Family Tree of Egyptian Mythology

The Egyptian Gods have a rather interesting family tree and creation. Staring with one god who developed an entire race of upper and lower gods. There's a lot of inbreeding needless to say, and like any family tree that involved inbreeding, it can get a little messy.

Atum was one of the most ancient gods in Egypt and was part of the Heliopolitan cosmology. Atum was originally an earth god, but hut then the became associated with Ra, the sun god.

In later times, he became associated with Ptah and eventually Osiris.

According to the priests of Heliopolis, Atum was the first being to emerge from the waters of Nu.

Originally a serpent, Atum was sent back to Nu and will return at the end of time.

Atum was often depicted as a man wearing the Double Drown of Upper and Lower Egypt, and as such, he is the first living man god conceived by the ancient Egyptians. Until then, all of their gods were in the form of animals.

Following, Atum's self- creation, he created his children Shu and Tefnut by masturbating (again the stories will vary as to the creation of the gods).

It was thought that Atum was a bisexual god and embodied both male and female aspects of life. So, his semen was all that was necessary to create new life and dieties.

Atum was often referred to as the Great He- She.

In later myths, it is said that Shu and Tefnut were created as the product his Atum's shadow and possibly his interest in the goddess Iusaaset.

Shu was the brother and husband of Tefnut, and they were usually mentioned together in myths.

Shu was the son of Atum and the father to Geb and Nut.

He was the Egyptian god of the air.

Shu means 'dry.'

Tefnut and her husband, Shu, were the products and children of Atum. When Atum became associated with Ra, Ra then became Tefnut's father. According to one myth, Tefnut became angry with her father, Ra, and ran off to Nubia. The god Thoth went to find her and cajoled her into returning to Egypt.

Tefnut was the Egyptian goddess of moisture and rain; her name means 'sky- spittle.'

Tefnut is the mother of Geb and Nut.

Geb was the Egyptian goddess of the sky; her name literally means 'sky.' While her brother, Nut was the god of earth; his name literally meaning 'earth.'

Together Geb and Nut had four children- Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys.

Osiris was the first child of Nut and Geb. He married his sister, Isis, and was the father of Horus and (according to some myths) Anubis.

As the myth states Nephthys assumed the form of Isis and seduced Osiris, and she then became pregnant with Anubis.

Osiris was the god of the Afterlife; his name means 'he sees the throne.'

Isis, the sister and wife to Osiris was the Egyptian goddess of magic; her name means 'the throne.'

She gave birth to Horus after she found Osiris's body in the lead covered box that Set entombed him in.

Set was the brother and husband to Nephthys. Set never had any biological children, but he raised Anubis with Nephthys. Having never had children was representative of his association with the barren desert and of his status as the antithesis of the fertile Osiris.

Set was the god of storms and chaos; his name means 'to dazzle.'

Nephthys was the wife and sister to Set. She had an illegitimate love child with Osiris. There are several myths surroundings this story.

1. She embodied Isis and seduced Osiris.
2. She intoxicated Osiris and seduced him.
3. She disguised herself as Isis and seduced Osiris.

It was Nephthys's affair with Osiris which enraged Set, and was just one of the motives for murdering Osiris.

Nephthys was the Egyptian goddess who was most ignored and pushed to the back. Her name means 'Lady of the house.'