity during the farming season.

Mami Wata - Mami Wata is famous as the African god of money. The goddess has the power to bestow good fortune and status through monetary wealth.

Wamala - He is the god of wealth and prosperity.

Anayaroli - He is the god of wealth.

Ashiakle - She is a famous goddess of wealth and prosperity in West Africa.

Abena - She is known as the river goddess. Her name is associated with gold, brass, as well as with other wealth symbols.

African god of healing

Agwu - Nsi - This is the god of health and divination. This god is one of the basic theological concepts used to explain good and bad, health and sickness, poverty, and wealth in Igboland.

Osanyin - He is the Yoruba Orisha of herbalism, and he possesses the powers to cure all diseases.

Xu - He is the sky god of the Bushmen in South Africa. Xu is usually invoked during an illness.

Aja - Aja is a powerful healer in Yoruba legend. It is said that she is the spirit who taught all other healers their craft.

Babalu Aye - Babalu Aye is an Orisha often associated with plague and pestilence in the Yoruba belief system. Just as he is connected with disease and illness, he is also tied to its cures.

African evil gods

Amadioha - This is the most popular god in Igboland. He is the god of thunder & lightening. Amadioha is considered a gentleman among the deities and the cruelest when annoyed.

Adroa - Adroa is the god of death with two characters: good and evil. His body is split into two. One half is short and black, which represents evil, while the other half is tall and white and depicts goodness.

Gaunab - He is the Xhosa and Khoikhoi evil god. He is responsible for all misfortune, disease, and death.

Modimo - He represents all the good things. Yet, in the same breath, he had the power to destroy things and bring about natural disasters and devastation.

Ogo - He is the chaos god among the Dogon. Ogo is a horrifically awful trickster god, the embodiment of chaos, and a rebel of horribleness.

African god of death

Anubis - Anubis, the guardian of the dead, is one of the most well-known Egyptian gods. He's mainly depicted as a dog-like figure and leads the dead to Ma'at, where their hearts are weighed.

Ogbunabali - Literally meaning "the one that kills at night." He is known as the death deity. Ogbunabali is known to kill violently.

Gamab - Gamab lives in the sky and directs the fate of mankind. When it's time for someone to die, Gamab gets out his bow and shoots them down with an arrow.

Oya - She is also a goddess of death. Oya is the guardian of the gates of death, as she helps the dead in their transition from life.

African god of creation

Mbombo - Mbombo is the creator god in the mythology of the Kuba people. It is believed that Mbombo was alone, darkness and primordial water covered all the earth. He felt an intense pain in his stomach and then vomited the sun, the moon, and stars.

Olorun - He is the ruler of the sky and the creator of the sun.

Obatala - He is the creator of humans, mountains, valleys, forests, and fields.

Unkulunkulu - He grew from reeds and brought with him people and cattle. Upon his own creation, he created the earth and all of its creatures.

Ra - The sun god arose from Nun, a chaotic body of water that was the only thing in existence. He independently gave birth to Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the water goddess. They then produced Geb and Nut, the god of the earth and the goddess of the sky, respectively. The first humans to exist were from Ra's tears.

Kaang - He is the creator god of the universe, according to the San people.

Nana - Buluku - Nana Buluku is the mother of Mawu-Lisa and the goddess of creation. She is associated with the sun and moon.

Odomankoma - This is the name Akan-language speakers use to describe the eternal entity who deserves the credit for the work of creation, including creating the concept of trinity.

Modjaji - She is a South African goddess of rain whose spirits live in a young woman's body. The goddess is considered a key figure as she can start and stop the rain.

African god of fertility

Ala - She is the most respected god in Igboland. The goddess represents the earth, fertility, creativity, and morality.

Oshun - She is one of the most powerful of all orishas in the Yoruba religion. She is associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality.

Asase Ya - Asase Ya is the Earth goddess of fertility of the Ashanti people of Ghana. She is the wife of Nyame, the Sky deity, who created the universe.

Mbaba Mwana Waresa - She is the Zulu goddess of fertility.

Denka - He is the Dinka god of fertility.

Yemaya - She is the childbirth goddess in the Yoruba religion. She is considered the mother of all since she is the goddess of the living ocean.

Who is the most powerful African god?

Oshún is a Yoruba orisha, daughter of Yemoja, a Nigerian river goddess. She is the protector of the family and pregnant women. Oshun is typically associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality. She is considered one of the most powerful of all orishas in the Yoruba religion. She possesses human attributes such as vanity, jealousy, and spite.

There you have it. A comprehensive list of African gods' names and meanings. With the introduction of larger religions such as Islam and Christianity, the concept of African deity is slowly losing its meaning. However, some ethnic communities still believe in and worship these gods and goddesses even today.

Tuko.co.ke published an article about the list of major religions in Africa. Before the white man came to Africa, the African people had a doctrine. Little is known about the ancient African religions. However, it is a fact that all doctrines have common features such as belief in a supernatural power, the belief of life after death and the beliefs surrounding burial.

Research shows that the majority of citizens in Nigeria and Africa as a whole are devoted Christians. The African continent has a variety of religions practised across all regions. In Africa, religiosity has a big influence on arts, culture, lifestyle and traditions of its people.

[mamamoon92]

Minor Egyptian deities✨

Male✨

☆Aani - A protector ape headed god

☆Aati - One of the 42 judges of the souls of the dead

☆Abu - A god of light

☆Am-heh – A dangerous underworld god

☆Amenhotep I (Amenhetep I) - The second king of the eighteenth dynasty, deified

☆Amenhotep son of Hapu – A scribe and architect in the court of Amenhotep III, later deified for his wisdom

☆Amu-Aa - A god who accompanies Osiris during the second hour of the night

☆An-a-f - One of the 42 judges of the souls of the dead

☆An-hetep-f - One of the 42 judges of the souls of the dead

☆An-mut-f

☆An-tcher-f

☆Andjety (Anedjti, Anezti) - A god of the ninth nome of Upper Egypt

☆Ȧnḥert - A bearded sky god

☆Ani - A god of festivals

☆Anti - A hawk god of Upper Egypt

☆Apedemak – A warlike lion god from Nubiawho appears in some Egyptian-built temples in Lower Nubia

☆Apep (Apepi) – A serpent deity who personified malevolent chaos and was said to fight Ra in the underworld every night

☆Āpesh - A turtle god

☆Apis – A live bull worshipped as a god at Memphis and seen as a manifestation of Ptah

☆Arensnuphis – A Nubian deity who appears in Egyptian temples in Lower Nubia in the Greco-Roman era

☆Asclepius - A Greek god worshipped in Egypt at Saqqara

☆Ash – A god of the Libyan Desert and oases west of Egypt

☆Astennu - A baboon god associated with Thoth.

☆Ba - A god of fertility

☆Ba-Ra

☆Baal – Sky and storm god from Syria and Canaan, worshipped in Egypt during the New Kingdom

☆Babi – A baboon god characterized by sexuality and aggression

☆Banebdjedet – A ram god, patron of the city of Mendes

☆Ba-Pef – A little-known underworld deity

☆Bes – Apotropaic god, represented as a dwarf, particularly important in protecting children and women in childbirth

☆Buchis – A live bull god worshipped in the region around Thebes and a manifestation of Montu

☆Dedun (Dedwen)– A Nubian god, said to provide the Egyptians with incense and other resources that came from Nubia

☆Denwen - A serpent and dragon god

☆Djebuty - Tutelary god of Djeba

☆Djefa - God of abundance

☆Dua - God of toiletry and sanitation

☆Fa - A god of destiny

☆Fetket - A butler of Ra

☆Gengen Wer - A celestial goose god who guarded the celestial egg containing the life force

☆Ha – A god of the Libyan Desert and oases west of Egypt

☆Ḥapy (Hapi) - A son of Horus

☆Hapy-Wet - God of the Nile in heaven

☆Hardedef - Son of King Khufu who was deified after death because he wrote a book considered to be the work of a god

☆Harmachis (Heru-em-akbet) - Sphinx god

☆Harsomtus - A child god of Edfu

☆Haurun - A protector and healing god, originally a Canaanite god

☆Heka (Hike) – Personification of magic

☆Heneb - A god of grain

☆Henkhisesui - God of the east wind

☆Heru-Khu - A god in the fifth division of Tuat

☆Hery-sha-duat - Underworld god in charge of the fields of Tuat

☆Heryshaf – Ram god worshipped at Herakleopolis Magna

☆Hu – Personification of the authority of the spoken word

Iah (Aah) – A moon god

☆Ihy – A child deity born to Horus and Hathor, representing the music and joy produced by the sistrum

☆Ihu - God of the sistrum

☆Imhotep – Architect and vizier to Djoser, eventually deified as a healer god

☆Ishtar – The East Semitic version of Astarte, occasionally mentioned in Egyptian texts

☆Joh - A moon god

☆Jupiter-Amun - A Roman influenced god worshipped at the Siwa Oasis in Egypt

☆Kagemni - A vizier to Sneferu who wrote the

Instructions of Kagemni, later deified

☆Khenmu (Khnum) - A ram headed god who formed humans from clay

☆Khenti-Amenti

☆Khenti-qerer

[digiwitchvivi]

Egyptian God's and Godesses

❤Amun - A creator God, patron of the city of Thebes.

❤Maahes - Egyptian lion-headed God of war.

❤Anhur - An Egyptian sky god and God of war. His name meant “sky-bearer”.

❤Ra – God of the sun, earth, and underworld. He is powerful and protective.

❤Anubis – God of dead, embalming, funerals, and mourning ceremonies. Jackal-headed God.

❤Thoth – God of the moon, magic, and writing. 

❤Apophis - God of snakes, war, and Chaos.

❤Bes - Dwarf God.

❤Geb - God of the earth.

❤Khnum - Ram-headed God.

❤Khonsu - God of the moon.

❤Mafdet - God of justice.

❤Osiris - God of the underworld and the afterlife.

❤Ptah - God of creation.

❤Qebui - God of the North wind.

❤Qetesh - A mother Goddess of fertility.

❤Set - God of chaos, change, deserts, storms, and foreigners.

❤Shu - God of wind and air.

❤Sopdu - A God of war.

❤Tefnut - Lion Goddess of water and fertility.

❤Wadjet - Goddess of protection.

❤Sekhmet - Goddess of lions, fire, and vengeance.

❤Pakhet - A goddess of motherhood and of war.

❤Ma'at - Goddess of justice, truth, and of order.

❤Kebechet - Goddess of purification.

❤Isis - Goddess of magic, marriage, healing, and protection.

❤Hathor - Goddess of love.

❤Bastet - Cat Goddess.

❤Amunet - Wife of Amun, one of the creation Goddesses.

❤Tawaret – Goddess of childbirth who protects women in labour. People wear her image as an amulet to protect them and their children.

❤Kuk - God of personification of darkness.

❤Horus - The falcon-headed sky God.

❤Khepri - God of scarab beetles.

❤Aten - Aten God is the disk of the sun.

❤Ammit - Goddess Ammit was the personification of divine retribution. The Goddess with a body that was part lion, hippopotamus, and crocodile.

❤Atum - “The All” or “Perfection”. His appearance is a man with the double crown. Atum was a creator God. 

❤Nun - The sun God.

❤Montu - Montu was a falcon God of war.

❤Babi - Babi was a fierce, bloodthirsty baboon God.

❤Heh - God of personification of infinity or eternity.

❤Wepwawet - An ancient wolf God.

❤Serapis - Sun, healing, and fertility God.

❤Wadj-wer - God of fertility whose name means the “Great Green”. 

❤Khenti-Amentiu - Warrior God.

❤Resheph - Resheph was a God of War and Tunder.

❤Heka - Heka was the God of deification of magic.

❤Andjety - Underworld God of Rebirth. 

❤Heryshaf - Heryshaf was an ancient creator, fertility God, and God of the riverbanks.

❤Hu - Hu was the God of taste and the personification of the divine command.

❤Shezmu - Shezmu is the Egyptian God of blood, wine, perfume, and the slaughterer servant of Osiris. 

❤Aker - Aker was an ancient Egyptian God of earth and death. 

❤Sia - Goddess of wisdom.

❤Banebdjedet - Banebdjedet is a ram God of fertility with a cult centre at Mendes. 

❤Mehen - Mehen is a protective God who is depicted as a snake which coils around the sun God Ra during his journey through the night.

❤Hermes Trismegistus - Combination of Greek God Hermes and Egyptian God Thoth Gods of writing, magic, and more.

❤Ba-Pef - Ba-Pef was a minor underworld God in Egyptian mythology.

❤Duamutef - In Egyptian mythology, Dumutef was one of the Four sons of Horus and a funerary God who protected the stomach and small intestines of mummified corpses, kept in a canopic jar.

❤Mandulis - Mandulis is a Nubian God depicted anthropomorphically wearing the hemhem crown, consisting of three atef crowns, or ‘bundles’ mounted on ram’s horns with a uraeus (cobra) on either side, each surmounted by a solar disk, or as a human-headed bird.

❤Iah - Iah is a lunar God in ancient Egyptian religion. His name simply means “Moon”.

❤Am-heh - In Egyptian mythology, Am-heh was a minor God from the underworld, whose name means either “devourer of millions” or “eater of eternity”.

❤Nephthys - Nephthys is the Egyptian Goddess of mourning and lamentation, sleep, rivers, the night, service, and the home, a friend and protector of the dead.

❤Neith - Neith was an ancient Goddess of war and weaving. 

❤Serket - Serket is the Goddess of fertility, nature, animals, medicine, magic, and healing venomous stings and bites.

❤Seshat - Seshat was the ancient Egyptian Goddess of wisdom, knowledge, and writing. 

❤Heqet - Heqet is an Egyptian Goddess of fertility, identified with Hathor, represented in the form of a frog. 

❤Nekhbet - Nekhbet was the Egyptian white vulture Goddess and protector of Egypt and the Pharaohs. She was referred to as “Mother of Mothers, who hath existed from the Beginning”.

❤Mut -  In Egyptian religion, a sky Goddess and great divine mother. Mut was the mother Goddess , the queen of the Gods at Waset, arising in power with the God Amen.

❤Meretseger - Meretseger is a Goddess with head of the snake.

❤Hededet - Hededet is a scorpion Goddess of the ancient Egyptian religion.

❤Anuket - Anuket was the personification and Goddess of the Nile river in the Egyptian mythology.

❤Meskhenet - In ancient Egyptian mythology, Meskhenet was the Goddess of childbirth, and the creator of each child's Ka, a part of their soul, which she breathed into them at the moment of birth. She was worshipped from the earliest of times by Egyptians.

❤Eye of Ra - The Eye of Ra is a being in ancient Egyptian mythology that functions as a feminine counterpart to the sun god Ra and a violent force that subdues his enemies. The Eye is an extension of Ra’s power, equated with the disk of the sun, but it also behaves as an independent entity.

❤Renenutet -Renenutet was a Goddess of nourishment and the harvest in ancient Egyptian religion.

❤Amunet - Amunet was a primordial Goddess in ancient Egyptian religion.

❤Menhit -  Menhit was originally a Nubian war Goddess in Egyptian mythology.

❤Hatmehit - Hatmehit in the ancient Egyptian religion was a fish-Goddess. In ancient Egyptian art Hatmehit was depicted either as a fish, or a woman with a fish emblem or crown on her head. She was a Goddess of life and protection.

❤Sopdet - Sopdet is the ancient Egyptian name of the star Sirius and its personification as an Egyptian Goddess. 

❤Anput - Anput is a Goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. She was the Goddess of funerals and mummification, the mother of Kebechet and possibly from Ammit also.

❤Hemsut - In Egyptian mythology, Hemsut was the Goddess of fate, destiny, and protection in ancient Egypt. 

❤Raet-Tawy -  Raet-Tawy is an ancient Egyptian solar Goddess, the female aspect of Ra. Her name is simply the female form of Ra’s name; the longer name Raet-Tawy means “Raet of the Two Lands” (Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt).

❤Wosret - Wosret meaning "the powerful" was an Egyptian Goddess with a cult centre at Thebes in Upper Egypt. She was initially a localised guardian deity.

❤Mehet-Weret - Mehet-Weret is a Goddess of the sky in ancient Egyptian religion. Her name means “Great Flood”.

❤Tenenet - Tenenet was an ancient Egyptian Goddess of childbirth and beer. 

❤Werethekau - Werethekau "great one of magic, great enchantress" was an ancient Egyptian deity. She served as the personification of supernatural powers.

❤Anat - Anat is a major northwest Semitic Goddess.

❤Min - Min was the God of reproduction.

❤Qebehsenuef - Qebehsenuef "he who refreshes his brothers" is an ancient Egyptian deity. He is one of the four sons of Horus in Egyptian mythology, the God of protection and of the West.

❤Heh - Ḥeḥ was in Egyptian mythology, the personification of infinity or eternity in the Ogdoad, his name itself meaning “endlessness”.

❤Petbe - In Egyptian mythology, Petbe was the god of revenge. His name translates as Sky-Ba, roughly meaning Soul of the Sky, or Mood of the sky. 

❤Tutu - God of protection of tombs, later guarded the sleeping from danger or bad dreams. Master of demons. Tutu’s iconography is anthropomorphic, consisting of the body of a striding, winged lion, the head of a human, other heads of hawks, and crocodiles projecting from the body, and the tail of a serpent.

❤Apedemak - Apedemak was a lion-headed warrior God.

❤Weneg - Weneg was a sky and death God from ancient Egyptian religion, who was said to protect the earth and his inhabitants against the arrival of the “great chaos”.

❤Hemen - Hemen is the falcon-God, who holds a cobra between its claws.

❤Tatenen - Tatenen was the God of the primordial mound in ancient Egyptian religion. His name means risen land or exalted earth, as well as referring to the silt of the Nile. As a primeval chthonic deity, Tatenen was identified with creation. He was an androgynous protector of nature from the Memphis area.

❤Bata - Bata from Saka is an Egyptian bull-God of the New Kingdom, who represents together with his brother Anubis.

❤Apis - A live bull worshipped as a God at Memphis.

❤Aten - The God disk of the sun.

❤Gengen-Wer - Goose God.

❤Hapi - God of the Nile.

❤Heket - Goddess of frogs.

❤Nut - In Egyptian mythology, Nut was the Goddess of the sky.

❤Seker - Falcon God.

❤Selket - Goddess of scorpions.

❤Sobek - God of crocodiles and alligators.

(Sidenote: I work with bastet and hathor ^-^)

[waltersartmuseum]

Art of the Day: Votive Plaque of King Tanyidamani

The fragment, discovered in the lion temple at Meroë, capital of the Meroitic Kingdom, was part of a commemorative monument to King Tanyidamani. One side depicts the ruler in royal costume with ram's-head earrings, an Egyptian crown, and a scepter in his hand. An image of the lion-headed war- and fertility-god Apedemak appears on the other side. The deity holds a bundle of sorghum and a scepter topped with a small seated lion. The inscriptions are in Meroitic script and name the king and the god. Learn more about this object in our art site: http://bit.ly/2YHqsSI

[checkoutafrica]

The Lion Temple at Naqa. The well preserved Lion Temple in Sudan located at Naqa. The distinctively brown in colour temple was built by King Natakamani. Known for his passion for arts, Natakamani left a number of buildings and temples. The front of this Lion Temple depicts the king and his wife Amanitore in separate scenes, holding their enemies by the hair while ready to deal a crushing blow. On the sides there are carvings of the royal couple in front of a group of deities, headed by Apedemak and followed by a number of Egyptian ones. One of the unique attributes of this temple is the depiction on the temple's pylon. It pictures Apedemak in rare form, still a human body with a lion head, yet his lower torso is pictured as a snake emerging from a lotus flower. Indeed the bases for Kushite architecture style have been affected by Egyptian civilisation, but since the sunset of the 25th Dynasty and later the move from Napata to Meroe, Kushite iconography has been significantly influenced by indigenous factors. Take the example of Queen Amanitore, where her African features are very clear -- broad shoulders, round head and apparently chunky body. To the contrary of their northern neighbours, the queen in her victory relief appears to be the same size as King Natakamani, a breakaway from the Egyptian style and speculation that the king and queen might have played equal roles. At the rear wall of the temple there is a relief of Apedemak picturing him in the centre while receiving offerings from the king and queen on either side. He appears triple headed and double armed. When you see it, the Indian goddess Shiva would probably be the first thing that comes to mind. Have the Kushites been influenced by far away India? May be, though history states that commercial ties between the two nations through the Red Sea Port of Adulis (near Massawa in Eritrea) have never been concretely confirmed. . . . #Africa #History #traditional #culture #people #Sudan #temple — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2HcToNH

[soliloquyinthedark]

The Nubian Temple of Apedemak in Naqa (or Naga’a), Khartoum, Sudan

The temple was built by the Nubians, an ethnic group indigenous to Sudan and southern Egypt, sometime around the 1st century CE during the Kingdom of Kush to honour and worship the god Apedemak, a deity who had the head of a lion and was the god of war.

[starsandepithets]

Is it bad that I want to worship all the lion gods. Sekhmet has adopted me as her lioncub and I would love to expand the pride. I know of Tefnut and Maahes, are there any others?

Hello!

There are quite a few lion and lioness headed goddesses. Lions were a symbol of strength and power, they have prominent roles in he destruction of Isfet and the sn/a/ke. So there are a LOT of them.

Also a lot of lioness goddesses are Eye of Ra deities, which was a role that compared them to the blazing midday sun. They were the source of all light and heat, but were also dangerous and needed to be pacified with cool water, beer and music. Goddesses who were Eye of Ra goddess often gained a lioness form from this connection.

- Even today I have discovered a new lioness goddess that I had no idea existed before now!

I’m not sure if you are only looking for deities that are mostly lion/lioness or any that can appear as a lion or lioness. This is an incomplete list and I welcome additions if anyone knows of any that I’ve missed! And I also haven’t included syncretisms.

☀️☀️☀️

Goddesses

☀️ Bast☀️ Hethert☀️ Mafdet☀️ Menhit☀️ Mut☀️ Pakhet☀️ Sekhmet☀️ Shesemet ☀️ Tefnut☀️ Wadjet

Gods

☀️ Aker☀️ Anhur☀️ Apedemak☀️ Horemakhet ☀️ Neferatem☀️ Maahes☀️ Ra ☀️ Shesmu

☀️☀️☀️

I hope this helped and good luck researching and worshipping the divine lions!

[whitemoonkitteh-blog]

Egyptian God's and Godesses

❤Amun - A creator God, patron of the city of Thebes. ❤Maahes - Egyptian lion-headed God of war. ❤Anhur - An Egyptian sky god and God of war. His name meant “sky-bearer”. ❤Ra – God of the sun, earth, and underworld. He is powerful and protective. ❤Anubis – God of dead, embalming, funerals, and mourning ceremonies. Jackal-headed God. ❤Thoth – God of the moon, magic, and writing.  ❤Apophis - God of snakes, war, and Chaos. ❤Bes - Dwarf God. ❤Geb - God of the earth. ❤Khnum - Ram-headed God. ❤Khonsu - God of the moon. ❤Mafdet - God of justice. ❤Osiris - God of the underworld and the afterlife. ❤Ptah - God of creation. ❤Qebui - God of the North wind. ❤Qetesh - A mother Goddess of fertility. ❤Set - God of chaos, change, deserts, storms, and foreigners. ❤Shu - God of wind and air. ❤Sopdu - A God of war. ❤Tefnut - Lion Goddess of water and fertility. ❤Wadjet - Goddess of protection. ❤Sekhmet - Goddess of lions, fire, and vengeance. ❤Pakhet - A goddess of motherhood and of war. ❤Ma'at - Goddess of justice, truth, and of order. ❤Kebechet - Goddess of purification. ❤Isis - Goddess of magic, marriage, healing, and protection. ❤Hathor - Goddess of love. ❤Bastet - Cat Goddess. ❤Amunet - Wife of Amun, one of the creation Goddesses. ❤Tawaret – Goddess of childbirth who protects women in labour. People wear her image as an amulet to protect them and their children. ❤Kuk - God of personification of darkness. ❤Horus - The falcon-headed sky God. ❤Khepri - God of scarab beetles. ❤Aten - Aten God is the disk of the sun. ❤Ammit - Goddess Ammit was the personification of divine retribution. The Goddess with a body that was part lion, hippopotamus, and crocodile. ❤Atum - “The All” or “Perfection”. His appearance is a man with the double crown. Atum was a creator God.  ❤Nun - The sun God. ❤Montu - Montu was a falcon God of war. ❤Babi - Babi was a fierce, bloodthirsty baboon God. ❤Heh - God of personification of infinity or eternity. ❤Wepwawet - An ancient wolf God. ❤Serapis - Sun, healing, and fertility God. ❤Wadj-wer - God of fertility whose name means the “Great Green”.  ❤Khenti-Amentiu - Warrior God. ❤Resheph - Resheph was a God of War and Tunder. ❤Heka - Heka was the God of deification of magic. ❤Andjety - Underworld God of Rebirth.  ❤Heryshaf - Heryshaf was an ancient creator, fertility God, and God of the riverbanks. ❤Hu - Hu was the God of taste and the personification of the divine command. ❤Shezmu - Shezmu is the Egyptian God of blood, wine, perfume, and the slaughterer servant of Osiris.  ❤Aker - Aker was an ancient Egyptian God of earth and death.  ❤Sia - Goddess of wisdom. ❤Banebdjedet - Banebdjedet is a ram God of fertility with a cult centre at Mendes.  ❤Mehen - Mehen is a protective God who is depicted as a snake which coils around the sun God Ra during his journey through the night. ❤Hermes Trismegistus - Combination of Greek God Hermes and Egyptian God Thoth Gods of writing, magic, and more. ❤Ba-Pef - Ba-Pef was a minor underworld God in Egyptian mythology. ❤Duamutef - In Egyptian mythology, Dumutef was one of the Four sons of Horus and a funerary God who protected the stomach and small intestines of mummified corpses, kept in a canopic jar. ❤Mandulis - Mandulis is a Nubian God depicted anthropomorphically wearing the hemhem crown, consisting of three atef crowns, or ‘bundles’ mounted on ram’s horns with a uraeus (cobra) on either side, each surmounted by a solar disk, or as a human-headed bird. ❤Iah - Iah is a lunar God in ancient Egyptian religion. His name simply means “Moon”. ❤Am-heh - In Egyptian mythology, Am-heh was a minor God from the underworld, whose name means either “devourer of millions” or “eater of eternity”. ❤Nephthys - Nephthys is the Egyptian Goddess of mourning and lamentation, sleep, rivers, the night, service, and the home, a friend and protector of the dead. ❤Neith - Neith was an ancient Goddess of war and weaving.  ❤Serket - Serket is the Goddess of fertility, nature, animals, medicine, magic, and healing venomous stings and bites. ❤Seshat - Seshat was the ancient Egyptian Goddess of wisdom, knowledge, and writing.  ❤Heqet - Heqet is an Egyptian Goddess of fertility, identified with Hathor, represented in the form of a frog.  ❤Nekhbet - Nekhbet was the Egyptian white vulture Goddess and protector of Egypt and the Pharaohs. She was referred to as “Mother of Mothers, who hath existed from the Beginning”. ❤Mut -  In Egyptian religion, a sky Goddess and great divine mother. Mut was the mother Goddess , the queen of the Gods at Waset, arising in power with the God Amen. ❤Meretseger - Meretseger is a Goddess with head of the snake. ❤Hededet - Hededet is a scorpion Goddess of the ancient Egyptian religion. ❤Anuket - Anuket was the personification and Goddess of the Nile river in the Egyptian mythology. ❤Meskhenet - In ancient Egyptian mythology, Meskhenet was the Goddess of childbirth, and the creator of each child's Ka, a part of their soul, which she breathed into them at the moment of birth. She was worshipped from the earliest of times by Egyptians. ❤Eye of Ra - The Eye of Ra is a being in ancient Egyptian mythology that functions as a feminine counterpart to the sun god Ra and a violent force that subdues his enemies. The Eye is an extension of Ra’s power, equated with the disk of the sun, but it also behaves as an independent entity. ❤Renenutet -Renenutet was a Goddess of nourishment and the harvest in ancient Egyptian religion. ❤Amunet - Amunet was a primordial Goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. ❤Menhit -  Menhit was originally a Nubian war Goddess in Egyptian mythology. ❤Hatmehit - Hatmehit in the ancient Egyptian religion was a fish-Goddess. In ancient Egyptian art Hatmehit was depicted either as a fish, or a woman with a fish emblem or crown on her head. She was a Goddess of life and protection. ❤Sopdet - Sopdet is the ancient Egyptian name of the star Sirius and its personification as an Egyptian Goddess.  ❤Anput - Anput is a Goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. She was the Goddess of funerals and mummification, the mother of Kebechet and possibly from Ammit also. ❤Hemsut - In Egyptian mythology, Hemsut was the Goddess of fate, destiny, and protection in ancient Egypt.  ❤Raet-Tawy -  Raet-Tawy is an ancient Egyptian solar Goddess, the female aspect of Ra. Her name is simply the female form of Ra’s name; the longer name Raet-Tawy means “Raet of the Two Lands” (Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt). ❤Wosret - Wosret meaning "the powerful" was an Egyptian Goddess with a cult centre at Thebes in Upper Egypt. She was initially a localised guardian deity. ❤Mehet-Weret - Mehet-Weret is a Goddess of the sky in ancient Egyptian religion. Her name means “Great Flood”. ❤Tenenet - Tenenet was an ancient Egyptian Goddess of childbirth and beer.  ❤Werethekau - Werethekau "great one of magic, great enchantress" was an ancient Egyptian deity. She served as the personification of supernatural powers. ❤Anat - Anat is a major northwest Semitic Goddess. ❤Min - Min was the God of reproduction. ❤Qebehsenuef - Qebehsenuef "he who refreshes his brothers" is an ancient Egyptian deity. He is one of the four sons of Horus in Egyptian mythology, the God of protection and of the West. ❤Heh - Ḥeḥ was in Egyptian mythology, the personification of infinity or eternity in the Ogdoad, his name itself meaning “endlessness”. ❤Petbe - In Egyptian mythology, Petbe was the god of revenge. His name translates as Sky-Ba, roughly meaning Soul of the Sky, or Mood of the sky.  ❤Tutu - God of protection of tombs, later guarded the sleeping from danger or bad dreams. Master of demons. Tutu’s iconography is anthropomorphic, consisting of the body of a striding, winged lion, the head of a human, other heads of hawks, and crocodiles projecting from the body, and the tail of a serpent. ❤Apedemak - Apedemak was a lion-headed warrior God. ❤Weneg - Weneg was a sky and death God from ancient Egyptian religion, who was said to protect the earth and his inhabitants against the arrival of the “great chaos”. ❤Hemen - Hemen is the falcon-God, who holds a cobra between its claws. ❤Tatenen - Tatenen was the God of the primordial mound in ancient Egyptian religion. His name means risen land or exalted earth, as well as referring to the silt of the Nile. As a primeval chthonic deity, Tatenen was identified with creation. He was an androgynous protector of nature from the Memphis area. ❤Bata - Bata from Saka is an Egyptian bull-God of the New Kingdom, who represents together with his brother Anubis. ❤Apis - A live bull worshipped as a God at Memphis. ❤Aten - The God disk of the sun. ❤Gengen-Wer - Goose God. ❤Hapi - God of the Nile. ❤Heket - Goddess of frogs. ❤Nut - In Egyptian mythology, Nut was the Goddess of the sky. ❤Seker - Falcon God. ❤Selket - Goddess of scorpions. ❤Sobek - God of crocodiles and alligators.

[confessionsofalionholic]

Honestly, what on earth did they do with Apedemak!? Whilst I am enjoying the storyline so far (though I would have liked to have interacted more with Tefnut before she croaked) a real problem that overshadows the storyline is how Apedemak's character from previous years has been totally rewritten. Menhit and Apollyon were vague enough that their characters this month make sense, but its difficult to reconcile the previous goofy pompous weird Aped with the current brutal insane deity now.

[seawolv]

A'ah - An early moon god who evolved into Iah (also known as Yah) and, eventually, Khonsu.

Ammit (Ammut) -  "Devourer of Souls", a goddess with the head of a crocodile, torso of a leopard, and hindquarters of a hippo. She sat beneath the scales of justice in the Hall of Truth in the afterlife and devoured the hearts of those souls which were not justified by Osiris.

Amun (Amun-Ra) - God of the sun and air. One of the most powerful and popular gods of ancient Egypt, patron of the city of Thebes, where he was worshipped as part of the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu. Supreme king of the gods in some periods, though originally a minor fertility god. By the time of the New Kingdom he was considered the most powerful god in Egypt and his worship bordered on monotheism. Other gods were even considered mere aspects of Amun at this time. His priesthood was the most powerful in Egypt and the position of God's Wife of Amun, given to royal women, almost on par with that of the pharaoh.

Amunhotep (Amenhotep), Son of Hapu - God of healing and wisdom. Along with Hardedef and Imhotep, one of the few human beings deified by the Egyptians. He was the royal architect of Amunhotep III (1386-1353 BCE). He was considered so wise that, after death, he became deified. He had a major temple in western Thebes and a healing center at Deir el-Bahri.

Anat - Goddess of fertility, sexuality, love, and war. She was originally from Syria or Canaan. In some texts she is referred to as the Mother of the Gods while in others she is a virgin and, in still others, sensuous and erotic, described as the most beautiful goddess. In one version of The Contendings of Horus and Set, she is given as a consort to Set at the suggestion of the goddess Neith. Often equated with Aphrodite of Greece, Astarte of Phoenicia, Inanna of Mesopotamia, and Sauska of the Hittites.

Anuke - A war goddess originally and one of the oldest deities of Egypt, sometimes consort of Anhur, god of war. She came to be associated with Nephthys and, to a lesser degree, Isis and is referred to in some texts as their younger sister. Early depictions show her in battledress with bow and arrow but she was transformed into a Mother Goddess and nurturing figure. The Greeks associated her with Hestia.

Apedemak - A war god depicted as a lion, originally thought to be from Nubia.

Apep (Apophis) - Apep, the celestial serpent assaulted the sun barge of Ra every night as it made its way through the underworld toward the dawn. Gods and the justified dead would help Ra fend the serprent off. The ritual known as Overthrowing of Apophis was performed in temples to help the gods and departed souls protect the barge and ensure the coming of day.

Apis - The Divine Bull worshipped at Memphis as an incarnation of the god Ptah. One of the earliest gods of ancient Egypt depicted on the Narmer Palette (c. 3150 BCE). The Apis Cult was one of the most important and long-lived in the history of Egyptian culture.

Arensnuphis - Companion to the goddess Isis and worshipped primarily at her sacred site at Philae. He was depicted as a lion or a man with a feathered headdress. Originally from Nubia.

Asclepius (Aesculapius) - A god of healing of the Greeks also worshipped in Egypt at Saqqara and identified with the deified Imhotep. His symbol, possibly derived from the god Heka, was a staff with a serpent entwined about it, associated in the modern day with healing and the medical profession, known as the Rod of Asclepius.

Ash (As) - God of the Libyan desert, a kindly deity who provided the oasis for travelers.

Astarte - Phoenician goddess of fertility and sexuality, often closely equated with Aphrodite of the Greeks, Inanna/Ishtar of Mesopotamia, and Sauska of the Hittites; referred to as Queen of Heaven. In Egyptian mythology, she is given as a consort to Set, along with Anat, by the goddess Neith.

Aten - The sun disk, originally a sun deity who was elevated by pharaoh Akhenaten (1353-1336 BCE) to the position of sole god, creator of the universe.

Atum (Ra) - The sun god, supreme lord of the gods, first god of the Ennead (tribunal of nine gods), creator of the universe and human beings. Atum (Ra) is the first divine being who stands on the primordial mound in the midst of chaos and draws on the magical forces of Heka to create all the other gods, human beings, and life on earth.

Auf (Efu-Ra) - An aspect of Atum (Ra).

B

Ba'al - Storm god originally from Phoenicia. His name means "Lord" and his was a major deity in Canaan only worshipped in Egypt in the later period of the New Kingdom (1570-1069 BCE).

Ba'alat Gebal - Phoenician goddess of the city of Byblos, a protector deity, incorporated into Egyptian worship through her association with papyrus, which came from Byblos.

Babi (Baba) - He was a virility god depicted as a baboon and symbolizing male sexuality.

Banebdjedet - A fertility/virility god who appears as a ram or a man with a ram's head, associated with the city of Mendes, eventually another name for Osiris.

Ba-Pef - God of terror, specifically spiritual terror. His name translates as "that soul". He lived in the House of Woe in the afterlife and was known to afflict the king of Egypt. He was never worshipped with a temple but a Cult of Ba-Pef existed to help appease the god and protect the king.

Bastet (Bast) - The beautiful goddess of cats, women's secrets, childbirth, fertility, and protector of the hearth and home from evil or misfortune. She was the daughter of Ra and closely associated with Hathor. Bastet was one of the most popular deities of ancient Egypt. Men and women revered her equally and carried talismans of her cult. She was so universally adored that, in 525 BCE, the Persians used the Egyptian devotion to Bastet to their advantage in winning the Battle of Pelusium. They painted images of Bastet on their shields and drove animals in front of their army knowing the Egyptians would rather surrender than offend their goddess. She is depicted as a cat or a woman with a cat's head, and her major cult center was at Bubastis.

Bat - An early cow goddess associated with fertility and success. She is one of the oldest Egyptian goddesses dating from the early Predynastic Period (c. 6000-3150 BCE). Bat is depicted as a cow or a woman with cow ears and horns and is most probably the image at the top of the Narmer Palette (c. 3150 BCE) as she was associated with the king's success. She blessed people with success owing to her ability to see both past and future. Eventually, she was absorbed by Hathor who took on her characteristics.

Bennu - An avian deity better known as the Bennu Bird, the divine bird of creation and inspiration for the Greek Phoenix. The Bennu Bird was closely associated with Atum, Ra, and Osiris. It was present at the dawn of creation as an aspect of Atum (Ra) which flew over the primordial waters and woke creation with its cry. Afterwards, it determined what would and would not be included in creation. It was associated with Osiris through the imagery of rebirth as the bird was closely connected to the sun which died each night and rose again the next morning.

Beset - The female aspect of Bes invoked in ceremonial magic. As a protective god, Bes also fended off dark magic, ghosts, spirits, and demons. His feminine aspect was called on to combat these forces.

Buchis - Aspect of the Ka (life force/astral self) of the god Montu in the form of a live bull. Depicted as a bull running.

Cavern Deities - A group of nameless gods who lived in caverns in the underworld and punished the wicked and helped the souls of the justified dead. They are mentioned in Spell 168 of the Egyptian Book of the Dead and are represented as serpents or serpent-like. The spell is popularly known as 'Spell of the Twelve Caves' and makes mention of offerings which should be left for them. The people of Egypt would leave bowls of offerings by caves for them.

Celestial Ferryman (Hraf-haf) - "He Who Looks Behind Him", the surly boatman who ferried the souls of the justified dead across Lily Lake to the shores of paradise in the Field of Reeds. Hraf-haf was rude and unpleasant, and the soul had to find some way to be courteous in response in order to reach paradise. Hraf-haf is depicted as a man in a boat with his head facing behind him.

Denwen - A serpent deity in the form of a dragon surrounded by flames. He held power over fire and was strong enough to destroy the gods. In the Pyramid Texts, he attempts to kill all the gods with his breath of fire but is overpowered by the spirit of the dead king who saves creation.

Ennead - The nine gods worshipped at Heliopolis who formed the tribunal in the Osiris Myth: Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, and Set. These nine gods decide whether Set or Horus should rule in the story The Contendings of Horus and Set. They were known as The Great Ennead. There was also a Little Ennead venerated at Heliopolis of minor deities.

F

Fetket - The butler of the sun god Ra who served him his drinks, patron god of bartenders.

Field of Offerings - A region of the afterlife devoted to Osiris, located to the west. In some inscriptions it is synonymous with the Field of Reeds.

Field of Reeds - The Egyptian paradise in the afterlife which the soul was admitted to after passing successfully through judgment and being justified by Osiris. It was a direct reflection of one's life on earth where one continued to enjoy everything as before but without sickness, disappointment, or the threat of death.

Forty-Two Judges - The Forty-two deities who presided with Osiris, Thoth, and Anubis over the judgment of the soul in the afterlife. Once the soul had made the Negative Confessions (Declaration of Innocence) the Forty-Two Judges advised Osiris on whether the confession should be accepted. They had names like Far-Strider, Fire-Embracer, Demolisher, Disturber, Owner of Faces, and Serpent Who Brings and Gives, among others.

Four Sons of Horus - Four deities, Duamutef, Hapy, Imset, and Qebehsenuef, who watched over the viscera or the dead in the four canopic jars placed in the tomb. Each had his own cardinal point to guard, his own internal organ to protect, and was watched over by a specific goddess.

G

Geb - God of the earth and growing things. Geb is the son of Shu and Tefnut, husband of Nut, the sky.

Gengen Wer - The celestial goose whose name means "Great Honker". He was present at the dawn of creation and guarded (or laid) the celestial egg containing the life force. He is a protector god who was worshipped very early in Egypt's history. Followers of Gengen Wer identified themselves with his protective attributes and wore talismans reminding them to respect life and honor the earth.

H

Ha - A protector god, Lord of the Western Deserts also known as Lord of the Libyans. He was god of the desert to the west of Egypt, son of the god Iaaw who was probably also a desert god. Ha provided protection from the Libyans and opened oases for travelers in the desert. Depicted as a strong young man with the sign of the desert over his head.

Hapi - A fertility god, god of the Nile silt and associated with the inundation which caused the river to overflow its banks and deposit the rich earth which the farmers relied on for their crops. Hapi was a very ancient god whose name may have originally been derived from the river and who was a personification of the river at flood. He is depicted as a man with large breasts and belly signifying fertility and success.

Hardedef - The son of King Khufu (also known as Cheops, 2589-2566 BCE) who wrote a book known as Instruction in Wisdom. The work was so brilliant it was considered the work of a god and he was deified after death.

Haroeris - The Greek name for the sky aspect of Horus the Elder (also known as Horus the Great who appeared in the earthly realm as a falcon.

Harpocrates - The Greek and Roman name for Horus the Child, son of Osiris and Isis. Depicted as a young winged boy with his finger to his lips. He was venerated in Greece as the god of secrets, silence, and confidentiality.

Hathor - One of the best known, most popular, and most important deities of ancient Egypt. She was the daughter of Ra and, in some stories, wife of Horus the Elder. A very ancient goddess, she was sent by Ra to destroy humanity for their sins. The other gods implored Ra to stop her destruction before no humans were left to benefit from the lesson. Ra then had a vat of beer dyed red, to resemble blood, and placed at Dendera which Hathor, in her blood lust, drank. She fell asleep and woke as the benevolent goddess who was a friend to all. She was the patron goddess of joy, inspiration, celebration, love, women, women's health, childbirth, and drunkenness. One of her names is "The Lady of Drunkenness". She was thought to live in sycamore trees and so was also known as 'The Lady of the Sycamore." In the afterlife she helped guide the souls of the dead toward paradise and was one of the deities aboard the sun barge of Ra who defended it from Apep. She is further associated with gratitude and a thankful heart. The Greeks associated her with Aphrodite. She is depicted as a cow or a woman with a cow's head and evolved from the earlier goddess Bat. Her characteristics were later largely absorbed by Isis.

Hathor-Nebet-Hetepet - A Mother Goddess aspect of Hathor worshipped at Heliopolis. She represented the hand, the active part, of the supreme god Atum (Ra).

Haurun - A protector god associated with the Great Sphinx of Giza. He was originally a Canaanite god associated with destruction who planted a tree of death. When he was brought to Egypt by Canaanite and Syrian workers and merchants, he was transformed into a god of healing. His association with the Sphinx of Giza comes from these foreign workers who believed the Sphinx represented Haurun and built a shrine to their god in front of the statue. He is known as "The Victorious Herdsman" for a popular spell recited in his name for protection before going hunting.

Heh and Hauhet - God and goddess of infinity and eternity. Heh was depicted as a frog and Hauhet as a serpent. Their names mean "endlessness" and they were among the original gods of the Ogdoad.

Heka - One of the oldest and most important gods in ancient Egypt. He was the patron god of magic and medicine but was also the primordial source of power in the universe. He existed before the gods and was present in the act of creation although, in later myths, he is seen as the son of Menhet and Khnum and part of the triad of Latopolis. He is depicted as a man carrying a staff and knife, and physicians were known as Priests of Heka. Magic was an integral part of medical practice in ancient Egypt, and so Heka became an important deity for doctors. He was said to have killed two serpents and entwined them on a staff as a symbol of his power; this image (borrowed from the Sumerians, actually) was passed on to the Greeks who associated it with their god Hermes and called it the caduceus. In the modern day, the caduceus is frequently confused with the Rod of Asclepius in iconography related to the medical profession.

Horus - An early avian god who became one of the most important deities in ancient Egypt. Associated with the sun, sky, and power, Horus became linked with the king of Egypt as early as the First Dynasty (c. 3150-2890 BCE). Although the name 'Horus' might refer to a number of avian deities it principally designates two: Horus the Elder, one of the first five gods born at the beginning of creation, and Horus the Younger who was the son of Osiris and Isis. Following the rise in popularity of the Osiris Myth, Horus the Younger became one of the most important gods in Egypt. In the story, after Osiris is murdered by his brother Set, Horus is raised by his mother in the Delta swamps. When he comes of age he battles his uncle for the kingdom and wins, restoring order to the land. The kings of Egypt, with some exceptions, all linked themselves with Horus in life and with Osiris in death. The king was thought to be the living incarnation of Horus and, through him, the god gave all good things to his people. He is usually depicted as a man with the head of a hawk but is represented by many different images. His symbols are the Eye of Horus and the hawk.

Hu - God of the spoken word, personification of the first word spoken by Atum (Ra) at the dawn of creation which brought all into being. Linked with Sia and Heka. Sia represented the heart, Hu the tongue, and Heka their underlying force which gave them their power. Hu is often seen as a representation of the power of Heka or Atum and is depicted in funerary texts guiding the soul to the afterlife.

I

Iah (Yah) - A god of the moon who figures prominently in the Egyptian calendar. In the story of the creation of the world, Atum is angered by the intimate relationship between Geb (earth) and Nut (sky) and so separates them, declaring that Nut may not give birth to her children on any day of the year. The god Thoth appeared and gambled with Iah for five days worth of moonlight. He won and divided the moonlight hours into days which, because they were not part of the days of the year decreed by Atum, Nut could give birth in. She then gave birth to the first five gods: Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, and Horus the Elder in July. The Egyptians regulated their calendar with these five magical days. Iah was eventually absorbed into the god Khonsu.

Iabet - Goddess of fertility and rebirth, known as "She of the East" and sometimes associated with Amenet ("She of the West"). Iabet presided over the eastern deserts and, in time, came to personify them. She was also known as "Cleanser of Ra" who bathed the sun before it appeared in the dawn sky and personified the freshness of the morning sun. She was eventually absorbed into Isis.

Ihy - God of music and joy, specifically the music of the sistrum. Son of Hathor and Horus the Elder. He was worshipped with Hathor at Dendera and invoked at festivals. His birth is honored in wall inscriptions at birth houses in Dendera in the belief that joy and music should welcome children to earth at their birth. Depicted as a child with a sistrum.

Imhotep - The vizier of king Djoser (c. 2670 BCE) who designed and built the Step Pyramid. He lived c. 2667-2600 BCE and was a polymath expert in many fields of study. His name means "He Who Comes in Peace" and, after his death, he was deified as a god of wisdom and medicine. He was identified by the Greeks with Aesculapius and was invoked in spells for healing. His medical treatises claimed, against convential belief, that disease was natural in origin and not a punishment from the gods.

Imsety - A protector god, one of the Four Sons of Horus who protected the canopic jar holding the liver. He presided over the south, had the form of a human male, and was watched over by Isis.

Ishtar - The Mesopotamian goddess of love, sexuality, and war. She was originally Inanna of the Sumerians and Akkadians, who became Ishtar to the Assyrians and influenced the development of other similar goddesses such as Aphrodite of the Greeks, Astarte of the Phoenicians, Hathor of the Egyptians, and Sauska of the Hittites, among others. She was probably first introduced to Egypt through trade in the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150-2613 BCE) but definitely gained prominent standing after the Assyrian conquest of Egypt by Ashurbanipal in 666 BCE.

Isis - The most powerful and popular goddess in Egyptian history. She was associated with virtually every aspect of human life and, in time, became elevated to the position of supreme deity, "Mother of the Gods", who cared for her fellow deities as she did for human beings. She is the second-born of the First Five Gods (Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, and Horus the Elder), sister-wife of Osiris, mother of Horus the Younger, and symbolically understood as the mother of every king. Her Egyptian name, Eset, means "Goddess of the Throne" because of her association with the monarch. She was also known as Weret-Kekau, "The Great Magic", because of her incredible powers. She cared for people in life and appeared to them after death to help guide them safely to paradise. After the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE, her worship traveled to Greece and then to Rome. During the time of the Roman Empire, she was worshipped in every corner of their realm from Britain through Europe to Anatolia. The Cult of Isis was the strongest opponent of the new religion of Christianity between the 4th-6th centuries CE, and iconography, as well as tenets of belief, of the Isis cult were incorporated into the new faith. Imagery of the Virgin Mary holding her son Jesus comes directly from Isis cradling her son Horus and the Dying and Reviving God figure of Jesus himself is a version of Osiris.

Isis-Eutheria - A later Greek version of Isis worshipped in Egypt whose tears, when she mourned for Osiris, were thought to cause the inundation of the Nile River.

Iusaaset - A very early Mother Goddess referred to as "Grandmother of the Gods" and linked to Atum at the creation of the world. She is depicted in the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150-2613 BCE) as a woman with the uraeus and solar disc on her head holding a scepter and the ankh, symbol of life, and was associated with the acacia tree, the Tree of Life, considered the oldest tree in Egypt. She was known as "Lady of the Acacia", an epithet later attributed to Hathor. She was known to the Greeks as Saosis.

Iw - A creation goddess worshipped at Heliopolis associated with Hathor and Atum, combining the qualities of Hathor, Nebet, and Hetepet.

J

Judgement Deities - See Forty-Two Judges

Jupiter-Amun - The Roman version of Zeus-Amun, king of the gods, worshipped at the Siwa Oasis in Egypt.

K

Kabechet (Kebehwet or Qebhet) - She was originally a celestial serpent deity who became known as the daughter of Anubis and a funerary deity. She provided pure, cool water to the souls of the deceased as they awaited judgment in the Hall of Truth. She was associated with Nephthys as a friend of the dead.

Kagemni - A vizier to the king Sneferu (c. 2613-2589 BCE) who wrote the wisdom text known as Instructions of Kagemni. The book was considered so important it was required instruction for children of the monarchy. He was deified after death and worshipped as a god of wisdom.

Kek and Kauket - Gods of obscurity and night, members of the original Ogdoad of Hermopolis. Kek and Kauket were the male/female aspects of darkness but not in any way associated with evil. Kek was the god of the hours before dawn and was known as "Bringer-in-of-the-Light" as he guided the sun barge of the god Ra toward the sky from the underworld. Kauket, his feminine balance, was depicted as a woman with the head of a serpent also called "Bringer-in-of-the-Darkness" who presided over the hours of twilight when the sun was setting and guided the sun barge into the underworld.

Khenmu (Khnum) - Also known as "The Great Potter", Khenmu was an early god of Upper Egypt most probably from Nubia originally. In early myths, he was the god who fashioned human beings from the clay of the Nile River and then held them high so the light of Ra could shine upon them and give them life. Humans were then placed in a womb from which they were born on earth. Khenmu is depicted as a ram-headed god symbolizing virility and fertility. He formed a triad with the gods Anuket and Satis at Elephantine on the Egyptian border of Nubia. Linked to the god Kherty, another ram-headed god, though a completely different entity. He is the patron god of potters and those who work in ceramics.

Khonsu (Kons, Chonsu, Khensu, or Chons) - His name means "The Traveler" and he was god of the moon. He formed one of the most important and influential triads at Thebes along with his father Amun and mother Mut. He is depicted as a mummy holding the crook and flail with a uraeus and moon disc on his head. Khonsu replaced the earlier god Montu as son of Mut and also took on his protective qualities. By the time of the New Kingdom (1570-1069 BCE) he was extremely popular and worshipped as the greatest among the gods after Amun. He was associated with healing and images of Khonsu were believed to have miraculous abilities to heal the sick instantly.

Maahes (Mahes, Mihos, or Mysis) - He was a powerful solar god and protector of the innocent depicted as a lion-headed man carrying a long knife or a lion. His name is linked to the goddess of harmony and truth, Ma'at, and may mean "True Before Ma'at". This interpretation is likely as his other names include "Lord of Slaughter" and "The Scarlet Lord" referring to his punishment of those who violated the sacred order life presided over by the goddess. He was commonly understood to be the son of Bastet but is also referred to as son of Sekhmet, only natural since both were associated with cats/lions. He possibly an aspect of the god Nefertum, also a son of Bastet, and formed a triad with Nefertum and Imhotep at Memphis. Linked by the Greeks with the Furies because of his vengeful nature.

Ma'at - Goddess of truth, justice, and harmony, one of the most important deities in the Egyptian pantheon. She set the stars in the sky and regulated the seasons. Ma'at embodied the principle of ma'at (harmony) which was central to the culture of ancient Egypt. Ma'at walked with one through life, was present in the form of the Feather of Truth at the soul's judgment after death, and continued as a presence in the paradise of the Field of Reeds. She is depicted as a woman wearing a crown with an ostrich feather. The word means "that which is straight" and the concept of harmony infused every aspect of an Egyptian's life. There is a time for every action and aspect of existence within ma'at but all must be recognized and acted upon at appropriate times.

Mafdet (Mefdet) - She was an early goddess of justice who pronounced judgment and meted out execution swiftly. Her name means "She Who Runs" for the speed with which she dispensed justice. She is the earliest feline deity in Egypt, pre-dating both Bastet and Sekhmet. She protected people from venomous bites, especially from scorpions, and predates Serket who later took on that role. All of Mafdet's qualities were later assumed by other female deities but Mafdet remained a popular goddess from the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150-2613 BCE) through the New Kingdom (1570-1069 BCE) when she appears as a judge in the afterlife. She is depicted as a woman with the head of a cat, cheetah, leopard, or lynx holding the rope and executioner's blade.

Mau - The divine cat who, in some stories, is present at the dawn of creation as an aspect of Ra. Mau protected the Tree of Life, which held the secrets of eternal life and divine knowledge, from the evil serprent Apep. The story of Mau and the tree is told in Spell 17 of the Egyptian Book of the Dead where it is clear the cat is Ra personified. Spell 17 also claims that this is the origin of cats on earth.

Mehet-Weret - An ancient sky goddess and one of the oldest deities of Egypt. She is the celestial cow goddess who rose from the primordial waters of chaos to give birth to the sun god Ra at the beginning of time. Her name means "Great Flood" and she is associated with fertility and abundance. After giving birth to the sun, she placed it between her horns and every morning lifted it into the sky. Her qualities were later absorbed by Hathor.

Menhit (Menhyt) - She was a solar deity who represented the brow of the sun god Ra, depicted as a reclining lioness. She was worshipped in the Delta region and associated with Neith and Wadjet as a protective goddess.

Meskhenet - Goddess of childbirth and one of the oldest deities of Egypt. Meskhenet was present at one's birth, created one's ka (aspect of the soul) and breathed it into one's body. In doing so, she provided the person's destiny through their character. She was also present at the judgment of the soul in the afterlife as a comforter and so was with an individual at birth, through life, and after death. She is depicted as a birthing brick (the stone women would squat on to give birth) with the head of a woman or a seated woman with a birthing brick on her head. Her role of providing one's destiny was eventually taken over by the Seven Hathors but she continued to be venerated in homes throughout Egypt's history.

Min - An ancient fertility god from the Predynastic Period (c. 6000-3150 BCE). Min was god of the eastern deserts who watched over travelers but was also associated with the black fertile mud of the Egyptian Delta. He is shown as the husband of Isis and father of Horus in early inscriptions and so is associated with Osiris. Min is depicted as a man holding his erect penis in one hand with the flail of authority in the other.

Mnevis (Mer-Wer or Nem-Wer) - Mnevis was the sacred bull of Heliopolis considered an aspect of the sun god Ra. He was a live bull selected from a herd for his completely black coat. Only one Mnevis bull could exist at any one time and another was chosen only after the first died. He was eventually absorbed into Apis.

Mut - An early mother goddess who most likely had a minor role during the Predynastic Period (c. 6000-3150 BCE) but who later became prominent as the wife of Amun and mother of Khonsu, part of the Theban Triad. Mut was a protector deity associated with Bastet and Sekhmet. She guarded over people in life and, in Spell 164 of the Book of the Dead, is depicted as a savior of souls trapped by demons in the afterlife. She was also the divine protector of the king and state who roasted conspirators and traitors in her flaming brazier.

N

Nebethetpet - A goddess worshipped at Heliopolis as the personification of the hand of Atum, the active, feminine principle of the god.

Nefertum (Nefertem) - God of perfume and sweet aromas. Nefertum was born from the bud of the blue lotus flower at the dawn of creation and was originally an aspect of Atum. His name means "Beautiful Atum". He was later considered his own deity and became associated with sweet-smelling flowers. He is associated with rebirth and transformation through his link to the sun god and flowers. In Egyptian medicine he was called upon for healing aromas to cure disease and associated with incense.

Nehebkau (Nehebu-Kau) - "He Who Unites the Ka", was a protector god who joined the ka (aspect of the soul) to the body at birth and united the ka with the ba (winged aspect of the soul) after death. He is depicted as a serpent and, like Heka, has always existed. Nehebkau swam in the primordial waters at the dawn of creation before Atum rose from the chaos to impose order.

Neith - One of the oldest and most enduring deities of ancient Egypt, worshipped from the Predynastic Period (c. 6000-3150 BCE) through the Ptolemaic Dynasty (323-30 BCE), the last to rule Egypt before it was taken by Rome. Neith was a war goddess, creator goddess, mother goddess, and funerary goddess in her time and patron of the city of Sais in the Nile Delta. She was the most important goddess of Lower Egypt in early history and continued to hold a prominent position in worship for millenia. In early depictions she is seen with a bow and arrows and one of her epithets was "Mistress of the Bow". As a creator goddess she was identified with the waters of chaos (Nun) prior to creation and, in this role, she is called "Grandmother of the Gods" or "Mother of the Gods". She was thought to have invented birth and was closely associated with living and growing things. As a mother goddess, she is the mediator of the gods' disputes, most famously as the goddess who settles the question of whether Horus or Set should rule Egypt when the tribunal of the gods cannot decide. She also became prominent as a funerary goddess who watched over the dead. Her statue appears with those of Isis, Nephthys, and Serket in Tutankhamun's tomb. She is the guardian goddess over Duamutef, one of the Four Sons of Horus who watch over the canopic jars in the tombs and is also depicted as a just judge of the dead in the Hall of Truth.

Nephthys - A funerary goddess, one of the first five gods born of Geb and Nut after the creation of the world, wife of Set, twin sister of Isis, and mother of Anubis. Her name means "Mistress of the Temple Enclosure" or "Mistress of the House" referring to a heavenly house or temple. She is depicted as a woman with a house on her head. Nephthys is widely, and incorrectly, regarded as a minor deity when actually she was worshipped throughout Egypt from the earliest periods to the last dynasty to rule Egypt. She was considered the dark goddess to the light of Isis but this carried no negative connotation, only balance. Nephthys features prominently in the Osiris myth when she transforms herself into the form of Isis to seduce Osiris, when she betrays the location of Osiris' body to Set, and when she helps her sister revive the dead king. She was known as "Friend of the Dead" for her care of the souls in the afterlife and professional mourners at funerals, who encouraged the open expression of grief, were known as the "Kites of Nephthys". In the text The Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys she calls the soul of Osiris back from the dead. This text was recited regularly at festivals, services, and funerals throughout Egypt.

Nu (Nun) and Naunet - Nu was the personification of the primordial chaos from which the world arose. Naunet is his female aspect and consort. Nu is commonly regarded as "Father of the Gods" while Naunet is only referenced regarding the Ogdoad, the grouping of eight primordial gods, four males matching four females, who represent the original elements of creation. In some later myths, the goddess Neith is associated with Nu.

Nut - The primordial sky goddess who personified the canopy of the heavens, wife of Geb (earth), mother of Osiris, Isis, Set, Nepththys, and Horus the Elder. After the primordial mound rose from the waters of chaos at creation, Atum (Ra) sent his children Shu and Tefnut out to create the world. When they returned, he was so happy he shed tears of joy which became human beings. These creatures had nowhere to live and so Shu and Tefnut mated to give birth to Geb (earth) and Nut (sky). Their relationship was so intimate that it disturbed Atum who pushed Nut high above Geb and fixed her there. He also decreed that she could not give birth on any day of the year. Thoth, the god of wisdom, gambled with Iah, god of the moon, and won five days worth of moonlight which he transformed into days. Nut was able to then give birth to her five children on five consecutive days in July which were not part of Atum's original. In some versions of the story it is Khonsu who loses the gamble with Thoth.

Osiris - Lord and judge of the dead, one of the First Five gods born of Nut at the dawn of creation, and one of the most popular and enduring gods of Egypt. His name means "Powerful" or "Mighty". Osiris was originally a fertility god who grew in popularity and influence through the Osiris Myth in which he is killed by his brother, Set, brought back to life by his wife Isis, fathers sky god Horus, and descends to the underworld as Judge of the Dead. In the Egyptian Book of the Dead he is mentioned frequently as the just judge in the Hall of Truth who weighs the hearts of the souls of the dead against the white feather of ma'at. He is an early example of the Dying and Reviving God figure in mythology who leant himself to the later version of this figure, Jesus Christ. Egyptian kings identified themselves with Osiris in death and he is usually depicted as a mummy (symbolizing death) and with green or black skin (symbolizing the fertility of the Nile region and life). He was so popular that people in ancient Egypt paid to have their bodies buried at Abydos near his cult center and those who could not afford that would pay for memorials to be erected to them or their loved ones at Abydos believing that proximity to Osiris on earth guaranteed easier access to paradise after death. His cult naturally merged with that of his wife and the Cult of Isis, with its symbolism of salvation, eternal life, the dying and reviving god, and the divine son born of a virgin mother, would later influence the development of early Christianity.

Osiris-Apis - The Apis bull, traditionally associated with the god Ptah, became linked to Osiris as the latter god grew more popular. At Saqqara, the priests began to worship a hybrid god they called Osiris-Apis who was the god in bull form. As with the traditional Apis bull, a live bull was considered an incarnation of the god. When the sacred bull died it was mummified with the same care given a king.

P

Pakhet - A hunting goddess in lioness form, her name means "She Who Scratches" or "Tearer". She was a consort of Horus and associated with the vengeful aspects of Sekhmet and the justice of Isis. She was thought to hunt at night and terrify her enemies.

Ptah - One of the oldest Egyptian gods who appears in the First Dynastic Period (c. 3150-2613 BCE) but most likely dates from the Predynastic Period (c. 6000-3150 BCE). Ptah was the great god of Memphis, creator of the world, lord of truth, and chief god of the city of Memphis and its surrounding area c. 3000 BCE. Ptah was originally the figure who stood on the primordial mound of the ben-ben at the creation of the world. He was probably an early fertility god and is associated with the moringa tree which, in an early myth, he liked to rest beneath. He was the patron god of sculptors and craftsmen as well as builders of monuments as he was thought to have sculpted the earth. He was sometimes known as Ptah-Nun or Ptah-Naunet in his creative aspect, linking him with the primordial substances of the Ogdoad. He is depicted as a mummified man wearing a skull cap holding the Was scepter of authority with the ankh and djed symbols at the top.

Ptah-hotep - Author of one the more famous Wisdom Texts, who was deified after his death and honored with his own cult.

Ptah-Sokar-Osiris - A hybrid god of these three associated with creation, death, and rebirth. Worshipped in the period of the Middle Kingdom (2040-1782 BCE).

Q

Qebhet - See Kabechet

Qudshu (Qadesh) - Syrian goddess of love, consort of the war god Reshep, assimilated into Egyptian worship during the New Kingdom (1570-1069 BCE). She was the goddess of sexual pleasure and sacred ecstasy who was associated with Hathor, Anat, and Astarte. Her name means "Holy" and she is always depicted as a slim naked woman holding the symbols of eroticism and fertility; lotus blossoms in her right hand and snakes or papyrus stems in her left. She was widely venerated throughout Egypt. Her cult reenacted the sacred marriage between Qudshu and Reshep, a ritual long associated with the Cult of Ishtar/Inanna in Mesopotamia and Astarte in Phoenicia.

R

Raettawy (Raet or Raet-Tawy) - She was the female aspect of Ra. She is associated with Hathor and is depicted as closely resembling Hathor with the uraeus on her head holding the solar disk, sometimes with two feathers over the disk.

Renpet - A goddess who personified the year. She is represented in inscriptions by a notched palm branch signifying the passing of time, the heiroglyphic image for 'year'. She had no formal cult or temple but was an integral part of the Egyptian's understanding of time: that it was imbued, like everything else, with personality and vitality.

Renenutet (Renenet or Ernutet) - A very important goddess depicted as a cobra or a rearing cobra with the head of a woman. Her name means "Snake Who Nourishes" and she was goddess of nursing and rearing children. In time, she became closely associated with Meskhenet, goddess of childbirth and destiny, and even superceded her to determine the length of a person's life and significant events which would befall them. Along with Meskhenet, she was also associated with Neith and sometimes portrayed as the mother of Osiris, with Isis as the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, as Atum's wife or consort. In the afterlife she appeared as the "Lady of Justification" linking her with the goddess Ma'at. She was thought to protect the clothing worn by the king in the afterlife and so was also known as "Lady of the Robes". In this capacity, she appeared as a fire-breathing cobra who drove away the enemies of the king. She was also a grain goddess known as "Lady of the Fertile Fields" and "Lady of the Granaries" who protected the harvest and was the mother of Nepri, god of grain. As a fertility goddess, she was further linked to the Nile River and the inundation and so with Hapi, the god of the fertile mud of the Nile.

Reshep - A Syrian war god assimilated into Egyptian worship during the period of the New Kingdom (1570-1069 BCE). He was the consort of the goddess of sexual pleasure and sacred ecstasy Qudshu (Qadesh) and was worshipped with her in a triad which included the fertility god Min. The sacred marriage of Qudshu and Reshep was reenacted by their followers linking the cult to that of Inanna/Ishtar of Mesopotamia which had long practiced the same ritual. Reshep is further linked to Mesopotamia through his identification in iconography with the Mesopotamian war god Nergal. As a god of pestilence, he is also linked to Set, god of chaos and the arid wastes. Reshep is uniformly depicted as a strong warrior holding a raised war club and wearing a skirt and long Mesopotamian-styled beard.

S

Sah - An astral god, personification of the constellation Orion, usually paired with Sothis (Sopdet) as representations of the astral forms of Osiris and Isis. He is referred to as "Father of the gods" in the Pyramid Texts and was an important aspect of funerary rites where he welcomed the king to the afterlife. Known also as the "Dweller in Orion", Pyramid Text chapter 186 welcomes the soul, "In the name of the Dweller in Orion, with a season in the sky and a season on earth" which can be understood as, "with a season in the sky after a season on earth". He is depicted as a man holding the ankh and was sceptre standing in a boat surrounded by stars in a night sky.

Sekhmet - One of the most significant goddesses of ancient Egypt. Sekhmet was a leonine deity usually depicted as a woman with the head of a lion. Her name means "Powerful" and is usually interpreted as "The Female Powerful One". She was a goddess of destruction and healing, of desert winds and cool breezes. She was the daughter of Ra who appears in one of the most important stories concerning the Eye of Ra/Distant Goddess motif. When Ra became tired of the sins of humanity, he sent Sekhmet to destroy them. She ravaged the land until the other gods implored Ra to stop her before humans were destroyed completely. Ra had a vat of beer dyed red to attract Sekhmet's blood lust and left it at Dendera where she drank it and fell into a deep sleep; when she woke she was the benevolent Hathor. Sekhmet continued to exist in her leonine form, however, and was the patron deity of the military for her powers of destruction and vengeance. She was known as "Smiter of the Nubians" in this regard but she also brought natural disaster. Plagues were known as "Messengers of Sekhmet" or "Slaughterers of Sekhmet". In the same way that she could bring the desert winds, she could deflect them, and the same with pestilence; just as she had brought the plague, she could cure it and was known as "Mistress of Life" in this capacity (and so was frequently invoked in healing spells and incantations by ancient doctors). She was closely associated with other leonine deities such as Bastet and Pakhet and was thought to be the aggressive, violent aspect of the goddess Mut.

Seret - A leonine protective goddess probably from Libya. She is only mentioned in a Fifth Dynasty (2498-2345 BCE) inscription as a goddess of a region of Egypt inhabited mainly by Libyans - the 3rd Lower Egypt nome (province). Like the other leonine deities, she is a fierce protector of her followers and avenges wrongs done to them.

Serket (Selket, Serqet or Serkis) - She was a protective and also an important funerary goddess probably originating in the Predynastic Period (c. 6000-3150 BCE) and first mentioned during the First Dynasty of Egypt (c. 3150-2890 BCE). She is best known from her golden statue found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Serket was a scorpion goddess depicted as a woman with a scorpion on her head and arms outstretched in a protective pose. She may have been an early Mother Goddess who evolved into a deity who protected people (especially children) from scorpion venom and then to one who protected from all venom. A story known as Isis and the Seven Scorpions tells of how Isis was insulted by a rich woman once and Serket, who had sent her seven scorpions along as Isis' bodyguards, instructed one of them to sting the woman's son. The boy was going to die from the venom but Isis saved him and forgave the woman. Afterwards, Serket followed Isis' example of forgiveness and protected other children from scorpions. Her priests were largely physicians who invoked her name in healing. In the afterlife she helped guide the souls of the dead to paradise and protected a certain dangerous section of travel. Along with Isis, Neith, and Nephthys, she watches over the Four Sons of Horus as they guard the viscera of the dead in tombs.

Set (Seth) - God of war, chaos, storms, and pestilence. His name is translated as "Instigator of Confusion" and "Destroyer". He is depicted as a red beast with cloven hooves and a forked tale and is the prototype for the later iconography of the Christian Devil. Set was originally a hero-god who drove away the serpent Apep (Apophis) from the barge of the sun god and killed it nightly. He was a desert god who brought the evil winds of the dry lands to the lush Nile Valley and was associated with foreign lands and people. His consorts were Anat and Astarte, both goddesses associated with war and both from foreign countries, as well as Taweret, the benign protective goddess of childbirth and fertility. Set is often characterized as "evil", and did manifest many evil qualities, but was not regarded by the ancient Egyptians as an embodiment of evil or darkness. He was rather seen as a necessary balance to gods like Osiris and Horus who represented all things noble and good, fertility, vitality, and eternity. Set is best known as the world's first murderer in the Myth of Osiris where he kills his brother to usurp the throne. Isis returns Osiris to life but, because he is incomplete, descends to the underworld as Lord of the Dead. Isis gives birth to Osiris' son, Horus, who grows up to challenge set for the throne. Their battles, which lasted for eighty years, are described in the text The Contendings of Horus and Set and were resolved in one version by Isis while, in another, by Neith with Horus declared rightful king and Set banished to the desert lands.

Shay (Shai) - The personification of fate. Shay presided over one's personal destiny and so was associated with goddesses like Meskhenet and Renenutet. Similar to The Fates of the ancient Greeks, no one could resist or alter Shay's decisions. The scholar Wilkinson cites a text known as Instructions of Amenemopet which states, "None can ignore Shay" (128). This statement epitomizes Shay's chief characteristic: inevitability. He is depicted as being present at the weighing of the heart of the soul in the afterlife or as a man standing in a posture of patience. During the Ptolemaic Dynasty (323-30 BCE), when Egyptian gods were hellenized, he was known as Agathadaimon, the serpent deity who could tell one's future.

Shentayet - An obscure protective goddess whose name means "Widow" and who was associated with that aspect of Isis who lost her husband and then brought him back to life. This aspect was referred to as Isis-Shentayet. Quite likely invoked as a protectress of widows but references to her are rare and Isis fulfilled that role as she did so many others.

Shesmetet - A protective leonine goddess known as "Lady of Punt" and most likely an important goddess brought to Egypt through trade with Punt. She is generally regarded as an aspect of Bastet or Sekhmet but quite possibly she was a much older deity whose attributes were absorbed by later leonine goddesses. Her name is mentioned as early as the First Dynasty (c. 3150-2890 BCE) and leant itself to the Shesmetet girdle, a belt of beads, worn by the kings of that time. She is depicted as a woman with the head of a lion.

Shezmu - God of wine and, later, of perfume and plenty who personified the positive and negative aspects of drunkenness. Shezmu is depicted in the Pyramid Text 403 killing and cooking the gods for the king's pleasure and, by the Middle Kingdom (2040-1782 BCE) was seen tormenting the souls of the dead as he "lassoes the damned and corrals them for slaughter, squeezing their heads like grapes in a bloody image of destruction" (Wilkinson, 129). His image was softened by others showing his benign and peaceful side as lord of the wine press and this was softened further as he became associated with oils and perfumes.

Shu - The primordial god of the air whose name means "Emptiness". He was born at the beginning of creation of Atum (Ra) and sent to create the world with his sister Tefnut (goddess of moisture). The two were gone so long that Atum came to miss them and sent his eye (the Eye of Ra) in search of them. When the eye returned with them, Atum was so happy he cried and his tears created human beings. She and Tefnut then mated and gave birth to Geb (earth) and Nut (sky) who Atum pushed high apart from each other, providing a place for humans to live. Mist was attributed to him as "Lakes of Shu" and the clouds as "Bones of Shu" and he was also associated with light and brightness. In this regard he came to be linked to Thoth and Khonsu, both associated with the moon, because of moonlight.

Sia - The personification of perception and thoughtfulness who represented the heart (seat of emotion, thought, and character). Sia formed a dyad with Hu (representing the tongue), personification of the authority of the spoken word, and a triad with Hu and Heka, god of magic and medicine but also the primordial force in the universe which empowered life and sustained ma'at. Sia represented the intellect while Hu symbolized the word of Ptah (or Atum) which brought thought into reality and Heka was the underlying force which gave them power. Sia is depicted as a man standing at the right side of Ptah (later, Atum/Ra) and held his papyrus scroll. In the Valley of the Kings he is seen in paintings as a member of the crew aboard Ra's sun barge.

Sky Bull - The deity who presided over the heavens and the afterlife as a protector, also known as "Bull of the West" for his association with the afterlife. Commonly understood to be the husband of the seven cows which are seen with him.

Sokar (Seker) - A protective falcon god of Memphis who was originally an agricultural deity and one of the oldest in Egypt. His festival was one of the earliest observed and, merged with the Khoiak Festival of Osiris, continued to be celebrated throughout Egypt's history. He evolved from a god of agriculture and growth to the god of craftsmen and guardian of the Memphis necropolis after Osiris became more popular. Sokar is often depicted as a funerary mound surrounded by falcon heads, as a falcon, or as a falcon-headed man. He is associated with the afterlife as guardian of the entrance to the underworld and the god who carries the deceased king's soul in his barge to paradise. In time, he became associated with Ptah and then Osiris to eventually combine by the Middle Kingdom (2040-1782 BCE) into Ptah-Sokar-Osiris who was a hybrid funerary deity presiding over the afterlife.

Sothis - The personification of the star Sirius (the "dog star") whose appearance heralded the annual inundation of the Nile. She was worshipped as a cow-goddess in the Predynastic Period (c. 6000-3150 BCE) associated with Sirius. She was the consort of Sah, who personified the constellation Orion, and the two were associated with Osiris and Isis. In this role, she was the mother of Sopdu and so appealed to as a protective influence. She was also associated with Satis who was linked to the inundation of the Nile as consort of Khnum. Early depictions of Sothis represent her as a cow with a plant between her horns while later images show her as a woman wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt with horns on her head or feathers with a five-pointed star above her. She became increasingly identified with Isis and was eventually absorbed into that goddess completely. Isis refers to herself as Sothis in a copy of the text of The Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys from the Ptolemaic Dynasty (323-30 BCE) showing how the assimilation was almost complete by that time.

Star Deities - Gods and goddesses identified with the night sky. By the time of the Middle Kingdom (2040-1782 BCE) the Egyptians had identified five of the planets which they referred to as "Stars That Know No Rest" and associated with gods: the called Mercury 'Sebegu' (a form of the god Set); Venus ("The One Who Crosses" and "God of the Morning"); Mars ("Horus of the Horizon" and "Horus the Red"); Jupiter ("Horus Who Limits the Two Lands"); Saturn ("Horus Bull of the Heavens"). Further, the star Sirius was associated with Sothis and then Isis while Orion represented the god Sah, "Father of the Gods". The appearance of Sirius heralded the inundation of the Nile, the promise of fertility, and represented the cyclical nature of existence and so came to be linked to Osiris, the dying and reviving god, and Isis, the one who revived him. The stars then were called "Followers of Osiris" who sailed across the night sky in accordance with divine pattern. Sah and Sothis in the heavens reflected the divine couple Osiris and Isis and the god Sopdu, (son of Sothis), the astral form of Horus. Thus the night sky told the stories of the most meaningful stories of the Egyptian culture and assured the people of an eternity in the gods' presence when they looked up at the stars.

Sutekh - The Semitic name for the god Set (Seth) which the people known as the Hyksosintroduced during the Second Intermediate Period (c. 1782-1570 BCE). The Hyksos identified Set with the warlike aspect of their god Baal. Set was referred to as Sutekh through the reign of Ramesses II (1279-1213 BCE) and invoked as a vanguard in war.

Tatenen - An earth god who personified the primordial mound at creation and symbolized the land of Egypt. He is most likely the same god referred to as Khenty-Tjenenet in the period of the Old Kingdom (c. 2613-2181 BCE). He was worshipped at Memphis during the Middle Kingdom (2040-1782 BCE) and continued to be venerated primarily in that region through the rest of Egypt's history. His association with the primordial mound linked him with Ptah and, through Ptah, with Atum and Ra, the other names for the creator god/sun god. Tatenen was a bisexual god, referred to as "Mother of All the Gods" in one text.

Thoth - God of writing and wisdom, truth and integrity, one of the most important deities in the Egyptian pantheon worshipped from the Predynastic Period (c. 6000-3150 BCE) on to the Ptolemaic Dynasty (323-30 BCE), the last to rule Egypt. He was probably originally a lunar god, son of Atum (Ra) but later texts represent him as the son of Horus. Thoth is depicted in some texts as a baboon but mostly as a man with the head of an ibis holding a writing implement. He is credited with inventing writing and was the record-keeper of the gods. He was known as "Lord of Time" and "Reckoner of Years" because he marked the passage of time and, through the powerful magic of his divine knowledge of words, gave the king a long reign so he could maintain order on earth. He was the patron god of libraries and of scribes. In every story told of him, Thoth is the divine friend and benefactor of humanity who gave people understanding through the gift of the written word. He appears in one story as gambling for the five days required for Nut to give birth to the First Five Gods and in others as mediating between the gods and delivering messages. In the afterlife he stands with Osiris and keeps records in the Hall of Truth at the ritual of the Weighing of the Heart. His consort was Seshat, his daughter or his wife, who was his female counterpart and also patron deity of libraries and books.

Tjenenyet - A protective goddess from the 12th Dynasty (1991-1802 BCE) who was most likely worshipped earlier. She was consort of the god Montu and was primarily worshipped at Hermonthis (Armant) near Thebes.

Tree Goddesses - A number of well-known Egyptian goddesses were associated with trees, most notably Isis, Hathor, and Nut. Male gods were sometimes linked to a certain tree but it seems only in specific myths or imagery. Hathor was famously associated with the sycamore tree and known as "Lady of the Sycamore" but Isis was also linked to this tree. The practice of burying a body in a wooden casket was thought to be a return of the deceased to the womb of the Mother Goddess.

Triads - Important groupings of three deities, usually a father-god, mother-god, and child-god, the two best known being the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut, and Khons and the Abydos Triad of Osiris, Isis, and Horus. There are examples of other triads, however, which did not follow this pattern such as the Amun-Ra-Ptah Triad where all three gods represented the same celestial power (the sun). Triads are also seen in depictions of the afterlife where ram, lion, and jackal-headed gods are grouped together.

Tutu - A protective god known as "He Who Keeps Enemies at a Distance", worshipped during the latter part of Egypt's history. He warded off demons and black magic and was depicted as a striding lion with the head of a man, large wings, and a snake for a tail.

U

Unut (Wenet or Wenut) - A protective goddess worshipped at Hermopolis and known as "The Swift One". She was depicted as a woman with a rabbit's head or a serpent with a rabbit's head and is often referred to as "the rabbit goddess". She was associated with the god Wenenu, depicted as a man with a rabbit's head, who was an aspect of Osiris or sometimes Ra. She is known primarily from amulets showing her image.

W

Wadjet - A great protective goddess and patroness of Lower Egypt, one of the oldest deities in the Egyptian pantheon, represented as the rearing cobra which became the king's insignia (the uraeus). She was also referred to as Uajyt in her aggressive form and was the counter-balance to the more motherly Nekhbet, her sister. Wadjet was worshipped as an important goddess in the Predynastic Period (c. 6000-3150 BCE) and by the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150-2613 BCE) was the supreme deity of Lower Egypt represented frequently with Nekhbet who symbolized Upper Egypt. She was the daughter of Ra and one of the goddesses featured in stories about the Eye of Ra. At the dawn of creation she was sent forth by Ra as his eye to find Shu and Tefnut when they had gone off to create the world. She planted the first papyrus plants, laid out the papyrus fields in the swamps of the Nile Delta, and helped Isis raise Horus there when they were hiding from Set. Among her titles is Weret-Hekau, meaning "Great of Magic" and she was regularly invoked for protection against demons, bad luck, or ghosts.

Wadj-Wer (Uat-Ur) - The personification of the Mediterranean Sea whose name means "The Great Green". Recent scholarship has changed the traditional view of this god and he is now believed to have personified the lakes, swamps, and lagoons of the Delta region near to the Mediterranean. Wilkinson notes inscriptions which reference "crossing the great green" by foot which would indicate a land-crossing through the Delta region instead of the sea. He was worshipped as early as the Old Kingdom (c. 2613-2181 BCE) and continues to be referenced through the rest of Egypt's history, especially through protective amulets and tomb inscriptions.

Wepset - A protective goddess whose name means "She Who Burns" who destroys the enemies of Osiris. She is usually represented as a serpent but later as a woman wearing the uraeus with horns and the sun disk overhead. She features in stories concerning the Eye of Ra and is one of the personifications of the Distant Goddess motif where the Eye of Ra departs from the god and is returned, or returns itself, bringing transformation.

Wepwawet (Wepiu or Wepuaut) - One of the most ancient gods of Egypt and the oldest depiction of a jackal god, pre-dating Anubis, with whom he is often confused. His name means "Opener of the Ways" and this has been interpreted as opening the way for king in battle, opening the way to the afterlife, and opening the way at one's birth. He is depicted on the Narmer Palette (c. 3150 BCE) and associated with Wadjet. He eventually became closely associated with Horus and, as Wepwawet-Ra, with the sun god Ra. He is depicted as a jackal, sometimes wearing a scarf with a falcon before him.

Yam - The Phoenician god of the sea who battled the Lord Baal for control of the world. He entered the Egyptian pantheon through trade and made his way into Egyptian mythology through stories of his battles with Set. He was the personification of the raging sea and greatly feared. No temples were ever raised to him but he is referenced in some manuscripts which indicate he was a concern to seafarers who may have worn amulets with his image for protection.