Egyptology
Ancient Egypt — texts, gods, ethicsTruth, Order, Renewal.
This section curates accurate, referenced summaries of key Egyptian concepts and deities. Sources include the UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology (UEE), UCL Digital Egypt, and major museum collections. External links are provided with nofollow.
Wisdom Topics
- Ma'at — Truth, Order, JusticeMa'at names the principle and goddess of truth, right order, balance, and cosmic-ethical harmony in ancient Egypt.Read more →
- 42 Assessors of Ma'atThe tribunal of forty‑two assessors in Spell 125 of the Book of the Dead before whom the deceased declares innocence.Read more →
- Gates of the DuatThe night journey of Ra passes through gates guarded by deities; Books of the Amduat and Gates describe their order and names.Read more →
- Heka — Creative Efficacy (Magic)Heka denotes the embodied power to effect change through words, ritual, and participation in divine order—often translated as 'magic'.Read more →
- Ka, Ba, Akh — Aspects of the PersonEgyptian texts distinguish facets of personhood: ka (vital double), ba (mobile personality), and akh (effective, transfigured spirit).Read more →
- Weighing of the Heart — Judgment SceneIn Book of the Dead vignettes, the heart is weighed against the feather of Ma'at; a balanced heart permits passage into the blessed afterlife.Read more →
Gods & Goddesses
- Ra — Solar CreatorPrime solar deity associated with creation and the daily solar cycle; often merged with Amun as Amun-Ra.Profiles →
- Isis — Great of MagicPowerful goddess of protection, magic (heka), and kingship; mother of Horus and consort of Osiris.Profiles →
- Osiris — Lord of the WestGod of death and regeneration; ruler of the underworld (Duat) and exemplar of just kingship.Profiles →
- Horus — Falcon of KingshipSky-falcon and patron of kingship; opponent of Seth and son of Isis and Osiris in Osirian myth.Profiles →
- Anubis — Foremost of the WesternersJackal god of embalming and necropolis guardianship; overseer of the weighing of the heart.Profiles →
- Thoth — Lord of WritingGod of writing, reckoning, and lunar cycles; divine scribe who records the results of judgment.Profiles →
- Hathor — Mistress of JubilationGoddess of joy, love, music, and one aspect of the Eye of Ra; also guardian of the necropolis as 'Lady of the West'.Profiles →
- Sekhmet — The Powerful OneLioness goddess, a fierce Eye of Ra who subdues chaos; paired with healing and apotropaic rites.Profiles →
- Bastet — She of the Ointment JarProtective feline goddess associated with healing perfumes and domestic joy; a tempered counterpart to Sekhmet.Profiles →
- Ptah — Fashioner of the WorldCreator god of Memphis tied to craftsmanship and creation through heart and tongue (mind and speech).Profiles →
- Ma'at — Truth and OrderGoddess who personifies and guarantees Ma'at—the truth-order that sustains gods, king, and people.Profiles →
- Amun — Hidden OneTheban god whose cult rose to national prominence; syncretized with Ra as Amun‑Ra.Profiles →
- Mut — MotherConsort of Amun in Thebes; mother goddess and member of the Theban triad with Amun and Khonsu.Profiles →
- Khonsu — TravelerLunar god and son in the Theban triad; associated with healing oracles.Profiles →
- Atum — Self‑CreatedPrimeval creator of Heliopolis; father of Shu and Tefnut; head of the Ennead.Profiles →
- Khepri — He Who BecomesAspect of the sun at dawn; symbolizes emergence and transformation.Profiles →
- Geb — EarthEarth god of the Ennead; consort of Nut and father of Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys.Profiles →
- Nut — SkySky goddess who swallows the sun at dusk and births it at dawn; mother of Osiris, Isis, Seth, Nephthys.Profiles →
- Shu — AirGod of air and space; separates Geb (earth) and Nut (sky).Profiles →
- Tefnut — MoistureLioness goddess of moisture and twin of Shu; mother of Geb and Nut.Profiles →
- Seth — Lord of the DesertAmbivalent god of desert and storms; slayer of Osiris and rival of Horus; also protector of Ra against Apophis in some texts.Profiles →
- Nephthys — Lady of the HouseSister of Isis and Osiris; assists Isis in mourning and protection; mother of Anubis in some traditions.Profiles →
- Neith — First OnePrimordial goddess of Sais; patron of weaving and war; sometimes a creator deity.Profiles →
- Khnum — Fashioner on the WheelRam‑headed creator who fashions bodies on the potter’s wheel; chief at Elephantine triad with Satis and Anuket.Profiles →
- Satis — She Who PoursElephantine goddess associated with the Nile flood; consort of Khnum and mother of Anuket.Profiles →
- Anuket — EmbracerDaughter in the Elephantine triad; connected with the cataracts and fertility of the Nile.Profiles →
- Taweret — Great OneApotropaic goddess protecting mothers and children; common on household objects.Profiles →
- Bes — Protector of the HomeApotropaic household god who wards off evil and delights children; linked with music and festivity.Profiles →
- Sobek — Crocodile LordCrocodile god of strength and fertility; major cults at the Fayum and Kom Ombo.Profiles →
- Wepwawet — Opener of the WaysJackal god leading processions and opening paths; early cult at Asyut and Abydos.Profiles →
- Nekhbet — Vulture of NekhebVulture goddess of Upper Egypt; paired with Wadjet as the Two Ladies, protectors of kingship.Profiles →
- Wadjet — Uraeus of ButoCobra goddess of Lower Egypt; with Nekhbet forms the Two Ladies, protectors of the king.Profiles →
- Meretseger — She Who Loves SilenceProtectress of the Theban necropolis and artisans of Deir el‑Medina; punishes and heals transgressors.Profiles →
- Hapi — Nile InundationPersonification of the Nile's life‑giving flood; unites Upper and Lower Egypt with lotus and papyrus.Profiles →
- Apis — Sacred BullLiving bull manifestation venerated at Memphis; associated with Ptah and Osiris in death (Osiris‑Apis).Profiles →
- Mnevis — Bull of HeliopolisSacred bull of Heliopolis associated with the sun god; distinct from Apis.Profiles →
- Imhotep — Great of HealingArchitect of Djoser deified in later periods as a healer and sage; equated with Asclepius in Greco‑Roman era.Profiles →
- Renenutet — Lady of the GranaryCobra goddess of harvest and nourishment; venerated in the Fayum and linked to grain stores.Profiles →
- Pakhet — She Who ScratchesLioness huntress of Middle Egypt; guardian in rugged terrain; related to Bastet/Sekhmet spectrum.Profiles →
- Mafdet — RunnerEarly protective feline who slays serpents and embodies swift justice.Profiles →
- Bat — Cow Goddess of SesheshAncient cow goddess related to Hathor; her visage shapes the sistrum instrument.Profiles →
- Tatenen — Risen LandPrimeval mound deity at Memphis linked to earth’s emergence and Ptah’s creative speech.Profiles →
- Sopdet (Sothis) — Bringer of the InundationPersonification of Sirius; heliacal rising heralded the Nile flood and New Year.Profiles →
- Sah — OrionPersonification of Orion; aligns the king’s destiny with imperishable stars.Profiles →
- Sopedu — Lord of the EastFrontier god of the eastern Delta and Sinai routes; protects boundaries and travelers.Profiles →
- Ra‑Horakhty — Ra as Horus of the HorizonsSolar synthesis expressing Ra as Horus of the Two Horizons—sun’s passage and royal order.Profiles →
- Amun‑Ra — King of the GodsSupreme synthesis of Theban Amun and solar Ra; high theology of empire and renewal.Profiles →
- Harpocrates — Horus the ChildChild form of Horus symbolizing renewal and protection; popular in late and Roman periods.Profiles →
- Haroeris — Horus the ElderForm of Horus venerated especially at Edfu; paired with Sobek at Kom Ombo in Ptolemaic period.Profiles →
- Serapis — Osirian‑Apian LordGreco‑Egyptian god formed from Osiris‑Apis with Hellenic features; healing and afterlife benefactor.Profiles →
- Hermanubis — Hermes‑AnubisRoman‑period fusion of Hermes (guide, eloquence) and Anubis (embalmer, guardian) as a psychopomp.Profiles →
- Sokar — Lord of RostauMemphite funerary god who later unites with Ptah and Osiris; guardian of tomb realms.Profiles →
- Mehen — Coiled ProtectorProtective serpent who coils around Ra at night, shielding the barque in the Duat.Profiles →
- Apophis (Apep) — Chaos SerpentSerpent of chaos opposing Ra’s nightly passage; bound, pierced, and burned by rites and crew.Profiles →
- Maahes — Lion PrinceLion‑headed warrior and protector; linked as son to Bastet or Sekhmet in various traditions.Profiles →
- Qetesh — Lady of the GodsLevantine pleasure goddess adopted in New Kingdom Egypt; appears with Resheph and Min.Profiles →
- Resheph — Lord of the BowLevantine war/plague god integrated in New Kingdom; invoked for martial protection.Profiles →
- Imsety — Son of Horus (Human‑headed)One of the Four Sons of Horus; protects the liver and is guarded by Isis.Profiles →
- Hapy (Son of Horus) — Baboon‑headedSon of Horus who protects the lungs; guarded by Nephthys.Profiles →
- Duamutef — Jackal‑headedSon of Horus who protects the stomach; guarded by Neith.Profiles →
- Qebehsenuef — Falcon‑headedSon of Horus who protects the intestines; guarded by Selket (Serqet).Profiles →
- Khonsu Neferhotep — Beautiful of OfferingsBeneficent aspect of Khonsu attested in Theban inscriptions and oracular healing rites.Profiles →
- Khentyimentiu — Foremost of the WesternersAncient Abydos necropolis god whose role later merges with Osiris.Profiles →
- Amun‑Min — Lord of the High PlumesSyncretism of Amun with Min emphasizing fertility and royal potency.Profiles →
- Isis‑Aphrodite — Universal GoddessGreco‑Roman fusion presenting Isis with Aphrodite’s attributes in Mediterranean cults.Profiles →
- Isis‑Sothis — Star of the New YearIsis identified with the star Sothis (Sirius), herald of the Nile flood and New Year.Profiles →
- Khnum‑Ra — Solar PotterSyncretic creator as ram‑headed solar potter shaping beings and deities.Profiles →
- Hathor‑Sekhmet — The Eye PacifiedFusion expressing the Eye of Ra’s duality—destructive heat as Sekhmet, pacified joy as Hathor.Profiles →
- Mut‑Sekhmet‑Bastet — Triune EyeComposite invocation of the Eye of Ra’s leonine protectors in Theban liturgy.Profiles →
- Khentykhety — Foremost of KhemLocal falcon deity of Letopolis (Khem), later aligned with Horus forms.Profiles →
- Heryshef (Herishef) — Ram of First WatersRam‑headed creator and ruler deity of Herakleopolis; later associated with Ra and Osiris.Profiles →
- Horus Behdety — Lord of EdfuHorus of Edfu, defender of order; the winged sun (Behdety) crowns gateways as victory sign.Profiles →
- Hathor of Dendera — Mistress of DenderaDendera form of Hathor, patron of joy, beauty, and the sistrum; Greco‑Roman temple preserves rich hymns and processions.Profiles →
- Isis of Philae — Mistress of MagicAt Philae, Isis’ cult flourished into Roman times with rich inscriptions, oracles, and processions.Profiles →
- Mandulis — Lord of NubiaNubian solar‑associated god at Kalabsha; appears at Philae in Greco‑Roman period.Profiles →
- Arensnuphis — Good CompanionNubian‑associated 'Good Companion' who accompanies Isis in Philae processions.Profiles →