Ancient Egyptian Gods

Re (Ra) was the solargod and a major deity all over Egypt. Every day he traveled over the sky in his boat with his sundisc. He stood for the rising sun, life, rebirth, children, health, virility etc, and the myths about him were several.

In the fifth dynasty the pharaoh took the title - son of Re, and this lasted to the end of Egyptian history. During the New Kingdom he was combined with Amon and became Amon-Re and Horus as Re-Horakhte.

Osiris (in Greek) was king of the Underworld and originally a god of agriculture and nature. His origin is disputed and he first appeared during dynasty five. In Heliopolis he was said to be son of Re and he represented the dead king. Minor gods were taken into his vast cult and many legends were told about him.

The common Myth of Osiris is about his death (murdered by his brother Set) and resurrection. He was the chief judge in the court at the threshold to the next life, where all the dead citizens were trying to come through to Paradise. He always wore a mummy-dress and was brother to Isis.

Seth (in Greek) was an old local god of storms and disorder. He had many forms: a pig like animal, a pig, a black hippo, a dog with an erected or arrow-like tail, a crocodile or a man with red hair and eyes wearing a red robe.

In the New Kingdom he reached fame as the god of war with temples of his own. Kings (like the Setis) took his name. He was also a god of love(!) and popular in amulets. He sometimes symbolised Lower Egypt in pair with Horus who represented Upper Egypt.

In the Myth of Osiris he murdered his brother Osiris and was sentenced to pull Re's solar bark across the sky every day - forever.

Isis (in Greek) was the goddess with a throne upon her head and her name simply meant "seat". She stood for love, magic, motherhood, children, medicine and peace. People ask her to make marriages happy, and with time she also joined the Osiris cult as his consort.

She could also wear the sun disc within two cow-horns and a cobra. Her temples were found all over Egypt and her very popular worshipping was continued by the Greeks and Romans. A popular motif was her sitting and nursing her son Horus giving him a meal.

Horus (Greek) was a sky and solar god from Upper Egypt from before the unification and one of the oldest gods in the Egyptian mythology. He was the personal symbol of the pharaohs symbolising protection and courage.

He defeated all evilness in the world (symbolically) by defeating Set who had killed his father Osiris. His twin sister was Bast and he was sometimes seen as a child being breast fed sitting in the lap of his mother Isis. In his aspect he was the combined god Re-Horakhte.