Egyptian Gods & ReligionEgyptian Gods & Religion

What impact did they have on Egyptian society and

history?

A Religious Glossary• Animistic:Animistic: the belief that gods were

representative of natural forces such as floods, the moon, and the sun.

• Anthropomorphic:Anthropomorphic: gods took on human-like characteristics when they visited earth; some were represented with animal heads and human bodies.

• Polytheistic:Polytheistic: they believed in more than one god or goddess. The Egyptian gods were very sacred and plentiful. The Egyptians worshiped at least eighty different gods.

• Syncretism:Syncretism: the process of combining gods (prevalent in later Egyptian eras) to embody 1 singluar god/goddess.

The Gods & GoddessesThe Gods & Goddesses

Tefnut

Goddess of moisture and supported Shu

Geb

Earth God

Shu

God of air (separates Earth and Sky)

Nut

Goddess of the Sky

Nephthys

Goddess of the dead and magic

Seth

God of the Desert and foreign lands

Osiris

God of the Earth, vegetation and the dead.

Isis

Mother Goddess, fertility and protector of children

Amon-Re

Sun God and Chief God of Egyptian Pantheon

Anubis

Guide of the afterlife

Horus

God of Sky and lord of Heaven

Other Gods and Goddesses

Aten

the sun-disk, part of the sun God Ra

Atum

the first God, creator of the other gods

Hathor

mother/wife of pharaoh, protective Goddess, and Goddess of love and joy

The Pharaoh

• While a pharaoh was ruling, he took on the "incarnation" of the god Horus.

• Once the pharaoh died, he was identified with the god Osiris.

• The ancient Egyptian Pharaohs served as mediators between their people and the gods. ( = connection between religion and political leadership – legitimacy etc.)

• The ancient Egyptians believed in divine kingship. Their concept of death of the king became Osiris and the new king was identified as Horus.

The Egyptian Afterlife

• each individual possessed two souls – Ka, accompanied the body throughout life.

After death, ka departed from the body and entered into the realm of the dead. The ka could not exist without the body and every effort was made to preserve the corpse through mummification.

– Ba, is the personality or character of the individual. It also left the body at death and returned if the body was properly preserved.

•The myth of Osiris –Osiris, and forty-two demon assistants, judged the ka. –Osiris’ death and resurrection

The Amarna Revolution

• Amenhotep IV (1352-1336 BCE)– Crowns himself Akhenaten– Marries Nefertiti – “God’s Wife” of Ra– Declares that all of Egypt will worship

only Aten (sun-disk)= monotheism – Outpouring of art to glorify Aten– Religion restored by Tutankhamun