egyptian gods for kids

Now that was probably a cool thing to have. It was believed that these pictures of her on their coffin would help protect the dead against evil. From Nut and Geb the gods Osiris, Isis, Nephthys and Seth were born. Find out more, He guided the dead to the next life via the court of Osiris in the Underworld. They had gods for everything, from dangers to chores! How weird is that? Horus was the Egyptian god of the Sky. History for Kids; On This Day; Ancient Egyptian Gods Gallery. At first, they saw him as a valuable god. Some of the Most Important Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. There were two rather large festivals that were associated with Seth. This is often translated as the ‘Powerful One’ or ‘She who is Powerful’. It would have been important to stay on her good side! He did this to even the score for his father, Osiris, who was killed by Seth. She also comforted women in childbirth while standing at the head of their beds. He was certainly linked to many different animals and was sometimes shown as just one of them. Heka was the son of Khnum, the ram-headed creator god of fertility. No wonder she was complicated! She had plenty of shrines in her honour, and was one of the gods worshipped at Heliopolis, and ancient Egyptian town. His green face was connected to the life he brought to the ancient Egyptian people. Read on to find out what Isis apparently looked like. Share it with us. He sure seemed important with all those temples for people to worship him. Interesting Facts about Osiris. They particularly wanted to get rid of people worshipping Amun as the national god. This helped them feel more secure and more able to cope with their surroundings. o Hab Most Egyptian gods represented one principle aspect of the world: Ra was the sun god, for example, and Nut was goddess of the sky. As the culture of the Egyptians changed, so some of the gods were absorbed into new gods. She was one ancient Goddess as she was written about in the Old Kingdom writings. o Dweller within Senu He also had white clothing which was a sign of mummification. Guess we’ll never know for sure. Heka was the son of Khnum, the ram-headed creator god of fertility. Goddess of Protection and of household entertainment. o Lady of Heaven The Egyptian kings and pharaohs had special pyramids, obelisks, and sun temples built in his honour. Find out more. Because of this myth, people often thought of Hathor as Horus’ mother. The heart was measured against the feather of truth and justice, which belonged to Maat. His main temple was in the city of Khmun. Anubis, the son of Osiris, helped Isis and her sister Nephthys to rebuild his body and Anubis was in charge of the first mummification. When he was captured by Seth and imprisoned in a tree, this symbolised the ‘Tree of Life’ which was connected to abundance and looked after the grain to make sure it carried on producing fruit. He was described as the god “who has made all gods, men, and animals- he who has created all lands and shores and the ocean in his name ‘fashioner of the earth.’ ” He was the founder of intelligence and had ways to communicate his intelligence. Wow, that is far and wide. Ra, the Egyptian sun god, was a very old god but there were even more ancient sun gods than him. His hands came through the front to his clothing and he held a sceptre. Sekhmet was a goddess of war and always went with the king into battle. Some of the Egyptian gods are listed below, along with a description of their characteristics and duties. We’ll cover different gods too, so look out for those to learn even more.eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'historyforkids_net-medrectangle-3','ezslot_8',659,'0','0'])); Amun was the ancient Egyptian god of the air, sun and the sky. Wow, he certainly was hated then! Wonder what he did with them. Some pharaohs, like Seti I, were named after Seth. Do you know any other cool facts to share with us about him? The ancient Egyptians believed that Osiris died by the powers of evil, Apep, who was the eater up of souls. Some of them looked very much like humans; however others were part human and part animal, where some of them looked like crocodiles, jackals, cats, rams and even falcons. It was like a ritual where a pharaoh or a priest would spear a model of a hippopotamus. After their great struggle he rose again and became the king of the underworld and the judge of the dead. In early ancient Egyptian myths he was said to be the son of Ra, but in later myths he was the son of Set and Nephthys. He also built the supports that held it up. He had heaps of names throughout the centuries in which ancient Egypt flourished. After some time, the priests of Horus fought with Seth’s supporters. The curved beak apparently symbolises the curve of the moon. Wonder which myth is true? Sounds rather strange. He sent Hathor out to sort it out and terrorise all the people. In ancient Egyptian religion and mythology, Hathor (also spelled Athor) was the goddess of love, fertility, beauty, music, and laughter and fun. Guess he wasn’t loved as much anymore. Some even saw linked him to poisonous creatures like snakes and scorpions. According to legend she had a sister named Nephthys and two brothers Osiris and Set. She was shown either as a cow or as a woman with cow’s horns with the solar disk nested between them. The other gods flooded the fields with a very strong drink that was dyed with red ochre. Some, such as Neith, Sekhmet, and Mut, had changeable characters. Osiris was one mighty god of Egypt and was loved by most. Hathor’s name means ‘House of Horus’. It apparently had all the secrets of the universe in it. If you lived in that time, you would definitely have to respect her, that’s for sure! Kids learn about Ancient Egyptian Pyramids. He was worshiped as a god of music. He certainly was an important God indeed. That would just be weird. Tell us about it. He was one of the most unique looking gods. Hope you’ve found these facts about Horus helpful. Hmmm, maybe it wasn’t so cool to read after all. Maybe it can help you with a school project. Isis was a member of a group of gods and goddesses called the Ennead. He was murdered by his jealous brother Seth and became the lord of the Underworld. o Djehuti Maybe she wasn’t that bad after all. The ancient Egyptians built lots and lots of temples to honour her. $12.99. Sounds like she was a great goddess don’t you think? Can you imagine what you would look like? It wouldn’t be fun bumping into him on a dark night. Wonder what he used that for. As we said, Horus was the god of the sky. This means she was like a priestess. He was usually shown in human form with a falcon head, crowned with the sun disc encircled by the a sacred cobra. Seth killed Osiris as Nephthys had a son from him. Wow, he sure was popular. Wow that sounds scary. Discover the legends and myths and religious beliefs that surrounded Ra, the very important Egyptian sun god. Early art of Isis shows her wearing a long dress and wearing a crown which had the hieroglyphic symbol for a throne. Ra in Ancient Egyptian Mythology – The Sun Gods. Have we missed out any important facts that you know? In early Egyptian writing she was often called the Eye of Ra, which was supposed to have represented the god when he was forced to take action against his enemies and was spiteful and fierce, the traditional evil eye. He was the one who apparently invented the process of embalming, which is how bodies were preserved. She was popular, but at the same time she was rather vicious too. It had a pointed snout, tall, rectangular ears and a thin body like a dog with a long forked tail. This ancient Egyptian myth explains why Osiris was the god of the dead and ruler of the Egyptian underworld. How scary! Do you have any other facts on Hathor? o Asten It looks like a key and supposedly symbolises the idea of eternal life, just like being immortal. The Egyptians usually showed Seth as a man with the head of a fantastic animal that they called the Seth animal. They certainly weren’t gods to mess with. She doesn’t look exactly like you would expect the picture of death to be, but she was definitely the closest to it in Egyptian belief. She must have been awesome to be around! She is one of the oldest known gods of Egypt. The ancient Egyptians linked this powerful deity, or God, with many things which included the mind, science, logic, intelligence, knowledge, writing, and reason. Both of these gods were connected with death. Thoth was said to be the inventor of hieroglyphic writing and the Egyptians believed he gave this to them as a gift. So she could be gentle then…who would have known! Wow, that just seems crazy! 4.7 out of 5 stars 459. Check out our fave Egyptian gods, below… Hawk-headed sun god Ra was one of the most important gods of all. Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. Well they did and Isis changed roles many times indeed. Some of them are huge. He was special and was worshipped widely. Egyptian Gods. when she was in our 6th grade classroom. Isis was said to have married her brother Osiris and together they had a son named Horus. He sure was very, very important. The famous Scarab Beetle, seen on so many charms, amulets and the jewellery of the Egyptian gods of ancient Egypt, was a sacred symbol of revival and creation of the Egyptian gods suggesting ideas of transformation and bringing back to life. Do you know any other facts about Anubis? Besides being the Egyptian god of death, the Underworld and Rebirth, Osiris was also Isis’ helper, who was his sister. Nephthys and her sister Isis were often together and you could only tell them apart by the hieroglyph on their heads. She was also connected with the hot winds of heaven. During the period 2040 BC – 1782 BC, Ra was linked to more and more gods and combined with them. o Khenti He then became a member of the eight gods collectively called the Ogdoad of Hermopolis. It was said that Ptah created the great metal plate that was the floor of heaven and the roof of the sky. As she had this kindness in her, people often linked her to Isis, the mother goddess, but Hathor was also all about destruction. Wonder if he enjoyed his job? Do you think you can pronounce that? As Aaron, the spokesman for Moses, touched the "rod" of the Lord to the Nile River it immediately turned to blood, all the fish died, and the river stank. o Tehuty The Egyptian God Seth was also known as the god of chaos. Anubis The god of The Final Judgement. Many ancient Egyptian gods had symbols which meant different things. web browser that Anubis’s jackal head was often shown to be black. There was a pillar-like symbol which was called a Djed and it was seen in hieroglyphics and meant stability. This led some ancient Greeks to combine the two gods into one god that they called Hermes Trismegistus. Throughout their history the ancient Egyptians all believed that Osiris was heavenly. She is normally shown as being good, loyal and caring, but in some myths she was shown as ferocious and dangerous, able to kill people with her fiery breath. Osiris was the Egyptian god of death, the Underworld and Rebirth. During the period known as the New Kingdom (1570 BC – 1070 BC), Amun became the national god of Egypt and head of the state pantheon and merged with Ra, the sun god as Amun-Ra. Like most gods, he was also seen as the protector of people who worshipped him. Apparently his mother, Nephthys, left her son exposed to the elements. The colour of his flesh is similar to that of the dark soil along the Nile. He was the god who spoke the words and the craftsman who built part of the creation. Thoth is usually shown as human with the head of an ibis. When he lost his eye, it was said that it grew back to become the Eye of Horus. The ‘Raising the Djed Pillar’ ceremony was a sign of the rebirth of Osiris. It took weeks to complete. As the tree grew it surrounded Osiris and the coffin in its trunk. From the back of his neck a flower-shaped menat, which is a symbol of happiness, hung. Anubis was a strange looking god, but a powerful one too. The ram heads represented Amun and were shown with the body of a lion (never winged), the hooves of a ram or a goat and the head of a ram. Ra became so important that the Pharaohs took to calling themselves the ‘sons of Ra’. When Horus beat Seth, he conquered his father, Osiris’, throne, and became protector. Her name comes from the Egyptian word ‘Sekhem’, which means power or might. This is how he was shown in the ancient drawings. The sun god stood on the mound and created the other gods and goddesses. He sure was powerful. In Upper Egypt, which was the south, in the town of Edfu, there was a temple in Ptolemaic, which was just for Horus. Hathor and her son were often seen holding a sistrum, which was a rattle-like instrument that was believed to send evil spirits away! He was the son of Nun and Naunet, husband of Sekhmet and the father of Nefertum, and later Imhotep. Because of this Ra was closely linked with the gods Atum, Horus and other sun gods. • How the Egyptians saw Seth over time changed quite a bit. The symbol of the Eye of Horus was often painted on boats to protect them from shipwrecks and storms too. However, this way of creating new gods by combining them with old gods was called ‘syncretism’. Nephthys was important in ancient Egyptian culture because the afterlife was highly valued in ancient Egypt. Some creation legends say that by speaking the names of all things, Ptah caused them to be. Here are a list of facts that will help you understand more about this important God. Firstly, she was often shown with an ankh when she was sitting, which is the sign of life, and secondly she was also very well-known as a healer as she knew so much about magic and sorcery. If the heart was heavier than the feather, they were guilty and bad. She was a powerful and respected goddess across many lands. The great structures of this world civilization. He was worshipped in a temple called the ‘Mansion of the soul of Ptah’ in Memphis, which was an ancient Egyptian town. He also had a tall white, conical headdress called the Atef crown. Ra starred in many stories, myths and legends in Egyptian Mythology. The Egyptians used eye makeup made from ground malachite. They sure liked to do things differently in those days. Nephthys was the goddess of mourning in the Ancient Egyptian religion. The Egyptians associated the colour red with Seth. So there is some background on the ancient Egyptian gods for you. Hathor was also closely linked to turquoise, malachite, gold and copper. One of the most famous legends of all time was where Isis’ husband, and of course brother, was killed by their other brother Set. She was very nice and nurturing looking after people all the time. The colour of Anubis could link him to Osiris, whose green flesh represents the fertile fields. o Naunet and Nun represented the primordial waters. Even though she was quite popular, strangely enough she was often ignored or pushed into the background. It is believed that she changed her role as early as 3,100BC. Hardcover. Read on for more. This site has great images of gods as well as interesting facts. So now you know all about Amun, the powerful Egyptian god! He was also worshipped as a guide to the pharaohs. Apparently Isis was the daughter of Geb, the Earth god and Nut, the goddess of the Sky. Ptah was worshipped right throughout Egypt. There are around 70 pyramids along the west bank of the River Nile. Find out more. His name means ‘he who is the sky’ or ‘the distant one’. He then created Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture), who then created the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut. How cool is that? Her headpiece also had a uraeus, which means cobra, and she was often dressed in red. Besides being really important she was very complicated too. Ra by Unknown. He was all about justice and honesty. o Thout He was the son of Isis and Osiris. He was later combined with Ra, who was a sun-god, a creator god and the king of the gods. © 2021 History for Kids. The scarab was an important symbol in ancient Egypt and one of the gods, Khepri, was shown with the head of a scarab beetle. Please share them with us. Seth sure sounded like an interesting god, bringing chaos with him wherever he went! Magic surrounded the Egyptian gods and Heka was the god of Magic and Medicine. Horus The god of the sky, light and goodness. Now this is a bit weird! His flesh is a representation of the earthy energies with which he is connected. $12.99. Now that was nice of her! There were heaps of falcon gods before Horus, but eventually Horus symbolised all of them. Sounds strange putting those two things together don’t you think? Ra was believed to traverse the sky each day in a solar barque and pass through the realms of the underworld each night on another solar barge to reappear in the east every morning. In the underworld, known as Duat, Hathor looked after the souls of the dead providing them with food. Have we left anything out that you know? She was the sister of Osiris and Isis, and the wife of Seth, who was also her brother. The house that we’re talking about is the sky where Horus lived. Animals were chosen to represent the powers of the god. Sobek The god of strength and nature, both feared and respected, a clear god of Pharaohs'. She obviously loved him very much. Just to add to the confusion he was also referred to as ‘Re’! o Techu It was best to live a good life and be honest otherwise he would send you to be eaten. She was obviously very important. Well you might of, as he was a very famous god in ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptian Gods . The evil Seth tricked Osiris making him lie in a magnificent coffin as part of a game and then murdered him. The Egyptian god Thoth is thought of as one of the most important of the ancient Egyptian gods. She was mostly related to protection, healing, motherhood, children and nature. As the religious beliefs and culture of the Egyptians developed some of their ancient gods were absorbed into each other to form new gods. He went on to create other creatures from metal, stone, and wood. They were considered to be the most important gods and goddesses of this ancient civilisation. Osiris became pharaoh after Geb and married his sister Isis. These animals were the boar, the antelope, the crocodile and a donkey. o Lord of the Khemenu Animals were chosen to represent the powers of the god. o Djehuty Wonder which one is true…that’s quite confusing. Symbols of Egyptian Gods. How was the Egyptian Goddess Isis Portrayed? facts about ancient egypt for kids Facts about Egypt today ... information on ancient egypt for children . Seth was one of the Two Lords (Horus was the other) who gave the king power and authority. The Ogdoad of Hermopolis (Khmunu) had 4 female-male pairs of water gods, the goddesses in the form of snakes or cobras and the gods as frogs. There were some strange pictures of a human head on a bird which symbolised the part of the soul called the Ka and Ba and these were shown in scenes from papyrus such as the Book of the Dead, which set humans apart from the gods of the Underworld. He created himself out of the god of magic and Medicine them feel more secure and gods! 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