Aken
Patron of: the ferryboat that carries the souls of the dead to the underworld.

Appearance: A man dressed in the garb of a sailor, standing in the stern of a papyrus boat.

Description: Aken was the custodian of the ferryboat in the Underworld. However, he was somewhat amusing, for he had to be woken from slumber by the ferryman Mahaf to provide the boat for travel on the celestial waters.

Worship: Not truly worshipped, but mentioned in many hymns and passages of The Book of the Dead.
 

Aker

Aker is an earth god who also presided over the western and eastern boarders of the Underworld.

In early representations, Aker is shown as a narrow strip of land with a human or lion head at both ends But later he was shown as the foreparts of two opposing lions, sometimes with human heads, facing away from each other. One lion faces west while the other faces east. In between them is the sign of the horizon. In the later period of Egyptian theology the two lions making up the Akeru were named Sef and Tuau - 'yesterday' and 'today' respectively.

Ancient Egyptian mythologists believed that during the night the sun journeyed through a tunnel that existed in the earth - its entry into the tunnel caused the night, its emergence again bringing the day once more. Each end of this tunnel was guarded by a lion god.

It was Aker who opened the earth's gate for the king to pass into the Underworld. He was also known to absorb the poison from the body of anyone bitten by a snake and he neutralizes the venom in the belly of a person who has swallowed an obnoxious fly.

More importantly, he imprisons the coils of the snake, Apophis, after it is hacked to pieces by Isis, and Aker could, along his back, provide a secure passage for the sun-god's boat as it traveled from west to east during the hours of the night.

From the tomb of Ramesses VI in the Valley of the Kings on the West Bank of Luxor (ancient Thebes), the tomb of Pedamenopet (26th Dynasty) at el-Asasif, also on the West bank at Luxor, and mythological papyri of the priesthood of Amun in the 21st Dynasty, it is even possible to reconstruct a "Book of Aker", concerned with the solar journey.

There was also a more threatening side to Aker that can be seen when he is pluralized as Akeru in the form of multiple earth gods. In passages from the Pyramid Texts, the Akeru are said not to seize the monarch, but later there is a general hope for everyone to escape the grasp of the earth gods. The Akeru appear to be primeval deities more ancient then Geb.
 
 

Am-Heh

Am-He was a threatening Underworld god whose name means "Devourer of Millions". he dwells in a Like of Fire, and if that were not enough, his ferocity is augmented by his having the face of a hunting dog and an appetite for sacrifices. Only Atum could fend off Am-Heh.

 

Ament

Other Names: Amentet

Patron of: the gates of the underworld

Appearance: a woman dressed in the robes of a queen.

Description: Ament is the consort of Aken, and it is she who greets the souls of the newly dead, offering them bread and water at the gates of the underworld following their arrival.

Worship: Not truly worshipped, but mentioned in many hymns and passages of The Book of the Dead.
 

 

Ammit
Other Names: Eater of the Dead, the Devourer.

Patron of: destruction of the souls of the wicked.

Appearance: a demon with the head of crocodile, the torso of a leopard and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus.

Description: Ammit sits beneath the Scales of Justice before the throne of Osiris where she waits for the daily flow of souls to come before Osiris for judgement. During the Judging of the Heart, if the deeds of the soul being judged are found to be more wicked than good, Anubis feeds the soul to Ammit. This results in the total annihilation of the person, and there is no hope of further existence.

 

 

Ammut, Great of Death, Eater of Hearts, The Devourer...
by Caroline Seawright

Ammut (Ammit, Ahemait, Ammemet) was an Egyptian demoness. She was known as the 'Eater of Hearts', 'The Devourer' and 'Great of Death' because she was a demoness of punishment.

She had the head of a crocodile, the body of a leopard and the backside of a hippopotamus - all fierce creatures to the Egyptians. All man-eaters. It's no wonder that she was depicted as one who consumed the unworthy dead!

Of Ammut, an Egyptian papyrus (No. 9901) states:

hat en emsuh; pehu-s em tebt her-ab-set em ma.
the fore-part of a crocodile; her hind-quarters are those of a hippopotamus; her middle part [is that] of a lion.
 In the The Book of the Dead, Ammut sat at the judgement of the dead in The Hall of Double Ma'at (when the deceased's heart was weighed on the scales against Ma'at), ready to devour the souls of the unworthy - the final death for an Egyptian! It has even been suggested that she was also a protector of Osiris, because of her position at the Judgement.
She was also known as the 'Dweller in Amenta' or the 'Devourer of Amenta', the place where the sun sets. Amenta, as used by the Egyptians, was applied to the west bank of the Nile - Egyptian cemeteries and funerary places were all on the west. To the Egyptians, west was a direction linked to death. Amenta was also the name of the underworld - the place where Ra traveled during the night. Ammut, therefore, was not only a demoness of death, but a demoness of the underworld. In at least one papyrus, Ammut was depicted as crouching beside the lake of fire in the infernal regions of the underworld!

The The Book of the Dead is a selection of spells, designed to assist the deceased through the trials of the underworld. This also, of course, assists the dead to not get eaten by Ammut. The papyrus of Ani, in a speech made by the gods to Thoth, says:

The Osiris [the scribe Ani], whose word is true, is holy and righteous. He has not committed any sin, and he has done no evil against us. The devourer Ammut shall not be permitted to prevail over him. 
 

 

Anubis
Other Names: Anpu, Inpu, Ienpw, Imeut (Lord-of-the-Place-of-Embalming).

Patron of: mummification, and the dead on their path through the underworld.

Appearance: A man with the head of a jackal-like animal. Unlike a real jackal, Anubis' head is black, representing his position as a god of the dead. He is rarely shown fully-human, but he is depicted so in the Temple of Abydos of Rameses II. There is a beautiful statue of him as a full jackal in the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Description: Anubis is an incredibly ancient god, and was the original god of the dead before Osiris "took over" the position. After that point, Anubis was changed to be one of the many sons of Osiris and the psychopomp (conductor of souls) of the underworld. His totem of the jackal is probably due to the fact that jackals would hunt at the edges of the desert, near the necropolis and cemeteries throughout Egypt.

Prayers to Anubis are found carved on the most ancient tombs in Egypt, and his duties apparently are many. He watches over the mummification process to ensure that all is done properly. He conducts the souls through the underworld, testing their knowledge of the gods and their faith. He places their heart on the Scales of Justice during the Judging of the Heart, and he feeds the souls of wicked people to Ammit.

In some stories, Anubis is the son of Ra and Nephthys, or Set and Nephthys (probably due to Set and Anubis having the same totem animal). Some have Heset as his mother, and still others say Bast. This apparent confusion is still another sign of Anubis' origins in the most ancient of times. He also has a daughter, Kabechet, who helps him in the mummification.

Worship: Worshipped widely throughout all of Egypt, his cult center was Cynopolis.

Variants:

Hermanubis
A combination of the Greek god Hermes and Anubis. As their functions as psychopomps were similar, they were combined by the Greeks into a single form. Hermanubis also appears in alchemical and hermetical literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

 

 

Anubis (Inpew, Yinepu, Anpu) was an ancient Egyptian god of the underworld who guided and protected the spirits of the dead. He was known as the 'Lord of the Hallowed Land' - the necropolis - and Khenty Amentiu, 'Foremost of the Westerners' - the Land of the Dead was thought to be to the west, where the Egyptians buried their dead. (Khenty Amentiu was the name of a previous canine deity who was superseded by Anubis.) The worship of Anubis was an ancient one - it was probably even older than the worship of Osiris. In the pyramid texts of Unas, his role was already very clear - he was associated with the Eye of Horus and he was already thought to be the guide of the dead in the afterlife, showing them the way to Osiris. In the text, it was written that "Unas standeth with the Spirits, get thee onwards, Anubis, into Amenti, onwards, onwards to Osiris."

 He was generally depicted as a black jackal-headed man, or as a black jackal. The Egyptians would have noticed the jackals prowling around the graveyards, and so the link between the animal and the dead was formed in their minds. (It has been noticed by Flinders Petrie that the best guides to Egyptian tombs are the jackal-trails.) Anubis was painted black to further link him with the deceased - a body that has been embalmed became a pitch black color. Black was also the color of fertility, and thus linked to death and rebirth in the afterlife. Anubis was also seen as the deity of embalming, as well as a god of the dead. To the Egyptians, Anubis was the protector of embalming and guardian of both the mummy and the necropolis.

Anubis was often identified by the word sab, 'jackal' rather than 'dog' (iwiw). Though to the Egyptians there was not a great deal of difference between the two canines, so there is some confusion over which animal Anubis actually was. The animal is sometimes referred to as the 'Anubis animal' as it is unknown which exact species of canine that Anubis actually was based on.

When the Osiris worship came to power, Osiris took over many of Anubis' jobs as caretaker and protector of the dead. As this happened, Anubis became 'He Who is Before the Divine Booth', the god of embalming who presided over the funerary rituals. The funerary stm priests  would wear a mask of the jackal god during the mummification process, symbolically becoming the god for the rituals.

The preliminary stages of mummification involved the opening - the violation - of the body, an action that only Anubis himself would have been allowed to perform. The priest who took on this role was called the 'Overseer of the Mysteries' (hery seshta). It was thought that he would be magically become the funerary god himself and so be able to legitimately cut open the corpse for the mummification process.

He is sometimes called the son of Nephthys and Set or of Nephthys and Osiris. In one train of thought, it was believed that Isis raised him, as Set might murder his wife's illegitimate son, and so he grew up a friend and follower of Osiris. He was thought to have a daughter known as Kebechet (Kabechet, Kebehut), who was depicted as a snake or ostrich carrying water. She was the goddess of freshness and purification through water who washed the entrails of the deceased and brought the sacred water to Anubis for his tasks. She was thought to give water to the spirits of the dead while they waited for the mummification process to be complete. She was probably related to mummification where she would fortify the body against corruption, so it would stay fresh for reanimation by the deceased's ka.

It was believed that Anubis was the one who invented the process of mummification. Anubis helped Isis bring her husband back to life again after Set had killed him. He embalmed the body of the god, swathed it in the linen cloths that had been woven by the twin goddesses, Isis and Nephthys, making sure that the body would never decay or rot.

The wakening of the dead was also thought to be a function of Anubis. He would appear by the mummy, and awaken the soul. The mummy was removed from the sarcophagus when it arrived at the door of the tomb and was placed upright against the wall by a priest wearing the mask of Anubis, thought to have become the god himself. The 'Opening of the Mouth' ceremony was then performed. It consisted of a number of rituals that would turn the mummy (or a statue of the dead) into an inhabitable vessel for the deceased's ka. The ceremonies involved purification, sensing and anointing of the mummy along with incantations. The mummy was touched by ritual objects on various body parts to restore the senses - the spirit would then be able to see, hear, speak and eat as a living being. Some of the tools for this ritual have been found in predynastic Amratian graves, so it is probable that at least some of the rituals involved in the 'Opening of the Mouth' had evolved from this early time.

After the deceased had been placed into the tomb and sealed up, it was thought that Anubis would lead the deceased to the afterlife, along with another god, Wepwawet (Upuaut). The two are very similar, though Wepwawet was also another ancient jackal or wolf god, appearing on the Narmer palette. He was not just a god of the dead, but he was a warrior god who opened the way to victory for the pharaoh. The 'Opener of the Ways' helped Anubis to guide the dead to the Halls of Ma'ati. It was here that Anubis, as 'He Who Counts the Hearts', watched over of the weighing of the heart and the judging of the deceased. Here it was his duty to see that the beam of the scales was in its proper place, and that the weighing was done correctly. He would then pass judgment on the deceased and Thoth would record the pronouncement. Anubis would protect the innocent from the jaws of Ammut, but would give the guilty to her to meet the final death.

According to E.A. Wallis Budge in The Gods of the Egyptians Anubis shared the duty of guiding the dead through the afterlife with another jackal-headed god ... "Opener of the Ways"). These two gods both "opened the ways", although Anubis was the opener of the roads of the North and Wapwawet the opener of the roads to the South. Budge goes on to say that Anubis was the personification of the summer solstice, and Wapwawet of the winter solstice.
A strange fetish, known as the imiut fetish, was linked to Anubis. It was a headless stuffed skin (usually of a great feline), tied by its tail to a pole which was planted in a pot. Known as the 'Son of the hesat-Cow' (the cow that produced the Mnevis bull was linked to the cow goddess Hesat), another title of Anubis, they is evidence of this fetish as early as the 1st Dynasty. They were linked to the funerary cult, depicted in the Chapel of Anubis at Hatshepsut's mortuary temple and actual golden fetishes being left in the tomb of Tutankhamen. These emblems of Anubis were placed at the western ends of the corridors, one on each side of the outermost shrine at Tutankhamen's tomb. The pots were made of Egyptian 'alabaster' and the poles represented the water lily water lily (lotus) stem and bud while the tip of the skin's tail had a papyrus flower attached and the pole and fetish itself were gilded. Other fetishes have been found made of real animal skin that have been wrapped in bandages. In early times there was a god, Imiut, who was known as 'He Who is in His Wrappings' who became a form of Anubis. The fetish was probably linked with mummy wrappings though it also appears to have been related to the royal jubilee festival.

Anubis the Dweller in the Mummy Chamber, Governor of the Divine House ... saith:- Homage to thee, thou happy one, lord! Thou seest the Utchat. Ptah-Seker hath bound thee up. Anubis hath exalted thee. Shu hath raised thee up, O Beautiful Face, thou governor of eternity. Thou hast thine eye, O scribe Nebseni, lord of fealty, and it is beautiful. Thy right eye is like the Sektet Boat, thy left eye is like the Atet Boat. Thine eyebrows are fair to see in the presence of the Company of the Gods. Thy brow is under the protection of Anubis, and thy head and face, O beautiful one, are before the holy Hawk. Thy fingers have been stablished by thy scribe's craft in the presence of the Lord of Khemenu, Thoth, who hath bestowed upon thee the knowledge of the speech of the holy books. Thy beard is beautiful in the sight of Ptah-Seker, and thou, O scribe Nebseni, thou lord of fealty, art beautiful before the Great Company of the Gods. The Great God looketh upon thee, and he leadeth thee along the path of happiness.  Sepulchral meals are bestowed upon thee, and he overthroweth for thee thine enemies, setting them under thy feet in the presence of the Great Company of the Gods who dwell in the House of the Great Aged One which is in Anu.
 -- The Speech of Anubis from the Papyrus of Nu and the Papyrus of Nebseni

To the east of Ankh-Tawy (Saqqara) there was a place known as Anubeion, one of Anubis' cult centers. The burials of mummified dogs and jackals took place there. Although he was worshiped all over Egypt, he had other cult centers at Abt, the 12th Nome, Zawty (Asyut) and the city of Hardai (Cynopolis) in the 17th Nome where a vast number of dog mummies were buried at dog cemeteries.

As protector of the necropolis, Anubis was known as 'He Who is Upon the Mountain'. The Egyptians believed that the god would keep watch over the tombs and graves from a high vantage point in the desert, ready to rush down to protect the deceased from desecration. Images of Anubis as a seated jackal above nine prisoners were stamped on many of the seals to tombs in the Valley of the Kings. They symbolize Anubis' protection against thieves and evil doers who entered the necropolis. He protected not only the souls of the dead, but their eternal resting place, too.
 

Apep
Other Names: Apophis, the Destroyer.

Patron of: evil and darkness.

Appearance: a great serpent or crocodile.

Description: Apep was the ancient spirit of evil and destruction who dwelled in eternal darkness. Every day he would attempt to devour the Sun Boat of Ra as it sailed the heavens. Set's original role was to battle Apep and keep him from destroying the boat. Occasionally, Apep would succeed, and the world would be plunged into darkness (a solar eclipse?). But Set and his companion Mehen would cut a hole in Apep's belly to allow the Sun Boat to escape.

Apep commanded an army of demons that plagued mankind. Only by putting faith in the gods of light could people defeat the demons.

Every year, a ritual called the "Banishing of Apep" would be held by the priests of Ra. They would take an effigy of Apep and in the center of the temple they would pray that all the wickedness in Egypt would go into the effigy. Then they would trample the effigy, crush it, beat it with sticks, pour mud on it, and eventually burn and destroy it. In this way, the power of Apep would be curtailed for another year.

Worship: Not worshipped. Ever.

 

 

Kabechet
Patron of: purification of the body of the deceased.

Appearance: a serpent or ostrich bringing water.

Description: Kabechet is the daughter of Anubis, and she aids him in preparing the body for mummification. When Anubis washes the entrails, it is she who brings him the sacred water for the task. She also gives a cooling drink to the spirits of the dead who must wait while they are being mummified.

Worship: Not truly worshipped, but mentioned in many hymns and passages of The Book of the Dead.
 
 Mahaf

Mahaf was the ferryman who navigates the boat provided by Aken, along the winding waters of the Underworld. he also acts as a herald announcing the arrival of the king into the presence of the sun god, Re.
 
 

Osiris
Other Names: Oser, Aser, Asar, Usire

Patron of: the Underworld, the dead, past Pharaohs, agriculture (old form), fertility (old form).

Appearance: In his original form, a green-skinned man dressed in the raiment of a pharaoh. Following the Legend of Osiris, he appears as a green-skinned man in the form of a mummified pharaoh. He is often depicted wearing the atef crown with a pair of ram horns at its base.

Description: Throughout the height of Egyptian civilization, Osiris was the primary deity. In power, he was second only his father, Ra, and was the leader of the gods on earth. He was the husband of Isis and the father of Horus (and a number of other gods in some stories). Osiris resided in the underworld as the lord of the dead, as after being killed by Set, even though he was a god, he could no longer dwell in the land of the living.

After Osiris was killed, Isis resurrected him with the Ritual of Life, which was later given to the Egyptians so that they could give eternal life to all their dead. The spells and rituals cast by Isis, plus many others given to the people by the gods over the centuries, were collected into The Book of Going Forth by Day, colloquially known as The Book of the Dead.

In the underworld, Osiris sits on a great throne, where he is praised by the souls of the just. All those who pass the tests of the underworld become worthy to enter The Blessed Land, that part of the underworld that is like the land of the living, but without sorrow or pain. In some texts, in addition to the Judging of the Heart, Osiris passes final judgment over the dead, acting in this capacity as an Egyptian version of Radamanthus.

There is an interesting parallel between Osiris, a fertility/agriculture god, and the Greek Persephone, an agriculture goddess. Both end up in the underworld through treachery and both are kept there by "legal loopholes" in the laws of the gods. Persephone remains in the underworld for half a year because she tasted the food of the dead. Osiris remains in the underworld because Ma'at dictates that the dead, even dead gods, may not return to the land of the living.

Worship: Worshipped widely throughout all of Egypt, and his cult center was Abydos.

Variants:

Ptah-Seker-Osiris
A composite funerary god worshipped during the Middle Kingdom period. In this form he represents the three aspects of the universe: creation, stability, and death.

The Legend of Osiris

The Legend of Osiris is one of the most ancient myths in Egypt, and it was central to the ancient Egyptian state religion. The myth establishes Osiris' position as god of the dead and lord of the underworld, and Horus' (and thus all the pharaohs) right to kingship. It also demonstrates the powers and duties of the other major gods as well as setting up the Great Adversary, Set. Yet oddly enough, we have yet to find a complete version of the story. What we have has been cobbled together over many years from many different documents and sources.

It is an old story, but it is one of what Neil Gaiman calls the "Great Stories." The Great Stories are part of the core human experience and never change except in the most superficial ways. They defy any attempts to rewrite them with drastic changes, always returning to their original forms. The setting might be modified depending on who's telling it, the characters have different names, but fundamentally, it's still the same story. A version of the Osiris myth exists in every culture: the just king murdered by his cruel brother, only to be avenged by the prince who follows in his father's footsteps. Sometimes the dead king is rewarded for his upright ways and gains great reward in the next life. We find its echoes in nearby civilizations such as the Greeks and Romans, in far-off Japan and China, in Christianity, even in Shakespeare, where the avenging prince is named Hamlet. Take another look at it, you'll see what I mean. Enjoy the story.

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O my brothers and my sisters, gather around me that I may tell the tale of the Before-Time, of the Golden Age when the gods walked upon the earth with us. Know then that in those ancient days, long before even the grandfather of our Pharaoh's grandfather was born, Osiris the great-grandson of Ra sat upon the throne of the gods, ruling over the living world as Ra did over the gods. He was the first Pharaoh, and his Queen, Isis, was the first Queen. They ruled for many ages together, for the world was still young and Grandmother Death was not as harsh as she is now.

His ways were just and upright, he made sure that Maat remained in balance, that the law was kept. And so Maat smiled upon the world. All peoples praised Osiris and Isis, and peace reigned over all, for this was the Golden Age.

Yet there was trouble. Proud Set, noble Set, the brother of Osiris, he who defended the Sun Boat from Apep the Destroyer, was unsettled in his heart. He coveted the throne of Osiris. He coveted Isis. He coveted the power over the living world and he desired to take it from his brother. In his dark mind he conceived of a plot to kill Osiris and take all from him. He built a box and inscribed it with wicked magic that would chain anyone who entered it from escaping.

Set took the box to the great feast of the gods. He waited until Osiris had made himself drunk on much beer, then challenged Osiris to a contest of strength. Each one in turn would enter the box, and attempt, through sheer strength, to break it open. Osiris, sure in his power yet feeble in mind because of his drink, entered the box. Set quickly poured molten lead into the box. Osiris tried to escape, but the wicked magic held him bound and he died. Set then picked up the box and hurled it into the Nile where it floated away.

Set claimed the throne of Osiris for himself and demanded that Isis be his Queen. None of the other gods dared to stand against him, for he had killed Osiris and could easily do the same to them. Great Ra turned his head aside and mourned, he did not stand against Set.

This was the dark time. Set was everything his brother was not. He was cruel and unkind, caring not for the balance of Maat, or for us, the children of the gods. War divided Egypt, and all was lawless while Set ruled. In vain our people cried to Ra, but his heart was hardened by grief, and he would not listen.

Only Isis, blessed Isis, remembered us. Only she was unafraid of Set. She searched all of the Nile for the box containing her beloved husband. Finally she found it, lodged in a tamarisk bush that had turned into a mighty tree, for the power of Osiris still was in him, though he lay dead. She tore open the box and wept over the lifeless body of Osiris. She carried the box back to Egypt and placed it in the house of the gods. She changed herself into a bird and flew about his body, singing a song of mourning. Then she perched upon him and cast a spell. The spirit of dead Osiris entered her and she did conceive and bear a son whose destiny it would be to avenge his father. She called the child Horus, and hid him on an island far away from the gaze of his uncle Set.

She then went to Thoth, wise Thoth, who knows all secrets, and implored his help. She asked him for magic that could bring Osiris back to life. Thoth, lord of knowledge, who brought himself into being by speaking his name, searched through his magic. He knew that Osiris' spirit had departed his body and was lost. To restore Osiris, Thoth had to remake him so that his spirit would recognize him and rejoin. Thoth and Isis together created the Ritual of Life, that which allows us to live forever when we die. But before Thoth could work the magic, cruel Set discovered them. He stole the body of Osiris and tore it into many pieces, scattering them throughout Egypt. He was sure that Osiris would never be reborn.

Yet Isis would not despair. She implored the help of her sister Nephthys, kind Nephthys, to guide her and help her find the pieces of Osiris. Long did they search, bringing each piece to Thoth that he might work magic upon it. When all the pieces were together, Thoth went to Anubis, lord of the dead. Anubis sewed the pieces back together, washed the entrails of Osiris, embalmed him wrapped him in linen, and cast the Ritual of Life. When Osiris' mouth was opened, his spirit reentered him and he lived again.

Yet nothing that has died, not even a god, may dwell in the land of the living. Osiris went to Duat, the abode of the dead. Anubis yielded the throne to him and he became the lord of the dead. There he stands in judgment over the souls of the dead. He commends the just to the Blessed Land, but the wicked he condemns to be devoured by Ammit.

When Set heard that Osiris lived again he was wroth, but his anger waned, for he knew that Osiris could never return to the land of the living. Without Osiris, Set believed he would sit on the throne of the gods for all time. Yet on his island, Horus, the son of Osiris and Isis, grew to manhood and strength. Set sent many serpents and demons to kill Horus, but he defeated them. When he was ready, his mother Isis gave him great magic to use against Set, and Thoth gave him a magic knife.

Horus sought out Set and challenged him for the throne. Set and Horus fought for many days, but in the end Horus defeated Set and castrated him. But Horus, merciful Horus, would not kill Set, for to spill the blood of his uncle would make him no better than he. Set maintained his claim to the throne, and Horus lay claim himself as the son of Osiris. The gods began to fight amongst another, those who supported Horus and those who supported Set. Banebdjetet leaped into the middle and demanded that the gods end this struggle peacefully or Maat would be imbalanced further. He told the gods to seek the council of Neith. Neith, warlike though wise in council, told them that Horus was the rightful heir to the throne. Horus cast Set into the darkness where he lives to this day.

And so it is that Horus watches over us while we live, and gives guidance to the Pharaoh while he lives, and his father Osiris watches over us in the next life. So it is that the gods are at peace. So it is that Set, wicked Set, eternally strives for revenge, battling Horus at every turn. When Horus wins, Maat is upheld and the world is at peace. When Set wins, the world is in turmoil. But we know that dark times do not last forever, and the bright rays of Horus will shine over us again. In the last days, Horus and Set will fight one last time for the world. Horus will defeat Set forever, and Osiris will be able to return to this world. On that day, the Day of Awakening, all the tombs shall open and the just dead shall live again as we do, and all sorrow shall pass away forever.

Lo, this is my tale. Keep it in your hearts and give it to others, as I gave it to you.
 

Sokar (Seker)
Other Names: Socharis, Seker

Patron of: the Memphis necropolis and the funerary cult.

Appearance: a man with the head of a hawk

Description: Sokar (Seker) was the primary god of the Memphite funeral cult and its nearby burial grounds and tomb sites. He was seen as a manifestation of the resurrected Osiris, and in later dynasties he was combined with Ptah and Osiris into one deity, Ptah-Sokar-Osiris (see below). He is most often found depicted on royal tomb walls.

Though he was a death god, Sokar was also the patron of the living, mainly the workers who built the necropolis and the craftsmen who made tomb artifacts. He was also the patron of those who made ritual objects and substances used in mummification.

His dedicated festival was the Henu Festival, and was held every year in Thebes. The festival celebrated Osiris' resurrection as Sokar. It involved a huge procession with the image of Sokar being carried in a gilded boat.

Worship: Worshipped widely throughout Upper Egypt, his cult centers were Memphis and Thebes

Variants:

Ptah-Seker-Osiris
A composite funerary god worshipped during the Middle Kingdom period. In this form he represents the three aspects of the universe: creation, stability, and death.
 
 

The Four Sons of Horus are sometimes described as the funerary deities, or genii (sing, genius). Their names are Imsety (imsti), Hapy (hpy, not to be confused with the Nile river god, Hapi), Duamutef and Kebehsenuef. All references we have to these deities are funerary in context, and it appears that no cults ever honored them. 
Right: The Four Sons of Horus rising from a Lotus blossom (Blue Lilly)

While the family genealogy of these deities is not well established, they are clearly stated to be the sons of Horus in any number of texts. For example, while Isis was said to be their mother, in Spell 125 of the Book of the Dead, they are seen as having sprung from a lotus flower (Blue Lilly). In various text, Horus of Khem, Harsiese and Horus the Elder are all cited as being their father. The four sons were also associated with four protective goddess, usually being paired as Imsety and Isis, Hapy and Nephthys, Duamutef and Neith, and Kebehsenuef and Selket.

The Sons of Horus were associated with various points of the compass, as well, with Imsety linked to the South, Hapy with the North, Duamutef the East and Kebehsenuef the West. In addition, Hapy and Duamutef were associated with the northern Delta city of Buto, while Imsety and Kebehsenuef were linked to the southern, or Upper Egyptian city of Hierakonpolis.

Right: Duamutef with the head of a jackel

We find references to these deities from the Old Kingdom all the way through to Greco- Roman times. The earliest extensive religious text, known as the Pyramid Texts, mentions them a total of fourteen times. From these texts, we learn of their basic nature.

For example, Spell 2078 and 2079 describe them as,

"friends of the king, (who) attend on this King...., the children of Horus of Khem (letopolis); they tie the rope-ladder for this King. they make firm the wooden ladder for this King, they cause the King to ascend to Khepri when he comes into being in the eastern side of the sky".

From Spell 1333, we learn that they, "spread protection of life over your father the Osiris King, since he was restored by the gods", while Sepll 552 tells us that, "I will not be thirsty by reason of Shu, I will not be hungry by reason of Tefnut; Hapy, Duamutef, Kebehsenuef, and Imsety will expel this hunger which is in my belly and this thirst which is on my lips". However, in the New Kingdom Book of the Going Forth by Day (the Book of the Dead, Spell 137), tells us more about these gods:

"O sons of Horus, Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef, Kebehsenuef: as you spread your protection over your father Osiris-Khentimentiu, so spread your protection over (the deceased), as you remove the impediment from Osiris-Khentimentiu, so he might live with the gods and drive Seth from him."

Spell 17 elaborates further on these gods, telling us that:

"As for the tribunal that is behind Osiris, Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef, Kebehsenuef; it is these who are behind the Great Bear in the northern sky....As for these seven spirits, Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef, Kebehsenuef, Maayotef, He-Who-is-under-his-Moringa-Tree, and Horus-the-Eyeless, it is they who were set by Anubis as a protection for the burial of Osiris."

In the tenth division of the Book of Gates, these supernatural beings are also shown restraining the ummti (wmmti) snakes, who were allies of Apophis, an enemy of Re, with chains.

Left: A depiction of Imsety

As protectors then, it is not surprising that from the Middle Kingdom through the Greco-Roman era, these deities are referenced in almost every tomb, and their powers are invoked upon almost all coffins and canopic equipment. We find actual representations of them during the 18th Dynasty on the sides of the coffin trough, with Anubis-Amywet and Anubis-Khenty-seh-netjer standing between the genii. They were also depicted on New Kingdom sarcophagi in stone and wood. During this period three dimensional representations of their heads adorned the lids of canopic jars, because they were thought to be either the guardians or the actual reincarnation of the specific organs removed during he mummification process. In this regard, Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef and Kebehsenuef were linked with the liver, lungs, stomach and intestines respectively, though sometimes the associations of Hapy and Duamutef are found switched about. They were also associated with other body parts. For example Hapy and Duamutef  were linked to the hands, while Imsety and Kebehsenuef were linked with the feet (Spell 149 form the Pyramid Text).

Right: The Four Sons of Horus from the Tomb of Ay

On canopic equipment, their heads were originally depicted as human, though a few canopic chests from the Middle Kingdom depict them with falcon heads. During these early periods, they usually wear the divine tripartite wig, though in the tomb of King Ay in the Valley of the Kings on the West Bank of Luxor (ancient Thebes), Imsety and Hapy are depicted wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt, while Duamutef and Kebeshsenuef wear the White Crown of Southern Egypt.

However, between the early 18th Dynasty and the middle 19th Dynasty, their heads were depicted differently, with Imsety's head remaining human, while Hapy took on the appearance of an Ape, Duamutef that of a Jackal, and Kebeshsenuef that of a falcon. This form of representation persisted into the Greco-Roman period, with the exception of the 22nd and 23rd Dynasties, when at least six different combinations of the gods can be found, the most common showing Duamutef and Kebeshsenuef swapping heads.

Left: Hapy as Baboon and Kebeshsenuef with a falcon head from the Tomb of Nefertari

Late in the 3rd Intermediate Period, these deities even gained more prominence. In addition to their presence on coffins and conopic equipment, faience amulets of the deities were attached to the bandages or other mummy wrappings. From the time of Ramesses III, was images of the Four Sons of Horus were placed in the mummy's body cavity.

Interestingly, the Four Sons of Horus continued to be depicted on funerary equipment into the Ptolemaic and Roman eras, and the last known instances are found as late as the 4th century AD, well into the Christian era.
 

 

Thoth
Other Names: Tehuty, Djehuty

Patron of: knowledge, secrets, writing, and scribes

Appearance: A man with the head of an ibis holding a scribe's palette and stylus. He was also shown as a full ibis, or sometimes as baboon.

Description: Thoth is an unusual god. Though some stories place him as a son of Ra, others say that Thoth created himself through the power of language. He is the creator of magic, the inventor of writing, teacher of man, the messenger of the gods (and thus identified by the Greeks with Hermes) and the divine record-keeper and mediator.

Thoth's role as mediator is well-documented. It is he who questions the souls of the dead about their deeds in life before their heart is weighed against the feather of Maat. He was even sent by Ra to speak with Tefnut and ask her to return when she abdicated her position and went to Nubia. He is also the great counselor and the other gods frequently went to him for advice.

Thoth is considered a lunar deity and is often depicted wearing the lunar crescent on his head. There is a story told of how Thoth won a portion of Khonsu's light, and this may be the reason. As a lunar deity his totem animal is the baboon, a nocturnal animal that goes to sleep only after greeting the new day.

Worship: Worshipped widely throughout all of Egypt, his cult center was Hermopolis.
 
 

The Book of Thoth

Setna is a recurring character in ancient Egyptian literature. One of the sons of Rameses II, Setna was an accomplished magician, statesman, scholar, and something of an adventurer. His position as the son of the pharaoh, but too far down the line ever to rule is actually a common one for the court scribe. That he existed is no question, but like King Arthur and other quasi-historical figures, his exploits have no doubt been inflated over the years.

This story dates to several centuries following the reign of Rameses. By this time stories of Setna had reached epic proportions, and the former court scribe was elevated to the status of mythic hero. This is one of the more complete stories told about him, and certainly one of the best.

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Loudly do the people sing of Setna, son of the Great Rameses, most learned man in Egypt. A great scholar, he was able to read all of the old writings and decipher the most ancient texts. No symbol in Egypt was unknown to him, even the ones on the walls of the crumbling temples from the oldest of days. He was also a mighty magician, perhaps the mightiest in Egypt, for he had learned the magical arts from the secret texts that not even the priests of Amen-Ra could read.

Because of this, he would often spend his days studying ancient writings and listening to the stories told by the elders and the scribes. Every day his servants would bring him rolls of papyrus from libraries and temples all over Egypt. He would read them and his scribes would make copies of them to place in his father's library. Thus Rameses' kingdom was a kingdom of learning.

One day he read in a crumbling scroll about another son of another pharaoh who had been a scribe and magician: Nefrekeptah, the son of Amenhotep. He had lived three hundred years earlier and had been regarded as the mightiest magician in Egypt, for he had found and read the Book of Thoth, the secrets of the god of wisdom. The Book of Thoth was a collection of magics that would enable the reader to know the language of the animals, to cast great spells, even to enchant the sky and the earth itself!

Setna desired the book for himself that he too might drink of its knowledge. He learned that it had been buried with Nefrekeptah at the Memphis necropolis. Setna sought his brother, the mighty Anheru and asked him for help.

"I will go with you, my brother," said Anheru, "I shall be your sword and shield."

It was not difficult to find Nefrekeptah's tomb. As they were the sons of the pharaoh, the priests allowed them to enter. The brothers broke the seals and made their way to the central chamber. There lay Nefrekeptah in his sarcophagus with a great roll of papyrus on his chest. To his left and right there were two chairs. In one of the chairs was the ghostly ka of a woman, in the other sat the ka of a young man.

Setna and Anheru bowed to the two kas and to the body of Nefrekeptah. Setna said, "Osiris keep you in peace, O prince and scribe, and you two who sit beside him in eternity. I am Setna, scribe and magician to my father the pharaoh as you were to yours. I have come to claim the Book of Thoth for my own. I ask you for it peacefully, but I have the power to take it if I choose."

Then the ka of the woman spoke, "Do not take the Book of Thoth, Setna. It is not for you to read, nor for any mortal. Nefrekeptah did not heed the warnings given him, and so his life was filled with sorrow. Misfortune followed him all the days of his life, even claiming the lives of his wife Ahura, and their son Merab. We are they whose kas you see before you, never knowing the Blessed Land because of his lust for knowledge. Listen to my tale, and learn well.

"Know that Nefrekeptah and I were the children of Amenhotep, may Osiris keep him in peace, and according to custom became husband and wife. Merab, our son, was soon born to us, and we lived happily. Nefrekeptah was a man of learning, and craved to know all things. Forever he was reading the ancient books and walking through the old temples and tombs, copying down the sacred writings.

"One day as he was studying thus, an old priest came up to him and said, 'All that is written here is worthless, for it is the work of mortals. I can tell you where to find the knowledge of the gods themselves, the knowledge of Thoth. It is written in his book and hidden away. By reading it you will learn the language of the beasts, how to see the wind and how to hear the sun, the secrets of the gods and the songs of the stars.'

Nefrekeptah's heart leaped within him, for he desired to read of this book. He asked the old priest where it was, promising him anything he wished.

The priest told him, 'Give me a hundred bars of silver for my tomb and a royal proclamation that I be buried like a king.'

Nefrekeptah did all that the priest asked, and the priest told him where he might find the Book of Thoth.

'In the middle of the Nile at Koptos, guarded by snakes and scorpions and a mighty serpent who cannot be killed, in an iron box, in which there is a bronze box, in which there is a wooden box, in which there is an ivory and ebony box, in which there is a silver box, in which there is a golden box, there you shall find the Book of Thoth.'

"Nefrekeptah hastened home and told me all that he had done. I was afraid, for the things of the gods are not for us to touch. Yet he would not be swayed . He beseeched our father for the use of the royal barque. This was granted, and Nefrekeptah, myself, and our son Merab set sail that evening.

"We sailed up the Nile to Koptos, where we offered up sacrifices to Isis and Horus, asking them for success. The next day, Nefrekeptah went to the riverbank and cast a great spell. He summoned up a magic rope that would bind itself to anything he commanded it to and could not be broken or loosed. He cast the rope into the river, commanding it to seek out the iron box.

"After an hour he commanded that the rope lift out of the water. It did so, and brought with it the iron box guarded by snakes and scorpions and the mighty serpent who cannot be killed. It was set upon the ground. Nefrekeptah spoke a word of power, and the snakes and scorpions became as still as stone. Then the great serpent rose to strike, it could not be affected by magic. Nefrekeptah drew his sword and struck off its head in one blow. But the head and the body sprang back together and the serpent rose to strike again. Three times did Nefrekeptah strike, and three times did the serpent become whole again.

"Nefrekeptah had a plan. He called to his servant and asked him to empty a large jar from the ship's hold and to bring it to him. When the servant returned, Nefrekeptah took hold of the serpent's head, struck it off, threw it into the jar and closed the lid. Nefrekeptah commanded his servant to cast the jar into the Nile. The serpent's body thrashed about, but could not find its head.

"Then Nefrekeptah went harmlessly to the box. He opened the iron box, then the bronze box, then the wooden box, then the ivory and ebony box, then the silver box, and then the golden box. In the golden box he found the book and took it. He unrolled the scroll and read from it. Instantly he learned the language of the beasts, how to see the wind and how to hear the sun, the secrets of the gods and the songs of the stars.

"He then gave it to me and bade me read, and I too learned the language of the beasts, how to see the wind and how to hear the sun, the secrets of the gods and the songs of the stars.

"Nefrekeptah then took papyrus and ink and wrote down all the spells from the Book of Thoth. Then taking a pot of beer he washed the ink into a cup and drank it so that the spells entered him and he would not forget them.

"After this we set sail for Memphis. But misfortune overtook us. A strange power seized Merab and caused him to jump into the river and drown. But Nefrekeptah used a spell from the Book to raise Merab from the depths. Yet no magic could bring him back to life, for life is given only by Ra. Yet Nefrekeptah beseeched Merab's ka to speak of what happened.

"Merab's ka said, in the hollow voice of the dead, 'Know that Thoth has discovered what you have done, and has gone to Amen-Ra. And Amen-Ra has given him leave to deal with you as he chooses, but Amen-Ra is sending you great sorrow as punishment, the first of which is to take me from you.'

"We left Merab's body at Koptos where the Ritual of Life was said over him and he was lain in a tomb. We lamented at his loss and our hearts were broken with grief. Nefrekeptah then gave the order to sail once more.

"As we passed the place where Merab had drowned, a power seized me as well and I stepped off into the river and drowned. But Nefrekeptah used a spell from the Book to raise me from the depths. Yet no magic could bring me back to life, for life is given only by Ra. Yet Nefrekeptah beseeched my ka to speak of what happened.

"I said, in the hollow voice of the dead, 'Know that Thoth has discovered what you have done, and has gone to Amen-Ra. And Amen-Ra has given him leave to deal with you as he chooses, but Amen-Ra is sending you great sorrow as punishment, the second of which is to take me from you.'

"And so as with Merab, Nefrekeptah left my body at Koptos where it too was entombed beside Merab. Nefrekeptah sailed in sorrow to Memphis, but when it arrived, he too was dead, holding the Book of Thoth on his chest, the third sorrow. And so Nefrekeptah was buried as a prince, and the kas of myself and our son come to him to watch over him.

"All this was because we took what was not ours and would not heed the warnings. We took the property of the gods and used it as mortals, and mortals have no claim to the things of the gods, neither do you have claim to the Book of Thoth. So I say unto you, if you would not have the sorrows we have, leave the book where it lies for all eternity."

And Setna was filled with awe at the tale, but he was not afraid. He knew he was mightier than Nefrekeptah had been, and his lust for knowledge took hold of him. He spoke in the voice of magic, "Give me the Book of Thoth, or I will use my power to cast you from this place." And the kas of Ahura and Merab drew back in fear.

But then the ka of Nefrekeptah arose from his body and said, "Setna, if you still persist in this quest, even after hearing the tale of sorrows of this family destroyed by the book, the book shall be yours. But you must win it from me in a game of Senet. Will you do this?"

And Setna replied, "I will play for the book."

So the Senet board was brought, and the pieces taken out and placed upon the board. They commenced to play. And Nefrekeptah got his first piece off the board, and Setna sank into the ground to his ankles. Nefrekeptah got his second piece off the board, and Setna sank to his waist. Nefrekeptah got his third piece off the board, and Setna sank to his neck. Quickly he beseeched his brother, "Anheru, bring my magic staff that I may free myself!" And Anheru gave his brother the magic staff. As soon as it was in his hand, Setna worked a great magic and sprang out of the ground. The ka of Nefrekeptah screamed, but he no longer had power over Setna.

Setna grabbed the Book of Thoth and he and Anheru fled the tomb. Behind them, the ka of Ahura cried aloud, but the ka of Nefrekeptah swore that Setna would return the book, crawling upon his hands and knees.

Soon Setna and Anheru stood before their father Rameses and told him all that had happened. Rameses said, "Setna my son, return the Book of Thoth to the tomb. It destroyed Nefrekeptah, and if you would be wise, you would remove it from you lest it do the same to you. Be sure that Nefrekeptah still has power in this world and he will use it to work sorrow upon you until you return the book, crawling upon your hands and knees."

But Setna did not listen to his father, and kept the book. He spent many hours studying it, learning all that it contained. His magic grew powerful, and his knowledge great, for he knew the language of the beasts, how to see the wind and how to hear the sun, the secrets of the gods and the songs of the stars. Many came from all over Egypt to hear his wisdom and to learn from him.

One day, as he sat on the steps of the palace giving counsel, he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen passing by. With her was an entourage of serving-maids, and she was dressed in robes of white with gold thread, a golden girdle, and a headdress of gold. Setna could not believe that such beauty could be found among mortals.

He asked those with him, "Who could she be?"

One, the governor of a distant province, replied, "That is Tabubua, daughter of the high priestess of Bast."

Though Setna was married and had a son and a daughter, he forgot all these things in his desire. It was as if a spell had been cast upon him, and indeed he was bewitched, though even with all his power and knowledge of magic he could not see that he was. He desired only Tabubua, and longed to make her his.

He sent her a message, asking if he might come to her. Until he received her reply, he did not eat or drink, nor did he read from the Book of Thoth. Even his eternal quest for knowledge was set aside for the sake of this woman.

Her reply said that he was free to come and speak to her at her palace near Bubastis, the holy city of Bast, the wife of the great god Ptah. He went to her, and she welcomed him to her palace, offering him wine and sweetmeats.

He spoke of his desire for her, nay, of his love. She answered, "If you would make me yours, I must tell you that I am no mortal woman, but the child of Bast herself. Though mortal men may take many wives and may love many times, I cannot allow any rivals. Before we may be wed you must divorce your present wife and your children must be sacrificed and fed to the cats of Bast, lest they plot evil against our children."

And Setna, blind with desire and hardened by the pride of his ill-gotten knowledge, took out his stylus and papyrus, and wrote a decree of divorce against his wife and a command that his children be sacrificed and fed to the cats of Bast.

And when it was done, and the wails of his wife and the cries of his children reached Tabubua's ears, she came to him in her bridal robes. She stepped toward him, and Setna reached out his arms to clasp her. He held her close, saying "I have given up everything for you, my wife is a beggar, my children are slain, you have no rivals for my love!" But it was not a beautiful woman he held, but a withered corpse!

Setna screamed, and the darkness claimed him. He awoke to find himself lying on the road to Memphis, his father's city. There was no sign of the great palace of Tabubua, or Tabubua herself.

"All a dream," he said, "but a terrible one. To think that I could give up all I had so easily. To think that my pride and my lust would overcome me. This was a warning, that unless I undo what I have done, it will come to pass."

He hurried home to find his wife and children alive, and he held them as one holds precious things. He knew that he must return the Book of Thoth to Nefrekeptah.

Setna appeared before his father, the great Rameses, and told him of the dream and of his decision. Rameses said, "Setna, better that you come to your senses now than later. I did warn you that it would destroy you if you did not return it. Return the book to its keeper, and go there on hands and knees, in true contrition."

Setna did so, entering the tomb on his hands and knees, bowing before the sarcophagus of Nefrekeptah and the kas of Ahura and Merab. He begged Nefrekeptah to forgive him and to take back the book, lest it work the same misfortune on Setna as it had on Nefrekeptah.

Then the ka of Nefrekeptah appeared and spoke laughingly, "I said that you would return, crawling on your hands and knees, and so you have. Place the book in my dead hands. But there is one final thing you must do before you are free of punishment. This you must do, or the dream will come to pass."

This Setna did, then he looked up and asked, "What must I do, O scribe Nefrekeptah?"

The ka of Nefrekeptah replied, "Know that though I am buried here in Memphis, my wife and son still lie far away in their tomb at Koptos. I wish for us to be together once more, as a family should be. Bring their bodies to rest here with mine, that we may rejoice together for the first time in many ages. Bring their bodies to rest here with mine, that we may await together the Day of Awakening when Osiris returns to the world."

And Setna gave his word that he would do this. He hastened to his father, the great Rameses, and asked for the use of the royal barque and told him why he needed it. Rameses gave his blessing and wished his son all speed and the protection of Ptah.

Setna and his servants sailed up the Nile to Koptos where they offered up sacrifices to Isis and Osiris. They also sacrificed to Anubis, the guardian of the dead, and to his son Upuaut, the opener of the ways, to whom all tombs are known. But the priests could not tell Setna where Ahura and Merab were buried, for it had been long ago. Setna looked through the ancient writings and read the oldest carvings, but he could find no record of their burial.

Setna despaired and offered great riches to anyone who could help him find the tomb of Ahura and Merab. But no one came forth except for an old man who told Setna, "When I was a child, my grandfather's father (who was as old as I am now) told me that when he was a child, his grandfather's father had shown him the location of the tomb of Ahura and Merab, for when he had been a young man, in the reign of Amenhotep, he had lain them there himself. Follow me, and I will take you there"

Setna followed, and in an ancient field on the outskirts of Koptos, the old man told him to dig. Setna and his men dug, and found an ancient stone mastaba of the style common in Amenhotep's day. They opened the tomb and went in, finding the bodies of Ahura and Merab. The old man cried with joy and disappeared. Setna gave praise to the gods, knowing that it had been none other than the ka of Nefrekeptah, given power to walk among the living that he might show the way.

Setna and his servents carried the bodies back to Memphis, as if they had been the bodies of a pharaoh and his queen, on the royal barque with all honors.

And there in Memphis, Rameses himself led the funeral procession to Saqqara, the city of the dead, and Setna himself pronounced the rituals when they were laid in the tomb, to the left and to the right of the sarcophagus of Nefrekeptah. As they did so, Setna saw the three kas standing together, smiling at him, and he knew that the curse was lifted from him.

The funeral procession left the tomb and closed it up. Setna spoke a word of power, and the door became as the stone around it, and the stone became as the hills around it. He spoke another word, and a mighty sandstorm came up and buried the tomb so that none might find it again. There it lies hidden for all ages against its finding by mortals. And there lies hidden the Book of Thoth, held safely by Nefrekeptah, his wife Ahura, and their son Merab. They stand guard over it and await the Day of Awakening, when Osiris shall return to the world once more.

 

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The wisest of the Egyptian gods was Thoth (Djhuty, Djehuty, Tehuty), the baboon and ibis god of the moon. Thoth was the god who overcame the curse of Ra, allowing Nut to give birth to her five children, with his skill at games. It was he who helped Isis work the ritual to bring Osiris back from the dead, and who drove the magical poison of Set from her son, Horus with the power of his magic. He was Horus' supporter during the young god's deadly battle with his uncle Set, helping Horus with his wisdom and magic. It was Thoth who brought Tefnut, who left Egypt for Nubia in a sulk after an argument with her father, back to heaven to be reuinted with Ra.

 Tefnut, the Eye of Ra, became estranged from her father and fled into Nubia, taking all of her precious water with her. In this land, she transformed herself into a lioness. She raged through the countryside, emitting flames from her eyes and nostrils. Viciously, she drank the blood and fed on the flesh of both animals and humans. As time went on, Ra missed his Eye, and longed to see her again - Egypt had dried, and the land was in chaos. He summoned Shu to him, along with Thoth, who was the messenger of the gods and famous for his eloquence. Ra issued the command that Shu and Thoth must go to Nubia and bring back his recalcitrant daughter. Before they set off on their journey Shu and Thoth disguised themselves as baboons. The baboon is an animal sacred to Thoth. Eventually, Thoth and Shu found Tefnut in Begum. Thoth began at once to try and persuade her to return to Egypt. Tefnut, however, wasn't interested. She liked hunting in the desert and was perfectly happy where she was. Thoth would not give up though, and wove stories to depict to her how gloom had descended upon Egypt since she had left. The people of Egypt would do anything for her if she'd just return home. Ultimately, wooed by Thoth's promises, Tefnut relented and returned to Egypt accompanied by the two baboons. All the way there, Thoth kept her entertained with stories. Tefnut made a triumphant entry back into the homeland, accompanied by a host of Nubian musicians, dancers and baboons. She went from city to city, bringing back moisture and water, amid great rejoicing, until finally she was reunited with her father, and restored to her rightful position as his Eye.
When Ra retired from the earth, he appointed Thoth and told him of his desire to create a Light-soul in the Duat and in the Land of the Caves, and it was over this region that the sun god appointed Thoth to rule, ordering him to keep a register of those who were there, and to mete out just punishments to them. Thoth became the representation of Ra in the afterlife, seen at the judgement of the dead in the 'Halls of the Double Ma'at'.

 The magical powers of Thoth were so great, that the Egyptians had tales of a 'Book of Thoth', which would allow a person who read the sacred book to become the most powerful magician in the world. The Book which "the god of wisdom wrote with his own hand" was, though, a deadly book that brought nothing but pain and tragedy to those that read it, despite finding out about the "secrets of the gods themselves" and "all that is hidden in the stars".

He was one of the earlier Egyptian gods, thought to be scribe to the gods, who kept a great library of scrolls, over which one of his wives, Seshat (the goddess of writing) was thought to be mistress. He was associated by the Egyptians with speech, literature, arts, learning. He, too, was a measurer and recorder of time, as was Seshat. Believed to be the author of the spells in the Book of the Dead, he was a helper (and punisher) of the deceased as they try to enter the underworld. In this role, his wife was Ma'at, the personification of order, who was weighed against the heart of the dead to see if they followed ma'at during their life.

Thoth was usually depicted as an ibis headed man or as a full ibis, or with the face of a dog-headed baboon and the body of a man or, again, as a full dog-headed baboon. The ibis, it is thought, had a crescent shaped beak, linking the bird to the moon. The dog-headed baboon, on the other hand, was a night animal that was seen by the Egyptians who would greet the sun with chattering noises each morning just as Thoth, the moon god, would greet Ra, the sun god, as he rose.

In keeping with his many attributes, he was depicted with a variety of symbols. As a god of Egypt, he carried the ankh, the symbol of life, in one hand, and in the other he held a scepter, the symbol of power. In the 'Book of the Dead', he was shown holding a writing palette and reed pen to record the deeds of the dead. As voice of the sun-god Ra, he carried the utchat, or Eye of Ra, the symbol of Ra's ubiquitous power. Thoth was variously depicted wearing a crescent moon on his headdress, or wearing the Atef crown, or sometimes, the crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.
Originally, Thoth was a god of creation, but was later thought to be the one who civilized men, teaching them civic and religious practices, writing, medicine, music and magic. He took on many of the roles of Seshat, until she became a dual, female version of Thoth.

The god of learning was also reputed to have been a god of measuring the passage of time, and thus the god of the Egyptian calendar. It is interesting to note that although he is related to the solar calendar in myth (where he won five extra days a year from Khonsu, the moon god), but that as a moon god himself, he was very probably closely related to Egypt's original lunar calendar:

"...Researchers of the ancient Egyptian calendar agree that the solar calendar of 360 + 5 days was not the first prehistoric calendar of that land. This 'civil' or secular calendar was introduced only after the start of dynastic rule in Egypt, i.e., after 3100 BC; according to Richard A. Parker (The Calendars of the Ancient Egyptians) it took place circa 2800 BC 'probably for administrative and fiscal purposes'. This civil calendar supplanted, or perhaps supplemented at first, the 'sacred' calendar of old. In the words of the Encyclopaedia Brittanica, 'the ancient Egyptians originally employed a calendar based on the Moon'. According to R. A. Parker (Ancient Egyptian Astronomy) that earlier calendar was, 'like that of all ancient peoples', a calendar of twelve lunar months plus a thirteenth intercalary month that kept the seasons in place."
- Zecharia Sitchin, When Time Began

Thoth's centre of worshiped was at Khmunu (Hermopolis) in Upper Egypt, where he was the creator god, in Ibis form, who laid the World Egg. The sound of his song was thought to have created four frog gods and snake goddesses who continued Thoth's song, helping the sun journey across the sky.

He was the 'One who Made Calculations Concerning the Heavens, the Stars and the Earth', the 'Reckoner of Times and of Seasons', the one who 'Measured out the Heavens and Planned the Earth'. He was 'He who Balances', the 'God of the Equilibrium' and 'Master of the Balance'. 'The Lord of the Divine Body', 'Scribe of the Company of the Gods', the 'Voice of Ra', the 'Author of Every Work on Every Branch of Knowledge, Both Human and Divine', he who understood 'all that is hidden under the heavenly vault'. Thoth was not just a scribe and friend to the gods, but central to order - ma'at - both in Egypt and in the Duat. He was 'He who Reckons the Heavens, the Counter of the Stars and the Measurer of the Earth'.
 

 

 

Maat
Other Names: Ma'at

Patron of: truth, law and universal order.

Appearance: A woman wearing a crown surmounted by a huge ostrich feather. Her totem symbol is a stone platform or foundation, representing the stable base on which order is built.

Description: Maat was the personification of the fundamental order of the universe, without which all of creation would perish. The primary duty of the pharaoh was to uphold this order by maintaining the law and administering justice. To reflect this, many pharaohs took the title "Beloved of Maat," emphasizing their focus on justice and truth.

At any event in which something would be judged, Maat was said to be present, and her name would be invoked so that the judge involved would rule correctly and impartially. In the underworld, the heart of the deceased was weighed by Anubis against Maat's feather. If the heart was heavy with wicked deeds, it would outweigh the feather, and the soul would be fed to Ammit. But if the scales were balanced, indicating that the deceased was a just and honorable person in life, he would be welcomed by Osiris into the Blessed Land. Maat's presence in all worlds was universal, and all the gods deferred to her.

Worship: Worshipped and revered widely throughout all of Egypt. Even the gods are shown praising Maat.

 

 

Nephthys
Other Names: Nebet-het, Nebt-het

Patron of: the dead, funerals, the house, and women.

Appearance: A woman with the symbols for "basket" and "house" on her head.

Description: Nephthys is the sister of Osiris and Isis and the wife of Set. She is a very ancient goddess, first found in Old Kingdom writings. She is often depicted riding in the funeral boat accompanying the dead into the Blessed Land. She is not exactly the personification of death, but she is the closest thing to it in Egyptian belief.

Though the wife of Set, she did not support him in his bid for power in the Osiris Legend. In fact, she does the opposite, aiding her sister Isis in finding the pieces of Osiris' body. She is believed to be the mother of Anubis, and thus stands at the head of an entire family of funerary deities.

She is also revered as the head of the household of the gods, and her protection is given to the head woman of any house. In fact her name is given as a title to such women (literally translated it means "head of the house"). She also stands at the head of the bed to comfort women in childbirth while Bes dances.

Worship: Worshipped widely throughout all of Egypt, though she had no formal temple or cult.