Animal Gods in Ancient Egypt
Do you know any ancient Egyptian gods?
Write down any you might know here:
While you learn about these gods keep an eye out for symbols that you see appear in different images!
They can offer clues as to what a god may have meant to the people that worshiped them!
Bastet: The Cat Goddess
Bastet, the cat goddess is one of the best known! This
sculpture represents her in her cat form.
What do you think she represented? Can you come up
with a reason cats may have been so important to the
Egyptians?
This sculpture of Bastet was part of an exhibit on ancient egypt at the Global Village Museum in Fort Collins
Bastet: The Protector of the HouseLucky for us the Egyptians wrote things down!
● Bastet was a goddess who protected the home and family
● She protected women and children from disease
● She is often represented as a cat, or like many other egyptian gods,
a person with the head of an animal
● Cats are considered household protectors because they keep out
pests that can cause illness, such as rats
Fun Fact:
Cats were often mummified and buried with their owners so that the two
could remain together in the afterlife. Today archaeologists still find
mummified cats in tombs and at shrines to the goddess Bastet.
Horus/Ra: The Falcon God
Horus is another well known egyptian god: he is typically depicted as a
falcon or as a man with the head of a falcon.
What do you think Horus and Ra represented to ancient egyptians?
What do you think the object on his head is for?
This cloth depiction of Horus was part of the same exhibition
Horus and Ra: The Divine KingThis depiction of Horus/Ra as a man with the head of a falcon is the most common.
In this depiction Horus is also wearing the same crown that the Pharaoh would
wear, this gives us a clue to what Horus represented.
● The Pharaohs of Egypt were considered divine beings, a sort of human/god
hybrid
● The Pharaoh was considered to be the living form of Horus in life making him
a symbol of the divine right of the Pharaohs to rule over Egypt.
● Ra, the sun and creator god is comprised of three parts:○ Ra, the creator○ Aten, the sun disc○ Horus, the son and physical body
Fun Fact:
Horus was worshipped for so long in Egypt that eventually he became associated
with the greek god Apollo
Sekhmet: The Lion Goddess
Sekhmet is another important Goddess in the Ancient Egyptian Pantheon
(pantheon is a word that refers to a group of gods)
What do you think Sekhmet was the goddess of? Do you think the fact
that she is a lioness is significant to her meaning?
Sekhmet: The Warrior
Sekhmet was a warrior goddess as well as a goddess of healing
● Sekhmet lead the Pharaohs in war
● She was thought to protect them from harm
● She not only protected the Pharaohs in life, but was thought to help protect
them in the afterlife as well
● Sekhmet was thought to breathe fire, and the hot winds of the desert were
considered to be like her breath
Fun Fact:
In her mythology Sekhmet is considered to be the wrathful side of the Sun god Ra,
in one story she goes on a rampage so severe that she nearly destroys all of
humanity. To stop her Ra poured out a great quantity of beer stained red with a
mineral called ochre and she became so drunk she stops destroying the world.
Anubis: The Jackal GodHave you seen a representation of Anubis before?
If so where?
Anubis: The Undertaker
Anubis was a god of death, mummification, the afterlife, cemeteries, and the
underworld
● Anubis is one of the most widely depicted gods in ancient egypt
● He is not evil, like other ancient gods of death he is often confused with
the idea of Satan, but his role was to be a protector and guide in the
afterlife
● His role was to guide the recently deceased to the next life in the
egyptian underworld
Fun Fact:
Some egyptologists think that the image of a jackal or wild dog became
associated with death because jackals were often seen trying to scavenge for
food in cemetaries.
Isis: the Kite Goddess
Isis is another Egyptian deity associated
with a bird. Compare and contrast this
image of Isis with the depiction of Horus
you saw earlier. How are they different?
What elements do they share?
Isis: The Universal Goddess
Isis is considered to be the divine mother of the Pharaohs and Horus, she is also a
goddess of the sky, motherhood, healing, and resurrection in the afterlife
● She is normally depicted as a human woman, but in depictions in the myth of
Osiris she often has the wings of a Kite
● Isis was also associated with protective magic
Fun Fact:
Worship of Isis was so widespread that she eventually became an important deity
in both ancient Greece and Rome.
Did you notice these symbols?
What others did you notice?
Aten: The Sun Disk
The image of the Aten is often associated with
the ancient egyptian gods. The sun is one of the
oldest and most worshiped gods in ancient
egypt. The Aten is an important aspect of the
sun god and its image is often shown with other
important gods as a symbol of their divinity.
Fun Fact:
One of the Pharaohs, Akhenaten, tried to
change the religion of ancient Egypt and made
Aten the only god. Why do you think he made
the change? Do you think the name Akhenaten
is related to his status as Pharaoh?
The Wadjet: The Eye of Horus
The Wadjet, or Eye of Horus is one of the
most widely spread symbols of Ancient
Egypt. It is a symbol of royal power and good
health. It is also a strong symbol of
protection. Pharaohs were often buried
with Wadjet necklaces to protect them in
the Afterlife.
Fun Fact:
Ancient Sailors would paint the Wadjet on
their ships to ensure safe travel.
The Ankh: A Symbol of Life
While it isn’t known exactly where it came from, the Ankh
is another widely spread symbol from ancient Egypt. In
Egyptian writing, or hieroglyphics, it is the word for life. It
is often seen with gods in ancient Egyptian art because it
was the symbol for life.
What do you think some of these symbols mean today?
Your Turn!
Create your own ancient egyptian god! Draw a picture of your own god and come up with some symbols
and stories to go along with them. Share the photos with your teacher and classmates. If you’d like to
share them with us at The Global Village Museum, you can put them on social media with the hashtag
#GVM and we will see them!