Who were the Egyptian Gods?

Egyptians worshipped hundreds of gods over long periods of time. Some gods changed over the years, while others were forgotten and then rediscovered.

Sometimes animals represented gods. The Jackal, Anubis, was the Protector of the Dead. The God of Wisdom, Thoth, and the Moon God, Khonssu, were represented by a baboon. Here is just a small selection of popular Egyptian deities.

ANUBIS. (Pictured Right)

Anubis was the god of funerary rites, the protector of graves, and a guide to the underworld. He was usually depicted as a canine or a man with a canine head.

SOBEK. (Pictured Left) Also called Sebek or Sobki, Sobek was associated with the Nile Crocodile and the West African Crocodile.

Sobek was also associated with pharaonic power, fertility, and military prowess, but served additionally as a protective deity, invoked especially for protection against the dangers presented by the unpredictable Nile River.

Sobek enjoyed a longstanding presence in the ancient Egyptian pantheon, from the Old Kingdom of Egypt (c. 2686–2181 BCE) through to the Roman Egyptian period (c. 30 bce–350 ce ).

THOTH. (Pictured Right)

In art, he was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis or a baboon, animals sacred to him. His feminine counterpart was Seshat, and his wife was Ma’at. He was the god of the moon, wisdom, knowledge, writing, hieroglyphs, science, magic, art and judgment.

Thoth played many vital and prominent roles in Egyptian Mythology, one being to maintain the universe.

In the later history of ancient Egypt, Thoth became heavily associated with the arbitration of godly disputes, the arts of magic, the system of writing, and the judgment of the dead.

The Boy King – The Legend of Tutankhamun

tells the incredible story of the young ‘Boy King’ Tutankhamun who ruled all Egypt at the age of 9 yrs old!

To download it click on The Boy King – The Legend of Tutankhamun to read two pages of script and hear two of the songs.

Isn’t history fun?

10 questions on this subject:

1. 1. 1. How did the representation and roles of Egyptian gods change over time?
      2. Which animals represented Anubis, Thoth, and Khonssu in Egyptian mythology?
      3. What were the primary roles and depictions of Anubis in ancient Egypt?
      4. With which animal was the god Sobek associated, and what aspects of life did he represent?
      5. How was Sobek connected to the pharaohs and military prowess in ancient Egypt?
      6. During which periods did Sobek have a significant presence in the Egyptian pantheon?
      7. What were some of the domains and responsibilities of Thoth in Egyptian mythology?
      8. How was Thoth depicted in Egyptian art, and what animals were sacred to him?
      9. Who were Thoth’s feminine counterpart and wife in Egyptian mythology?
      10. In what ways did Thoth contribute to maintaining the universe and the judgment of the dead in later Egyptian history?

To learn more about these gods: click here

https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/anubis/

https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/sobek/

https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/thoth/

https://discoveringegypt.com/ancient-egyptian-gods-and-goddesses/

LITTLE NIBBLES OF HISTORY

1 lesson CLASSROOM ACTIVITY

EGYPTIAN GOD

THOTH

1 – Create a cardboard tube that fits round the head.

2 – Cut out a very long triangle out of strong cardboard and then cut out a small triangle, and then another small triangle further along.

3 – Pull these together and stick with masking tape to create a long beak.

4 – Attach the beak to the tube and create a hole to see through, then attach three folded triangles, two either side and one at the back of your cardboard tube. THOTH was the God of the Moon and could be painted grey, light blue or silver.

Artwork ©Anthony James – Text © Tony Dalton