Name of Egyptian God | Function or Identity of Egyptian God |
| Amon | Primoridal creation deity; one of 8 gods of chaos; combined with the suprme solar deity, Ra, Amon-RA was the hidden power that created the gods. |
| Anubis | Embalming |
| Atum | One of 4 creation deities; caused the division of the sexes; as Ra-Atum, he represented the evening sun. |
| Bes | Music, dance, war, slaughter. |
| Duamutef | Protect deceased's stomach. |
| Geb | Earth and guide to heaven. |
| Hapi | Nile god. |
| Hapy | Protect deceased's lungs. |
| Horus | Many guises. Falcon-head. Sky god whose left eye was the moon amd whose right eye was the sun (depicted as an eye); king of Egypt. |
| Imsety | Protect deceased's liver. |
| Khensu | Moon god. |
| Khnemu, Khnum | One of 4 creator gods; potter who sculpted man and anumals and breathed life into them; water god. |
| Min | Fertility god who bestowed sexual powers on men. |
| Osiris | Earth and vegetation. |
| Ptah | Patron of craftsmen. |
| Qebehsenuef | Protect deceased's intestines. |
| Re | Sun |
| Seth | Lord of Lower Egypt & evil enemy of Horus |
| Shu | God of space & light between sky & earth; power over snakes; held ladder to heaven. |
| Sobek | Crocodile god. |
| Thoth | Wisdom & learning. |
During the millennia during which ancient Egypt was a Mediterranean power to be reckoned with, different dynasties came to power, some African, some Asian, and later, the Greeks and Romans. One result of the long, heterogeneous history of Egyptian power is great variety in the myths of ancient Egypt. Tobin ["Mytho-Theology in Ancient Egypt," by Vincent Arieh Tobin. Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt (1988)] says the different and seemingly conflicting creation myths were but different sets of symbols used to "articulate the same reality," rather than factual accounts of how the universe emerged. Two of the versions below have a sun god as the creator. A version not listed below, at Elephantine, has a potter as the creator god.
There were 3 main Egyptian creation myths, named for the gods and locations involved, which helped justify the political claims of these cities:
- Hermopolis - The Hermopolitan Ogdoad,
- Heliopolis - The Heliopolitan Ennead, and
- Memphis - The Memphite Theology.
Here you'll find information related to the 3 main Egyptian creation myths and the major gods. Go to the hyper-linked articles for more information and the references.
1. Ogdoad of Hermopolis
The 8 gods of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad were mated pairs from a primordial chaos. Together they produced the world, but exactly what they produced varied with the telling, more so than the variation in the powers of the 8 chaotic deities. They may have produced a mass or an egg or the sun. Although the Ogdoad may not actually be the oldest Egyptian cosmology, the gods and goddesses of it, are thought to have produced gods and goddesses of the Ennead of Heliopolis. The Ogdoad of Hermopolis was the group of gods who created the world, or at least the sun, according to Egyptian mythology centered in Hermopolis Magna. The Ennead of Heliopolis is a contrasting grouping of 9 creating Heliopolitan gods. A third cosmogony is the Memphis Theology, which is centered on the god Ptah.
Since the Ogdoad of Hermopolis is an Ogdoad, there are 8 deities, in 4 pairs of males and females. Their functions may be described as chaos and generation, eternity, darkness, and moisture, or as invisibility, endlessness, obscurity, and water, all perhaps in a primeval watery chaos. The pairs are spelled out in English as Amun and Amaunet, Heh (Huh) and Hehet, Kek and Keket, and Nun and Naunet, although spelling varies. Sometimes in later representations, the male (the first in each pair) is depicted as frog-headed and the female with a snake head, all generated spontaneously from the Nile mud.
The Egyptian cosmogony that is based on the Ogdoad of Heliopolis evolved over time. One version is that from the original chaos, the 4 sets of gods were motivated to get together to produce the sun or a primordial mass (in Hermopolis, of course). This may have produced to a cosmic egg (sometimes a goose egg laid by the Great Cackler or an ibis egg from Thoth) from which hatched the sun god. Amun or Thoth is credited with stirring up the old gods to create the primordial mass. The Ogdoad then fades into the background or dies and lives in the Underworld. Even though the deities are, in a sense, retired, they still make the sun rise and the Nile flow. In another version, a lotus emerged from the waters, opened up, and revealed, again, the sun god. Thus the sun god is an essential feature for the creation of a world with living creatures.
The Ogdoad of Hermopolis provides a cosmogony without a tale of divine inter-generational fighting (theomachy).
Also Known As: Hermopolitan Ogdoad
Examples:
The Greek historian Herodotus says there were 12 gods in Egypt, but before them there were the 8. Griffiths says the Greek name for the city of Hermopolis is based on the connection the Greeks made between their god Hermes and the Egyptian Ibis god, Thoth.
Relevant passages from Herodotus History Book II are 43.4 and 145.1.
Since the Ogdoad of Hermopolis produced the sun (god), and the sun was the head of the Ennead at Heliopolis, it can be claimed that the Ogdoad of Hermopolis produced the Ennead.
Hermopolis
Hermopolis (Megale) is a Greek name for this important city of Upper Egypt. Hermopolis was the spot where the chaos gods brought forth life or the sun or whatever, and then later became an important city for the international set, with layers of temples from different religions, and cultural artifacts from the Greeks and Romans. More »The Ogdoad of Hermopolis was the group of gods who created the world, or at least the sun, according to Egyptian mythology centered inHermopolis Magna. The Ennead of Heliopolis is a contrasting grouping of 9 creating Heliopolitan gods. A third cosmogony is the Memphis Theology, which is centered on the god Ptah.
Since the Ogdoad of Hermopolis is an Ogdoad, there are 8 deities, in 4 pairs of males and females. Their functions may be described as chaos and generation, eternity, darkness, and moisture, or as invisibility, endlessness, obscurity, and water, all perhaps in a primeval watery chaos. The pairs are spelled out in English as Amun and Amaunet, Heh (Huh) and Hehet, Kek and Keket, and Nun and Naunet, although spelling varies. Sometimes in later representations, the male (the first in each pair) is depicted as frog-headed and the female with a snake head, all generated spontaneously from the Nile mud.
The Egyptian cosmogony that is based on the Ogdoad of Heliopolis evolved over time. One version is that from the original chaos, the 4 sets of gods were motivated to get together to produce the sun or a primordial mass (in Hermopolis, of course). This may have produced to a cosmic egg (sometimes a goose egg laid by the Great Cackler or an ibis egg from Thoth) from which hatched the sun god. Amun or Thoth is credited with stirring up the old gods to create the primordial mass. The Ogdoad then fades into the background or dies and lives in the Underworld. Even though the deities are, in a sense, retired, they still make the sun rise and the Nile flow. In another version, a lotus emerged from the waters, opened up, and revealed, again, the sun god. Thus the sun god is an essential feature for the creation of a world with living creatures.
The Ogdoad of Hermopolis provides a cosmogony without a tale of divine inter-generational fighting (theomachy).
The Greek historian Herodotus says there were 12 gods in Egypt, but before them there were the 8. Griffiths says the Greek name for the city of Hermopolis is based on the connection the Greeks made between their god Hermes and the Egyptian Ibis god, Thoth.
Relevant passages from Herodotus History Book II are 43.4 and 145.1.
Since the Ogdoad of Hermopolis produced the sun (god), and the sun was the head of the Ennead at Heliopolis, it can be claimed that the Ogdoad of Hermopolis produced the Ennead
Also Known As: Hermopolitan Ogdoad
Thoth
Thoth (or Amun) is credited with stirring up the old chaos gods to create the primordial mass. Thoth is described as a moon god, a cosmogenic god, a god of thunder and rain, a god of justice, and the patron of scribes. Thoth is also the Egyptian messenger god. More »
Basics on Thoth
Details on Thoth
Thoth was worshiped as can be seen in writing from 4th millennium B.C. pyramid texts through Roman period temple inscriptions.
Thoth and Egyptian Mythology:
The parents of Thoth are said to be the male homosexual pair or "two combatants" Horus and Seth. He is also described as the son of Ra (Re).
- After Osiris is killed, Thoth helps Horus and Anubis in putting him back together again.
- Thoth is credited with bringing a young Horus back to life after a fatal scorpion sting.
- He also helps Horus by finding his eye.
- After Horus decapitates Isis, Thoth reattaches the head.
Attributes of Thoth:
Thoth is usually shown with the head of an ibis bird. He may appear as an ibis. The baboon is one of his symbols and sometimes Thoth is shown as a dog-headed baboon. The curve of the beak of the Ibis may represent the crescent moon, which is another attribute of Thoth. He often carries a palette and pen. On Thoth's head may be the crescent moon and disk, the atef-crown, and the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt.
Thoth is described as a moon god, a cosmogenic god, a god of thunder and rain, a god of justice, and the patron of scribes. Thoth is also the Egyptian messenger god.
Thoth and the Ogdoad of Hermopolis:
Thoth was connected with the Ogdoad of Hermopolis as a creator god.
2. The Ennead of Heliopolis
The Ennead of Heliopolis was formed during the Old Kingdom period of ancient Egypt by priests in On, the city sacred to the sun god; hence, the more familiar Greek name Heliopolis. The creative force and sun-god Atum-Re generated (through spit or masturbation) Shu and Tefnut, a male and female pair so normal generation could take place. Symbolically, the creation is repeated each day when the sun (god) rises. The Ennead of Heliopolis was the group of gods who created the world, according to Egyptian mythology centered in Heliopolis (near Memphis, in the Nile Delta of lower Egypt). The Ogdoad of Hermopolisis a contrasting grouping of 8 creating Heliopolitan gods. A third cosmogony is the Memphis Theology, which is centered on the god Ptah.
In the theology of the Ennead of Heliopolis, there is recognition of a time before there was anything. It was thought there was a creative potential in the primeval water, which was personified as the self-generated Nun. From the waters emerged Atum, the source of all creation, often depicted as the sun god Re-Atum who produced Shu and Tefnut when he masturbated or spat.
Ennead means a group of 9, but often the list is larger, including wives, offspring, and a splitting up of Atum-Re into two separate deities. Here are the basic 9.
- Atum (the spirit that lived inside Nun before creation)
- Shu (male created by Atum-Re)
- Tefnut (sister of Shu)
- Geb (Earth god - Shu and Tefnut's male offspring)
- Nut (Sky goddess - Shu and Tefnut's female offspring)
- Osiris (god of the dead - son of Geb and Nut)
- Seth (evil brother of Osiris - son of Geb and Nut)
- Isis (wife/sister of Osiris and mother of Horus)
- Nephthys (goddess of the dead - wife/sister of Seth)
Also Known As: Heliopolitan Ennead
Examples: Connected with the Ennead of Heliopolis, Shu and Tefnut became separated from Atum-Re and lost in the primeval waters. Their father shed tears of joy when they were re-united. The tears became mankind.
Pyramid Text
The Pyramid Texts refer to the ordering of the gods and the world that informs the Cosmogony of Heliopolis. More »he Ennead of Heliopolis was the group of gods who created the world, according to Egyptian mythology centered in Heliopolis (near Memphis, in the Nile Delta of lower Egypt). The Ogdoad of Hermopolisis a contrasting grouping of 8 creating Heliopolitan gods. A third cosmogony is the Memphis Theology, which is centered on the god Ptah.
In the theology of the Ennead of Heliopolis, there is recognition of a time before there was anything. It was thought there was a creative potential in the primeval water, which was personified as the self-generated Nun. From the waters emerged Atum, the source of all creation, often depicted as the sun god Re-Atum who produced Shu and Tefnut when he masturbated or spat.
Ennead means a group of 9, but often the list is larger, including wives, offspring, and a splitting up of Atum-Re into two separate deities. Here are the basic 9.
- Atum (the spirit that lived inside Nun before creation)
- Shu (male created by Atum-Re)
- Tefnut (sister of Shu)
- Geb (Earth god - Shu and Tefnut's male offspring)
- Nut (Sky goddess - Shu and Tefnut's female offspring)
- Osiris (god of the dead - son of Geb and Nut)
- Seth (evil brother of Osiris - son of Geb and Nut)
- Isis (wife/sister of Osiris and mother of Horus)
- Nephthys (goddess of the dead - wife/sister of Seth)
Also Known As: Heliopolitan Ennead
Examples: Connected with the Ennead of Heliopolis, Shu and Tefnut became separated from Atum-Re and lost in the primeval waters. Their father shed tears of joy when they were re-united. The tears became mankind.
Atum-Re
Atum-Re is the creator god of the Heliopolitan cosmogony. He was a particular favorite of Akhenaten's father. His name combines two gods, Atum, the god who emerged from the primordial waters to create the other gods, and Re, the basic Egyptian sun god. More »Definition: Atum-Re is a creator sun god especially associated with Heliopolis (the Greek name for the Egyptian On, Oon, or Iunu). He emerged from the primeval waters. His name Atum symbolizes fullness or completion [Tobin]. By spitting or masturbation, he produced a male and female pair of gods, Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture) who produced the earth and the sky. The primoridal creator god Atum and the solar god Re were put together as early as the Pyramid Texts. When the Egyptian king dies, he sits on the throne of Atum-Re [Serrano].
For some, Atum-Re is very specifically, the setting sun.
Re's opponent is Apophis, who is opposed to order. Each day the sun god must fight him to re-emerge and rise each morning.
Also Known As: the he/she, Re-Atum
3. The Memphite Theology
The Memphite theology is inscribed on a stone dated to 700 B.C., but the date of the creation of the theology is debated. The theology serves to justify Memphis as capital city of Egypt. It makes Ptah the creator god. One of the three major* versions of the ancient Egyptian creation story is known as the Memphite theology because it was from the city of Memphis, Egypt's first capital and a city that continued to be important. Like other theogonies and cosmogonies of Egypt, the Memphite Theology changed+ and borrowed from other cosmogonies. It features the self-generated creator god Ptah, god of the primeval mound (Tatenen), who created, by thinking of things in his heart and then naming them, by means of his tongue. This is referred to as "Logos creation," a label that references the Biblical "in the beginning was the Word (Logos)" [John1:1].
The Egyptian gods Shu and Tefnut came into being from the mouth of Ptah. Ptah was sometimes equated with the Hermopolitan chaos pair Nun and Naunet. [SeeOgdoad of Hermopolis for the chaos gods.]
* Hollis says other locales, including Karnak, had their own cosmogonies. Heliopolis, Hermopolis, and Memphis stand out because they are major cities. TheAmarna theology was a fourth important theology, but it was short-lived.
+ Anthes says "It was S. Schott... who first made it clear that the readiness to change was a pregnant characteristic of Egyptian religion: Mythe und Mythenbildung im alten Aegypten (Leipzig, 1947)."
"Egyptian Theology in the Third Millennium B. C.," by Rudolf Anthes. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jul., 1959), pp. 169-212
"Egyptian Theology in the Third Millennium B. C.," by Rudolf Anthes. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jul., 1959), pp. 169-212
Also Known As: Theology of Memphis
The Shabako Stone
The Shabako Stone, housed at the British Museum, thanks to a gift from one of Princess Diana's ancestors, contains the story of Ptah's creation of the gods and the cosmos. More »One of the three major* versions of the ancient Egyptian creation story is known as the Memphite theology because it was from the city of Memphis, Egypt's first capital and a city that continued to be important. Like other theogonies and cosmogonies of Egypt, the Memphite Theology changed+ and borrowed from other cosmogonies. It features the self-generated creator god Ptah, god of the primeval mound (Tatenen), who created, by thinking of things in his heart and then naming them, by means of his tongue. This is referred to as "Logos creation," a label that references the Biblical "in the beginning was the Word (Logos)" [John1:1].
The Egyptian gods Shu and Tefnut came into being from the mouth of Ptah. Ptah was sometimes equated with the Hermopolitan chaos pair Nun and Naunet. [SeeOgdoad of Hermopolis for the chaos gods.]
* Hollis says other locales, including Karnak, had their own cosmogonies. Heliopolis, Hermopolis, and Memphis stand out because they are major cities. TheAmarna theology was a fourth important theology, but it was short-lived.
+ Anthes says "It was S. Schott... who first made it clear that the readiness to change was a pregnant characteristic of Egyptian religion: Mythe und Mythenbildung im alten Aegypten (Leipzig, 1947)."
"Egyptian Theology in the Third Millennium B. C.," by Rudolf Anthes. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jul., 1959), pp. 169-212
"Egyptian Theology in the Third Millennium B. C.," by Rudolf Anthes. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jul., 1959), pp. 169-212
Also Known As: Theology of Memphis
Examples:
The Shabako Stone reveals much about the early Memphite Theology even though it was written as late as about 700 B.C.
Ptah
Ptah is the creator god of the Memphite theology. Herodotus thought he was the Egyptian version of Hephaestus. Ptah is normally depicted wearing a skull cap. He created by means of the word. More »Ptah is the creator god of the Memphite theology. Self-generated, Ptah, the god of the primeval mound (Tatenen), created by thinking of things in his heart and then naming them by means of his tongue. This is referred to as Logos creation, a label that references the Biblical "in the beginning was the Word (Logos)" [John 1:1]. The Egyptian gods Shu and Tefnut came into being from the mouth of Ptah. Ptah was sometimes equated with the Hermopolitan chaos pair Nun and Naunet. Besides being a creator god, Ptah is a chthonic god of the dead, who seems to have been worshiped since the early dynastic period.
Ptah is often depicted with a straight beard (like earthly kings), shrouded like a mummy, holding a special scepter, and wearing a skull cap.
Examples:
Herodotus equated Ptah with the Greek blacksmith god, Hephaestus.
Definition: Ma'at, who is symbolized by an ostrich feather or shown with one in her hair, is both a goddess, the daughter of the sun god Ra (Re), and an abstract. To the ancient Egyptians, Ma'at, everlasting and powerful, bound everything together in order. Ma'at represented truth, right, justice, world order, stability, and continuity. Ma'at represents harmony and unending cycles, Nile flooding, and the king of Egypt. This cosmic outlook rejected the idea that the universe could ever be completely destroyed. Isft (chaos) is the opposite of Ma'at. Ma'at is credited with staving off Isft.
Man is expected to pursue justice and to operate according to the demands of Ma'at because to do otherwise is to encourage chaos. The king upholds the order of the universe by ruling well and serving the gods. From the fourth dynasty, pharaohs added "Possessor of Ma'at" to their titles. There is, however, no known temple to Ma'at prior to the New Kingdom.
Ma'at is like the Greek goddess of justice, Dike.