1. There were over 2,000 Gods and Goddesses in Ancient Egyptian religion

The Ancient Egyptians worshipped many gods. Each God and Goddess represented something different and some were more important than others. Examples of Gods and Goddesses included Heqet a frog goddess and Wadjet a cobra goddess.

2. They had gods for everything including the air and knowledge

Here are some of the main gods and what they represented

• Ra – God of the Sun
• Anubis – God of the Dead
• Osiris – God of the Underworld
• Horus – God of the Sky
• Isis – Goddess of Good Fortune and Protector of the Dead
• Nut and Geb – God and Goddess of the Sky and Earth
• Amun – God of the Air
• Thoth – God of Knowledge
• Sekhmet – Goddess of War
• Set – God of the Desert and Chaos
• Ptah – God of Craftsmen
• Hathor – Goddess of the Sky and Fertility

3. Egyptian Gods and Goddesses had the body of a human but the heads of animals

Gods and Goddesses would normally have a human body with the head of an animal. Animals they looked like included crocodiles, snakes, cats, rams and birds.

4. Cats were considered sacred in Ancient Egypt

This is because it was believed cats could protect against little monsters that made Ancient Egyptian homes unsafe.

5. The Egyptians believed that there was a life after death

They thought that people had two parts, a ‘ka’ when they were alive and a ‘ba’ which was like their soul.

To live in the afterlife they needed to connect the ‘ka’ and the ‘ba’. To do this they would turn those that passed away into mummys.

 

6. Osiris was one of the main ancient gods and he ruled the underworld

Osiris ruled the underworld which is where Ancient Egyptians believed they went when they died. He was also believed to be responsible for the flooding of the River Nile each year.

7. The ancient Egyptian goddess Isis was the mother goddess

She was also the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus. She helped to bring Osiris back to life when he was killed by his brother.

She was also beleived to help Egyptians pass through to the afterlife when they died.

8. Ra was the God of the Sun.

Ra was the most important God and the lord of all the gods.

He had a human body with a falcon head which was crowned with the sun disc surrounded by a sacred cobra.

9. People believed that Nut, goddess of the sky, swallowed up the Sun God, Ra, each evening

Ra then travelled to the underworld until he was re-born each morning by Nut.

10. Temples were seen as houses for the Gods

Pharaohs built large temples to honour their gods. These temples would have large statues and gardens as well as somewhere to worship.