These mythical deities were believed to have supreme power over all the pharaohs. They were worshipped for the benefit of prosperity of the Egyptian people.
AMUN-RA: Amun-Ra was two gods in one, made by uniting a local god of Thebes, Amun with the sun god, Ra. He was the most powerful god during the New Kingdom.
ANUBIS: Anubis was the god of the dead, who watched over the embalming ritual. He is often shown with the head of a jackal, as they were thought to haunt cemeteries.
BASTET: This goddess is usually shown as a cat. She was believed to protect woman, children, and the sun's power to ripen crops. She was loved, and it was not allowed to harm cats.
BES: Bes was a short, fat, cheerful god, who was very popular as guarded children from evil spirits. He also was thought to enjoy dancing and singing.
HAPY: Hapy was the generous god of the Nile. The river's yearly flood was seen as his arrival, which brought wealth and fertility to the land and people of ancient Egypt.
HATHOR: This goddess is sometimes shown as a lovely lady, when she represents dancing, music, joy and love. She is also shown with the head of a cow, as a symbol of motherly love.
HORUS: Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris. He was usually shown as a falcon, or falcon-headed. The pharaohs thought that they represented Horus on earth.
ISIS: The goddess Isis was the wife of Osiris, and mother of Horus. This family of gods was the most famous in Egyptian mythology. Isis symbolized the perfect mother.
NUT: Nut was the sky goddess, and sister of Geb, the earth god. Nut is often painted blue and covered in stars. Legend had it that she swallowed the sun at night, and it was reborn at sunrise.
OSIRIS: Osiris was married to Isis, and was the father of Horus. His death and rebirth made him god of the afterlife. The pharaohs believed they joined him after their own deaths.
RA: Ra was the sun god, who rolled the sun across the sky by day, just as a scarab beetle rolls a ball of dung. He was reborn every dawn, aged in daytime, and died at night. He was joined to Amun, and called Amun-Ra.
SET: Set was Osiris's brother and murderer. He was the symbol of all evil, and was depicted as an extraordinary creature, with features of different animals.
SOBEK: Crocodiles lived in the Nile and were sacred. The crocodile god Sobek had his temple at Korn Ombo, on the banks of the Nile. He was believed to control the river's water and marshes.
TAWERET: She was the goddess of childbirth and protected both mother and baby. She is shown as a pregnant, standing hippopotomus.
THOTH: He was the god of scribes and learning, and was thought to have invented writing, arithmetic, and the calender. He is usually shown with the head of an ibis - a long beaked bird.
AMUN-RA: Amun-Ra was two gods in one, made by uniting a local god of Thebes, Amun with the sun god, Ra. He was the most powerful god during the New Kingdom.
