WHICH GODS & GODDESSES WERE MOST IMPORTANT TO THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS?
There were 5 main Gods and Goddesses for the Ancient Egyptians: Osiris, Isis, Ra, Horus, Thoth
Osiris
Osiris was one of many of the most important and most worshipped gods of the Ancient Egyptians. He is most commonly known as the God of the underworld and God of the dead, and was expressed as not only the most merciful judge of the dead in the afterlife, but also the underworld agency that granted all life. Osiris was also the wife of Isis, brother to Horus and Seth, sister to Nephthys, father to Harpocrates and son of Net and Geb. We know all this about Osiris because the story of Osiris is one of Ancient Egypt’s most ancient legends. As aforementioned, Osiris was King of the underworld, meaning that everyone, from peasant to pharaoh wanted to join him in the after life. Not only was Osiris a powerful and mighty king but he was also kind and gentle, he taught people agriculture, animal husbandry and the correct way to worship their Gods, while simultaneously civilising them by giving them a set of laws to live by; in return, his subjects worshipped the land he walked upon. Once Osiris successfully civilised Egypt, he left to teach other lands his ways. This shows how respected and smart he was as he controlled Egypt well and he kept them in order.
Isis
Isis was one of the most prominent Egyptian deities and was worshipped as the most ideal wife and mother as well as being the patroness of magic and nature. She listened to the prayers of the rulers, aristocrats, maidens and the wealthy whilst simultaneously befriending slaves, sinners, artisans and the downtrodden. Isis was originally know as an ‘obscure’ goddess, who didn't have her own temple, however she grew in importance during the dynastic age, and led on to become one of the most important deities in Ancient Egypt. The first temple dedicated to her was built by the late King Nectanebo II (360–343 BC) at Behbeit el-Hagar. Her influences and teachings, like Osiris, spread across the lands to places such as Afghanistan, the Roman Empire and England showing that she too was well respected and wise and the fact that she started with not being a very good deity to transitioning to to being one of the most important shows that she worked hard As aforementioned, Isis is the wife of Osiris as well as being the daughter of Geb and Net, god of the earth and goddess of the sky respectively.
Ra
Ra was also considered one of the most important ancient deities in Egyptian mythology, and was known to be the King of all Gods and the Patron of the Pharaoh. He was seen as the creator and the Egyptian solar deity and to the Egyptians, the sun represented light warmth and growth which implies that he could be seen as homely and safe. It is undecided how people think of Ra, cult followers believed that he was self-created, also believing that he wept, and that from his tears he created man, also showing how he was a creator. However Ptah followers believed that Ra was created by Ptah. Unlike the regular Egyptian temples, built as a shrine to represent the other Gods, Ra’s temple were open to the sunlight and did not have a statue of him but instead was represented by the sunlight itself. Ra travelled on two solar boats, either Meseket, the evening boat or Mandjet, the morning boat, also known as the boat of millions of years.
Horus
Horus is one of the oldest, most well-known Ancient Egyptian Gods. His name can be traced back all the way to the start of the Dynastic Period, with the earliest recorded form of Horus being the patron deity of Nekhen in Upper Egypt, the first known national god related to the King (who was later found to be a manifestation of Horus in life and Osiris in death). Horus was considered to be the sky to the Ancient Egyptians, he was also thought to contain the sun and the moon. As for Gods, he was said to be the Ancient Egyptian’s God of War and Hunting and was often the Ancient Egyptian’s National Patron God. Horus’ Grandparents were Geb and Net, God of the earth and Goddess of the sky respectively and his parents were the gods Isis, Patroness of Magic and Nature, and Osiris, God of the Underworld and the Dead. After Osiris was murdered, his mother Isis gave birth to him magically.
Thoth
Thoth was many things; the creator of magic, the inventor of writing, teacher of man, the messenger of the gods, the divine record-keeper and mediator and most importantly, the God of Egypt. It is believed that Thoth was so powerful, that if you could read and understand the ‘Book of Thoth’ then you were able to become the most powerful magician in the world. He was also one of the most unusual Ancient Egyptian gods, as in Ancient Egyptian Art, he was most often shown as a man with the head of a baboon or ibis, however throughout Ancient Egyptian History, he could be shown with the head of an animal sacred to him.