The Pantheon of Ancient Egypt can be very convoluted and hard to follow, but you will come to learn the interrelatedness of the different Gods and Goddesses with patience. Enjoy...and bear with me as I add to this page regularly...

Aten was a being who represented the god or spirit of the sun, and the actual solar disk. He was depicted as a disk with rays reaching to the earth. At the end of the rays were human hands which often extended the ankh to the pharaoh.

Atum was one of the most ancient gods in Egypt and was part of the Heliopolitan cosmology. Originally an earth god, he became associated with Re, the sun god. Specifically, he was considered to be the setting sun. In later times he became associated with Ptah and eventually Osiris. According to the priests of Heliopolis, Atum was the first being to emerge from the waters of Nun at the time of creation. Originally, he was a serpent in Nun and will return to that form at the end of time. However, Atum was depicted in art as a man wearing the Double Crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. As such, he is the first living man god conceived of by the ancient Egyptians. Until then, their gods were all forms of animals. Following his self-creation from Nun, Atum created his children Shu and Tefnut by masturbating. This may seem impossible but Atum was a bisexual god. He embodied both the male and female aspects of life. Therefore, his semen contained all that was necessary to create new life and deities. The Egyptians called Atum "Great He-She" and his name meant "the complete one." Later myths said that his children were products of his relationship with his shadow, or with the goddess Iusaaset.

Apep was a huge serpent (or crocodile) which lived in the waters of Nun or in the celestial Nile. Each day he attempted to disrupt the passage of the solar barque of Re. In some myths, Apep was an earlier and discarded sun-god himself. This helps to explain the snake's strength and his resentment of the daily journey of the sun. In Seth's battle for the throne of Egypt, he claimed that he was stronger than Horus because it was he that stood at the prow of the solar barque and defeated the enemies of Re. Apep was a genuine threat to Re and his daily travels. At times he was successful and when this occurred stormy weather would occur. When Apep swallowed the barque, there was a solar eclipse. He never had a lasting victory though because of the prayers of the priests and religious. A book called, The Books of Overthrowing Apep contained a list of his secret names and a number of hymns that celebrate Re's victories. According to the book, Apep had been previously killed, hacked to pieces, dismembered and thrown into the abyss. However, he always came back to life to attack Re the next day. Egyptians would go to the temples and make images of snakes out of wax. They would spit in the images, then burn and mutilate them. Doing this and reciting the spells in the Books of Overthrowing Apep helped ensure Re's continued success and victory over the snake.books describe in detail the destruction which will fall upon Apep. According to these, Apep will first be speared, then sliced with red-hot knives so that every bone of his body has been separated, his head, legs and tail are cut off. His remains are then scorched, singed, and roasted, finally to be consumed by fire. The same fate awaits Apep's confederates and everything which formed parts of him, them, and all their offspring (their shadows, souls, doubles, and spirits).

Anubis was the son of Nephthys: some myths say that his father was Seth and others name Osiris. One myth says that Nephthys got Osiris drunk and the result was Anubis. Yet another says she disguised herself as Isis and seduced Osiris and subsequently gave birth to Anubis. Some stories even suggest that Nephthys' affair with Osiris was the reason Seth hated and murdered him.The jackal-god of mummification, he assisted in the rites by which a dead man was admitted to the underworld. Anubis was worshipped as the inventor of embalming and who embalmed the dead Osiris and thereby helping to preserve him that he might live again. Anubis is portrayed as a man with the head of a jackel holding the divine sceptre carried by kings and gods; as simply a jackel or as a dog accompanying Isis. His symbol was a black and white ox-hide splattered with blood and hanging from a pole. It's meaning is unknown. Anubis had three important functions. He supervised the embalmment of bodies. He received the mummy into the tomb and performed the Opening of the Mouth ceremony and then conducted the soul in the Field of Celestial Offerings. Most importantly though, Anubis monitored the Scales of Truth to protect the dead from deception and eternal death. Early in Egyptian history, Anubis was a god of the dead. This role was usurped by Osiris as he rose in popularity.

Bes was the god of music and dance, the god of war and slaughter, and a destroying force of nature. He was also a protector of children. Bes is most likely of equatorial African origin, although some think he is Semitic (Middle Eastern). Bes was usually portrayed as a dwarf with a large head. He is bearded with his tongue sticking out. He has a flat nose, bushy eyebrows and hair, large projecting ears. Around his body, he wears the skin of an animal and its tail hangs down behind him and touches the ground. He wears on his head a tiara of feathers, suggesting an African origin. Sometimes he is shown in profile, but he is usually seen full face (highly unusual in Egyptian artistic conventions). As a god of music he is sometimes shown playing a harp. As a warrior he wears a short military tunic and holds a shield and a short sword. One of the earliest portrayals of Bes is in the Temple of Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was a female Pharaoh of the New Kingdom.

Duamutef is one of the four sons of Horus, he was portrayed as a mummified jackel. Horus (the elder) had numerous wives and children, and his 'four sons' were grouped together and generally said to be born of Isis. Duamutef was one. The other three were Imsety, Hapy and Qebehsenuef. They were born from a lotus flower and were solar gods associated with the creation. They were retrieved from the waters of Nun by Sobek on the orders of Re. It was believed that Anubis gave them the funerary duties of mummification, the Opening of the Mouth, the burial of Osiris and all men. Horus later made them protectors of the four cardinal points (north, south, east and west). In the Hall of Ma'at they sat on a lotus flower in front of Osiris. Most commonly, however, they were remembered as the protectors of the internal organs of the deceased. Each son protected an organ, and each son was protected by a goddess. Duamutef's role was to protect the stomach of the deceased and was the guardian of the East. He was protected by the goddess Neith.

Geb was the son of Shu and Tefnut and the brother and husband of Nut. Through Nut he had four children, Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. Geb was the god of the earth. Even so, Geb guided the dead to heaven and he gave them meat and drink. It is interesting to note that while in most cultures the deity associated with the earth and it's bounty is a woman ("Mother Earth", Demeter of the Greeks, etc...), the Egyptians chose a male for this role. He is usually shown as a man wearing either the crown of the North or of the South. Added is either the Atef crown or a goose. The goose was a sacred animal to Geb, as such he was sometimes called "The Great Cackler" It was said that Geb's laughter was the source of earthquakes. Other images show him lying underneath his wife (Nut, goddess of the sky) and his father (Shu, god of the air). He reclines on one elbow with a knee and arm in the air. In this way he symbolized the valleys and hills of the land, which was called "The House of Geb." He is shown either as a dark or green skinned man (the colors of life, the soil of the Nile and vegetation, respectively) with leaves on his skin. The religious center of Geb seems to be Heliopolis (near Cairo), where he and Nut produced the Great Egg from which the Sun-god sprang.

Hapi is the ancient Egyptian god of the Nile. He is ancient not only to us of the modern world, but to the Egyptians as well. In fact, "hep", the root of Hapi's name is probably an ancient name for the Nile. Hapi was portrayed as a man with women's breasts. The full breasts indicate fertility and his ability to nourish the land through the Nile's annual floods. Just as Egypt was divided into two parts (the north and the south) so was Hapi's domain, the Nile. As a god of the northern Nile, Hapi was depicted wearing papyrus plants, a symbol of Lower Egypt, on his head. In this form, he was called "Hap-Meht". The Nile-god of Upper Egypt was "Hap-Reset" and wore lotus plants (a symbol of the south) on his head. When an artist was attempting to portray Hapi as a god of the entire Nile, he holds both lotus and papyrus plants in his hands or two vases. The female counterpart and wife of Hapi in the south was Nekhebet, who was a goddess of the south in general and portrayed as a vulture. The wife of the Hapi of the north was Uatchet, who was depicted as a cobra and the equivalent of Nekhebet in the south. Osiris was originally a water or river god and eventually Hapi was identified with him. However, in his own right, Hapi was recognized as one of the greatest Egyptian gods and he was declared not only the maker of the universe, but the creator of everything from which it and all things sprang. Hapi was also associated with Nun, the watery abyss from which the Ra, the Sun-god sprang on the first day.

Hapy is one of the four sons of Horus, he was portrayed as a mummy with the head of a baboon.Hapy's role was to protect the lungs of the deceased and was the guardian of the North. He was protected by the goddess Nephthys. He is sometimes confused with the Nile-god "Hapi".

Horus The falcon-headed god, the kings of Egypt associated themselves with Horus. Horus was among the most important gods of Egypt, particularly because the Pharaoh was supposed to be his earthly embodiment. Kings would eventually take the name of Horus as one of their own. At the same time, the Pharaohs were the followers of Re and so Horus became associated with the sun as well. To the people this solar deity became identified as the son of Osiris. As Harsiesis, he is "Horus, the son of Isis". Horus was conceived magically by Isis following the murder of his father, Osiris. Horus was raised by his mother on the floating island of Chemmis near Buto. He was in constant danger from his evil uncle Seth but his mother protected him and he survived. As a child, Horus was known as Harpokrates, "the infant Horus", and was portrayed as a baby being suckled by Isis. He was said to be stunted from the waist down. This may be because his father was dead when he was concieved or perhaps because he was born prematurely. Harpokrates is pictured as a seated child sucking his thumb and having his hair fashioned in a sidelock that symbolized his youth. On his head he wore the royal crown and uraeus. In later times he was affiliated with the newborn sun. As Harmakhis, "Horus in the Horizon", he personified the rising sun and was associated with Khepera as a symbol of resurrection or eternal life. Haroeris, "Horus the Elder", was one of the earliest forms of Horus and the patron deity of Upper (southern) Egypt. He was said to be the son, or sometimes the husband of Hathor. He was also the brother of Osiris and Seth. He was depicted as a falcon-headed man, sometimes wearing the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt.Horus Behdety was a form of Horus the Elder that was worshipped originally in the western Delta at Behdet.He was usually portrayed as a winged sun-disk or as a falcon hovering over the Pharaoh during battles. When shown as a falcon-headed man wearing the double crown he carries a falcon-headed staff, the weapon he used to defeat Seth.

Imhotep is one of the few Egyptian gods (other than the pharaohs) who was actually a real person. He was the vizier of Djoser, a pharaoh of the third dynasty. He was skilled in all areas of administration and royal enterprises. Imhotep was also a priest, writer, a doctor and a founder of the Egyptian studies of astronomy and architecture. Imhotep was known perhaps best of all as the architect of the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, near Memphis. The Step Pyramid was the first structure created by human hands to be built entirely from stone. It was as a wise man and scribe that Imhotep was first honored as a god. In the New Kingdom was was venerated as the patron of scribes. Scribes would pour a couple of drops of water in libation to him before beginning to write. During this time, this form of ancestor worship to Imhotep was privately practiced and his cult was similar to that of any of the dead (although more wide-spread). Also at that time, Imhotep was identified with Nefertem, the son of Ptah.He was also associated with Thoth and became a patron of wisdom and medicine. Miraculous cures were often attributed to him. The Greeks identified him with Asclepius, their god of medicine and healing.Imhotep was supposed to send sleep to those who were suffering or in pain. He was the physician to both the gods and men.In art, Imhotep was portrayed as a priest with a shaven head, seated and holding a papyrus roll. Occasionally he was shown clothed in the archaic costume of a priest. He was not represented with divine insignias.

Imsety is one of the four sons of Horus, he was portrayed as a mummified human.Imsety's role was to protect the liver of the deceased and was the guardian of the South. He was protected by the goddess Isis.

Khepera is a form of the sun-god Re. Khepera was specifically the god of the rising sun. He was self-produced and usually depicted as a human with a beetle on his head, or sometimes with the beetle as his head. Khepera is the manifestation of the rising sun. Khepera would roll the sun along the sky, much as the dung beetle rolls a ball of dung in front of him (sometimes the Khepera was also shown pushing the moon through the sky). This ball of dung is what it lays its eggs in. The beetle larvae eat the ball of dung after they hatch. The Egyptians would see the beetle roll a ball of dung into a hole and leave. Later, when many dung beetles emerged from the hole, it would seem as though they created themselves. Khepera also had this attribute of self-generation and self-renewal. The particular dung beetle the Egyptians identified with Khepera was the Scarabaeus sacer.

Khnemu was one of the oldest gods of Egypt. The Egyptians' views of him changed somewhat through Egyptian history. He always was an important god and he remained so even in some semi-Christian sects two to three centuries after the birth of Christ! His symbol was the flat-horned ram and was depicted as a ram-headed man who wears the White Crown on his head. Khnemu was originally a water-god, and as such he is shown with water flowing over his outstretched hands and wearing a jug on his head above his horns. His name comes from the root, khnem, "to build". It was believed that he built the first egg from which the sun sprang. Khnemu also made the gods and he sculpted the first man on a potter's wheel and he continued to "build up" their bodies and maintain their life. Khnemu built up the material universe (with Ptah) under the guidance and direction of Thoth.

Min was a fertility god who was believed to bestow sexual powers to all men. He also was a god of the rain who was a generative force of nature. In one of the most important Min festivals, the Pharaoh would hoe the fields as Min looked on. At the harvest festivals, the Pharaoh would ceremoniously hoe the fields under Min's supervision. When the Pharaoh begot his heir, he was also identified with Min. He was portrayed as an ithyphallic bearded man, with his legs close together and wearing the same headdress as Amon. Min is shown with one arm raised wielding a thunderbolt. His sacred animal was a white bull and his special plant, lettuce, was believed to have aphrodisiac properties.Min was a predynastic god. In the earliest times he was a sky-god called the "Chief of Heaven". Until the Middle Kingdom he was identified with Horus the Elder and he was called the son of Re or Shu. In the New Kingdon, Min became closely linked to Amon-Ra. During this time, Min became immensely popular and orgiastic festivals were held in his honor.

Montu was the falcon-headed god of war.Montu was portrayed as a falcon-headed man wearing a headdress consisting of the sun-disc encircled by the uraeus topped by two plumes. In his hands he would hold various weaponry, including the schimtar, bows and arrows, and knives.He was said to be the destructive element of the sun's heat. At this period Montu was said to slay the sun's enemies from the prow of the night-boat of the sun.

Nun Despite all the various Creation myths that the Egyptians subscribed to, they had one thing in common, Nun. Even though the myths named different gods as the original creator, they all agreed that he sprang from Nun, the primordial waters. Nun was more than an ocean, he was a limitless expanse of motionless water. Even after the world was created, Nun continued to exist at it's margins and would one day return to destroy it and begin the cycle again. Following the creation, Nun played a role in the destruction of mankind when humans no longer respected and obeyed Re in his old age. Re called together all the gods and goddesses together, including Nun, and asked them what he should do about the problem. Nun suggested that Re should call forth his Eye to destroy mankind. Re did so, and his Eye, in the form of the goddess Sekhmet traveled across Egypt killing all men. Nun was portrayed as a bearded man with a blue or green body, symbolizing water and fertility. Sometimes he is shown with female breasts as well. In one hand he holds a palm frond, a symbol of long life and wears another one in his hair.

Osiris A god of the earth and vegetation, he symbolized in his death the yearly drought and in his miraculous rebirth the periodic flooding of the Nile and the growth of grain. He was a god-king who was believed to have given Egypt civilization. The name "Osiris" is the Greek corruption of the Egyptian name "Asar" (or Usar) . There are several possibilities as to what this name means, "the Strength of the Eye", is one. The oldest and simplist form of the name is the hieroglyph of the throne over an eye (there are at least 158 versions of the name). He was the first child of Nut and Geb, and therefore the brother of Seth, Nephthys, and Isis (who was also his wife). He was also the father of Horus and according to some myths, Anubis. These traditions state that Nephthys (mother of Anubis) assumed the form of Isis, seduced him and became pregnant with Anubis. The oldest religious texts refer to Osiris as the great god of the dead, and throughout these texts it is assumed that the reader will understand that he once possessed human form and lived on earth. Also, that by some unusual powers he was able to bestow upon himself after his death a new life and a new body and ruled as king over the Afterlife. He was believed to be willing to admit all people that had lived a good and correct life upon earth, and had been buried with appropriate ceremonies under the protection of certain amulets, and with the proper recital of certain "divine words" and words of power. It was believed that once the Pharaoh of Egypt died he would go to the Afterlife as Osiris and his successor would take his place as Horus and ruler of Egypt.

Ptah A local god of Memphis since the earliest dynastic times (c. 3000 BC), he was the patron of craftsmen and the husband of Sekhmet. Some legends say he spoke the names of all the things in the world and thereby caused them to spring to existence and also built the bodies in which the souls of men would dwell in the afterlife. Other myths say he worked under Thoth's orders, creating the heavens and earth as Thoth specified. Ptah is depicted as a bearded man wearing a skullcap and shrouded as a mummy. His hands emerge from wrappings in front of his body and hold the was (phoenix-headed) sceptre, an ankh (hieroglyph meaning "Life") and a Djed (sign of stability).

Qebehsenuef is one of the four sons of Horus, he was portrayed as a mummified falcon.Qebehsenuef's role was to protect the intestines of the deceased and was the guardian of the West. He was protected by the goddess Selket.