Hapy - God of the Flooded Nile

Hapy is:

• The personification of the yearly flooding of the Nile, dwells in an area presided over by Khnum.
• Depicted in human form with aquatic plants on his head, a paunch and hanging breasts - symbolising abundance.
• A god without a temple or sanctuary but he commanded great respect because of the fertility he bestowed on the land.
• A male god with a maternal nature, who blessed the people of Egypt with their livelihood.
• His colours are the greens of the Nile water and vegetation.

(Lawson, 1996)

KHNUM - Creator of Life

About Khnum

• Often described as the creator of life, all things and the entire world.
• A ram god who fashions gods, men, birds, fish and cattle out of clay before breathing life into them.
• Giver of health and the languages of the human race.
• Often depicted with human body and ram's head, sitting at the potter's wheel.
• His divinity encompassed other deities such as Geb, Shu, Osiris and Ra.
• His colours are violet and reddish gold.

(Lawson 1996)

KHONSU - God of the Moon

More about Khonsu

• Youthful God of the moon, depicted as human, but can also take the form of a hawk, because he is a God of the sky.
• On his head bears a crescent moon which cups a full moon.
• Thought to be a child of Amun and his consort Mut.
• His name means 'wanderer' which refers to the path of the Moon across the sky and his role as navigator of human destinies.
• His colour is the silvery white of the moon.

(Lawson 1996)

RA - God of the Sun

 

 

The Mighty Ra ...

• Also known as Re.
• Sun god of Heliopolis whose other forms are Atum and Khepri.
• Depicted as a falcon with a sun disc on his head.
• When passing in the Underworld he has the head of an old man or as a ram-headed God.  
• The Sun crossing the sky was thought to be his eye, or his body.
• As Atum-Re, he is the creator God, endowed with many live-giving properties.
• Said to have created humankind from his tears.
• He ordered the cycle of the three seasons which make up the Egyptian year.
• Colour is the gold of the Sun.

(Lawnson 1996)

AMUN - Lord of Concealment

 

 

 

Who was Amun?

• Held as supreme in the Egyptian pantheon.
• Often depicted on a throne, thought to be a forerunner to other gods and goddesses.
• Might have been an incarnation or manifestation of ancient Sun God Ra.
• Amun was thought to be invisible to mortals, his name means concealment or 'hidden one'.
• His flesh is the blue of lapis lazuli, a stone prized by the Gods. 

(Lawson, 1996)

 

 

 

http://www.everythingselectric.com/forum/index.php?topic=298.0

HATHOR - Mother of the Pharoah

Honour thy Mother, Hathor :)

• Universal Cow goddess associated with childbirth.
• Often depicted with a crown of cow horns and a sun disc.
• Like Isis, sometimes described as the mother of the Pharaoh and thus associated with the birth right and right to rule.
• She is the sensual goddess of love, music and beauty.
• The Greeks likened her to Aphrodite.
• Colours are deep oranges, pinks and peaches - colours of vitality.

(Lawson 1996)

Image: http://lightgrid.ning.com/group/tomkenyon

ANUBIS - Lord of the Afterlife

Tell me more about Anubis!

• Said to be the son of Nephthys, conceived during a liaison with Osiris, husband of Isis. She is also the sister of Osiris. Apparently Isis adopted Anubis as her own son.
• Anubis had special healing powers, and was cast as a rescuer, working with unconscious and anaesthetised people, leading the blind.
• He protects all who cannot see.
• Provides safety and guidance for travellers.
• Brings healing to those who are suffering.
• His colour is terracotta.

(Lawson 1996)

BASTET - Cat Goddess

Ok, Maybe it is just me, but I'm sure it isn't. When ever I see Bastet, I read Bastard. Poor Bastet. The Egyptians apparently didn't write vowel sounds so we can only guess. Well that is what google tells me anyway. Making all these pictures are fascinating.. I'm enjoying this overview :) Hope you are too!

More about Bastet:

• In some traditions she is the daughter of Isis and Osiris, and the sister of Horus.
• Usually depicted as the Cat, a sacred animal to the Egyptians. Earlier versions have her as the lioness - vicious and vengeful.
• The hieroglyph of her name is a sealed perfume jar.
• Her colour is turquoise.

(Lawson 1996)
image from http://www.etsy.com/listing/58338606/ancient-egyptian-goddess-bastet-art

Paganesque Pantheons - Egypt

Here is a list of the pictures I've started for the Egyptian Pantheon.. Once I have made the initial pictures, I'll start adding their stories and more! :)


GEB

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/geb-eye-of-horus.html

NUT


http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/nut-goddess-of-sky.html

OSIRIS

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/osiris-lord-of-underworld.html

ISIS

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/isis-mother-of-magic-and-majesty.html

SETH

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/seth-king-of-chaos.html

NEPHTHYS

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/nephthys-goddess-of-preservation.html

HORUS

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/horus-lord-of-skies.html

BASTET

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/bastet-cat-goddess.html

ANUBIS

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/anubis-lord-of-afterlife.html

HATHOR

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/hathor-mother-of-pharoah.html

AMUN

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/amun-lord-of-concealment.html

RA

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/ra-god-of-sun.html


KHONSU

http://www.zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/khonsu-god-of-moon.html


kHNUM

http://www.zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/khnum-creator-of-life.html


HAPY

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/hapy-god-of-flooded-nile.html

MAAT

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/maat-goddess-of-cosmic-harmony.html


KHEPRI

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/khepri-scarab-beetle-of-sun.html


ANAT

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/anat-warrior-goddess.html

MIN

http://zenpaganesque.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/min-god-of-fertility.html




Image of Nut - http://loveofthegoddess.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/nuit-egyptian-goddess-of-sky.html
Egypt mythology - http://egyptview.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/egypt-mythology.gif



~ HORUS ~ Lord of the Skies

Now this God is a very interesting character - there are the associations with Jesus and Christianity, and the Divination kit I am using to learn about them is named after him. You see the pictures of the eye everywhere - lol and even as tattoos. There is something about Horus - but what? Where do we start?

Who was Horus?

• Son of Osiris and Isis.
• The visionary - the lord of prophecy, music, art, humour and beauty.
• Originally the god of hunting people, represented by the falcon.
• He later became identified with the sun - and as a symbol for the Pharaoh archetype.
• The Sky god Horus's left eye was the moon and the right eye was the sun.
• He is the all-seeing eye of clairvoyant ability, heightened vision and expanded awareness.
• The four elements, Air, Water, Earth and Fire are at his command.
• Represents the balance of the natural world, linked to the eastern horizon and foreign lands.
• His colour is Yellow.

(Lawson 1996)

NEPHTHYS - Goddess of Preservation

Who was Nephthys?

• Daughter of Geb and Nut, Sister of Osiris, Isis and Seth.
• She was Seth's consort until he murdered Osiris.
• She is mysterious and there is not as much known about her than there is about her siblings.
• Was often described as the 'lady of the mansion'.
• Embodied the healing power of grief as well as the gentle and silent guardianship of others.
• Nephthys is the funerary goddess, concerned with the preservation and protection of the body after death.
• She indicates the wisdom of retreating from life in order to grieve, reflect, receive new insights and recharge depleted energy.
• Her colours are muted greens and silvery greys.

(Lawson 1996)

•  

SETH - King of Chaos

 

So considering the parallels between Osiris/Horus and Jesus, isn't it interesting that we have a story of one brother murdering another, a la Cain and Abel? I must look into that more :)  

 

Who was Seth?

• Brother of Osiris, Isis and Nephthys. Son of Geb and Nut.
• Some Pharaohs associated themselves with him rather than Osiris or Horus.
• Legend paints him as a destructive, chaotic god.
• He murdered Osiris.
• Represents rebellious, untamed forces with humans and elemental nature - he is the Dark Side!
• Associated with stormy weather, hippopotamus, crocodile and boar.
• His colour is red.

 

(Lawson, 1996)

~ ISIS ~ Mother of Magic and Majesty

This one is my favourite so far. I love Isis, and definitely look forward to learning more about her :) I'm a bit so-so with the photo used, I really like it for colour etc.. but I don't really like the sexualisation of her.. I don't know, does that make me a prude? I chose this photo because it was one where the words would stand out.. and it was eye-catching :)

So what does the Eye of Horus tell us about Isis?

• Isis is the daughter of Geb and Nut, sister and consort to Osiris and ruled by his side. She is mother to Horus.  
• She embodies the Divine Mother, like Kali and Durga in Indian culture and the Virgin Mary in Christianity.
• The hieroglyphic symbols shows her royal bearing or influence over the kingship of Egypt.
• The cow horns represent her maternal power, legend has it that she would turn into a cow.
• Her colour is bright blue.

(Lawson 1996)

Osiris - Lord of the Underworld

Who is Osiris?

From what I have read on Facebook and seen by randomly-googling Osiris - there are many similarities between his story and the one of Jesus. Some argue that the original Christian Church recycled Osiris's story to create the fictional Jesus. I believe Jesus really lived. His life and times though, who knows?

I will research more about Osiris at a later date, but as a snapshot, here is some basic information :)

• He is the first born son of Geb and Nut
• The hieroglyph for his name is comprised of a symbol for an eye and a royal carrying chair.
• He is a universal God capable of absorbing the qualities of other deities into his own personality.
• Linked to the growing and harvesting of crops - represents the development of civilisation.
• Associated with life after death and the enduring light of the spirit.
• He presided over the Egyptian underworld 'Duat'.
• Colours are White and Green.

(Lawson 1996)

Nut - Goddess of the Sky

Who is Nut?

• Wife and sister of Geb
• Mother of Isis, Osiris, Seth and Nephthys
• Depicted as stretched over the Earth, her hands and feet are the cardinal points.
• Protects the world from the chaos beyond, maintains all that is in existence.
• Mistress of the heavenly bodies - draws stars into her mouth and expels them from her womb in a repeating cycle.
• Colours - Indigo of the night sky and the silver lights of the stars.

Geb - The Eye of Horus

I have decided to start posting about the gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt. I bought the Eye of Horus Divination kit when I was in my teens, and despite losing the book and finding it again, I still actually have it in my possession. That means something, believe me!

I would recommend buying this book - it comes with meditation, divination meanings and positive affirmations. A great introduction to the Egyptian pantheon. I have to admit I don't know much about it, so I am learning too!

So who was Geb?

• Father of the Gods, linked to throne of Egypt
• Brother and husband of Sky Goddess Nut
• Provides the fruits of the earth
• The hieroglyph of his name is the symbol for a white-fronted goose.
• Colour - lush green of vegetation.

(Lawson, David, 1996, The Eye of Horus, Simon & Schuster Australia)