Ancient Egypt

Set (also Seth, Sutekh) is the god of rage, sandstorms, destruction, chaos, war and death

In human form Tall, muscular, red hair, blood-red eyes. Looks like a 30-year-old man.

Origin Set was the son of Nut, goddess of the sky, and Geb, god of the earth. His siblings were Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys.

Seth was so impatient that he did not wait for Nut to give birth to him in the usual way, and he himself broke out of her side.

Set is a direct descendant of the supreme god Ra, since his ancestors were Shu and Tefnut, direct descendants of Ra.

The protector of the Sun God from the aggression of the forces of chaos and darkness (Seth, with a spear in his hands, protects Ra from the attack of the giant serpent Apophis, his eternal enemy).

Lord of the desert, personification of the nature of Upper Egypt and Nubia with its boundless deserts and destructive sandstorms.

Set envied his brother, who personified fertility, wisdom, and lawful order. His lust for power led Set to the decision to kill Osiris and take his place. Set invited Osiris and his guests to a banquet, including a beautiful sarcophagus crafted by the treacherous god specifically to Osiris's measurements. Set declared that he would give the sarcophagus to whoever found it to fit. When Osiris reached into the chest, Set closed the lid and threw it into the Nile.

Children: Anubis, Sebek, Upuaut

He had several wives, including Nephthys, Taurt, the Ugaritic-Phoenician goddesses Anat and Ashtoreth, and others. Since ancient times, he was associated with male sexual power.

Seth's wife, Nephthys, fell in love with Osiris and, disguised as his wife Isis, conceived his son, Anubis. Fearing her husband's wrath, Nephthys abandoned the infant in the reeds, where Isis found him with the help of dogs. Seth decided to take revenge on his brother. On one of the festivals, he ordered a beautiful sarcophagus to be delivered and promised to give it to anyone who could fit it. As soon as Osiris lay in the sarcophagus, the conspirators slammed the lid shut, nailed it shut, and threw it into the Nile. Osiris's body was thrown into the river, where it lay for three days and three nights, devoured by fish. Seth took the throne.

God of what: heaven, royal power, light, patron of the pharaohs.

Image: a man with a falcon's head, crowned with the double crown of Egypt; falcon; solar disk with falcon's wings (symbol of protection).

Horus personified heavenly power, royalty, order, and justice. The son of Osiris and Isis, he acted as his father's protector and legitimate heir to the throne, serving as a mediator between gods and humans. Like a falcon soaring in the sky, Horus was the all-seeing guardian of the cosmic order.

Thanks to his victory over Set and the restoration of justice, Horus became the patron of the pharaohs. It was believed that every ruling pharaoh was the earthly incarnation of this god. A candidate for the throne had to demonstrate his connection with Horus. Thus, the pharaoh was crowned successively with the white crown of Upper Egypt and the red crown of Lower Egypt, and then with the combined double crown. This act, performed by the priests, It symbolized that the pharaoh, like Horus, assumed responsibility for all of Egypt and became the living embodiment of power over the country. Thirty years into his reign, he was required to undergo a ritual: running in a loincloth between special signs, demonstrating his physical strength and vitality, like the young and strong Horus.

In human form A tall man with black hair and golden eyes.

Goddess of what: love, beauty, joy, music, dance, sky, motherhood.

Image: a woman with a headdress in the form of a solar disk between cow horns; or in the form of a cow - a symbol of maternal care.

Hathor personified the joy of life, love, beauty, fertility, and motherhood. Her kind and caring nature was celebrated with music and dance. She was often represented as the celestial cow who gave birth to the sun. Women and children prayed to her. She was asked to escort the souls of the dead to the afterlife.

In one myth, Hathor appeared as the threatening eye of Ra (in the form of the lioness Sekhmet), punishing humanity for its disobedience. The gods allegedly then softened her wrath, returning her to the form of the kind Hathor, and restored peace. This story emphasizes the dual nature of Hathor: boundless tenderness and the capacity for righteous anger. In the temples of Hathor, complex rituals with offerings were held, where people glorified her with joy, music and dancing. in human form: a girl with dark skin, green eyes and dark hair

God of what: earth, fertility.

Image: a man with the head of a snake, bull, or ram. Sometimes with the crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Geb personified the fertile land of Egypt itself and all that lay beneath it. His laughter was believed to cause earthquakes.

Plants were believed to grow on Geb's body, and the Nile River flowed from him. He was a benevolent god, protector of the living and helper of the dead. The Egyptians revered him, built temples, and offered offerings, praying for a good harvest, protection of children, and the well-being of souls in the afterlife. The annual festival of "Loosening the Earth" after the Nile flooded marked the beginning of the plowing season in his honor.

Geb was associated not only with the earth but also with the sky (as the husband of the sky goddess Nut) and the underworld. Therefore, he was considered the ruler and guide of all three spheres of the universe.

in human form tall man, dark hair, green eyes.

God of what: patron of the dead, guide of souls.

Image: a man with the head of a jackal or in the form of a black dog, often in a sitting position.

Anubis is one of the most ancient and powerful gods in the pantheon. His role has varied: initially, he was the god of death, later becoming the deity of mummification and the ruler of necropolises. In any case, Anubis escorted souls to the afterlife, weighed hearts at the Judgment of Osiris, and acted as a mediator between the worlds of the living and the dead.

that he was the son of Set and Nephthys, the goddess of birth and death. Later, when Set killed Osiris (Isis's husband), Ra commissioned Anubis to embalm the body. And he performed the first mummification, preserving Osiris for eternal life.

Anubis was worshiped throughout Egypt, but especially in burial and embalming sites. To enlist his aid, people offered prayers, lit incense, and offered gifts of wine and bread. Anubis rarely took human form. He disliked people and despised them.

human form Tall, muscular man with black eyes and black hair.

Anubis prefers to transform into a jackal and watch people.

God of what: the afterlife, rebirth, fertility, judge of the dead.

Image: a mummified man with green skin (the color of rebirth and vegetation) and in white shrouds, sometimes with a high white crown on which are ostrich feathers and a solar disk.

Osiris was a key figure, a link between life and death, whose story formed the basis of Egyptian ideas about the afterlife and the resurrection of the soul.

Legend has it that Osiris was the first wise and just king of Egypt, who brought prosperity to the people and taught them winemaking and agriculture. His brother, Set, driven by envy, treacherously murdered him, luring him into a chest and throwing it into the Nile. Isis found the body, but Set dismembered it. Isis then reassembled the pieces and, with the help of Anubis, resurrected Osiris. However, he could not remain in the world of the living and became the ruler of the underworld, the judge of the souls of the dead. Osiris symbolized the cycle of death and rebirth. He was associated with ideas of posthumous retribution: the righteous soul gained eternal life, while the sinner faced oblivion.

Goddess of what: motherhood, femininity, marital fidelity.

Image: a woman with the hieroglyph of her name above her head; sometimes with the wings of a kite or a falcon, or nursing her son Horus.

Isis is the embodiment of femininity, wisdom, care, and healing in the Egyptian pantheon. She was revered throughout Egypt.

The goddess was believed to be able to control the elements, understand the language of animals, and even bring the dead back to life. Isis was also associated with nature, fertility, healing, and was a patron of all those in need, especially in matters of the heart.

She was considered the most compassionate goddess, the protector of people and gods, the "mother of all living things." Together with her husband Osiris and son Horus, they personified the sacred triad and the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Isis's tears for the murdered Osiris caused the Nile to flood.

God of what: air.

Image: a man with a scepter and a crown with tall feathers; often also with ram's horns - a symbol of wisdom and fertility.

Amun was revered as the great creator, who created all things from primordial chaos. Legends described his origins in various ways: he flew into the world as a falcon or hatched from a cosmic egg laid by a goose.

Initially, the cult of Amun was centered in Thebes. But as Thebes rose to prominence as the capital of Egypt, veneration of Amun spread throughout the country, and his main temple at Karnak became the largest religious complex of the ancient world. Amun was ascribed boundless power, kindness, and justice. He was considered the patron of the pharaohs, granting them the power to protect the people. Grandiose temples were erected in his honor, where complex rituals were performed and sacrifices were made. His sacred animals were the ram—the personification of fertility and strength—and the goose—a symbol of creation. The man is tall. With golden eyes and dark hair.

God of what: the sun and the creator of all living things.

Image: a man with a falcon's head crowned with a solar disk surrounded by a snake, or a scarab beetle. Both symbols represented ideas of rebirth and eternal life.

The Egyptians revered Ra as the creator of all life. According to legend, he emerged from the primordial waters of Nun and spoke sacred words that gave life to gods and humans. People believed that Ra ruled the earth as a pharaoh, bestowed knowledge upon humanity, established laws, and taught agriculture.

Ra was believed to travel across the sky on a solar boat: during the day he illuminated and warmed the earth, and at night he descended into the underworld, battling the chief serpent of chaos, Apep (Apophis), and the forces of darkness, to be reborn at dawn.

The main center of the Ra cult was in Heliopolis, where a magnificent temple was erected to him. There, priests performed daily rituals with offerings of wine, incense, and food, and also performed the rite of breaking red pots—a symbolic destruction of the enemies of Ra and the pharaoh. Pyramids and obelisks throughout the country symbolized the sun's rays and a connection to Ra. When he turns into a human Tall, handsome, blond, blue eyes, muscular body.

loves: descending to people in human form to see how they live and what they have achieved. Listening to people's stories.

Creation of the world

The air Shu, accompanied by other gods, supports the sky Nut, and the earth Geb lies at the feet Egyptian mythology lacked a unified view of the creation of the world. The main religious centers of Ancient Egypt—Iunu (Heliopolis), Hermopolis (Shedet), and Memphis—developed different versions of cosmogony and theogony.

The priests of Heliopolis, the center of the sun cult, placed the sun god Ra at the center of the universe and considered him the father of all other gods. He and his eight descendants formed the so-called Ennead of Heliopolis. According to Heliopolitan legend, Atum emerged from primordial waters, and by his will, the sacred stone Ben-n-Ben-ben began to grow from them. Standing atop it, Atum gave birth to Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the goddess of moisture. This couple gave birth to their children—the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut. These first generations of gods represent the foundation of creation in the Ennead. Geb and Nut gave birth to Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys, personifying the fertile Nile floodplain and the barren desert, respectively.

A contrary version existed in the city of Hermopolis, where the world was believed to have originated from eight ancient deities, the so-called Ogdoad. This group of eight consisted of four pairs of gods and goddesses, symbolizing the elements of creation. Nun and Naunet correspond to the primordial waters, Hu and Hauhet to the infinity of space, and Kuk and Kauket to eternal darkness. The fourth pair changed repeatedly, but beginning with the New Kingdom, it consisted of Amun and Amaunet, personifying invisibility and air. According to the Hermopolitan version, these deities were the mothers and fathers of the sun god, who brought light and further creation to the world.

Another version of creation emerged in Memphis, placing Ptah, the patron god of crafts, builders, and the city itself, at the center of the creation myth. Memphis theology largely echoes that of Heliopolis, but teaches that Ptah preceded the sun god, and that the latter was created by his tongue and heart. This is the first known theology based on the principle of logos, that is, creation by word and will.