Ancient Egypt

Religion
RELIGION, GODS and GODDESSES
Name
Date
Class

OBJECTIVES
After completing this task you will be familiar with:
• the ancient Egyptian religion and the role of ma’at,
• the most important gods and goddesses,
• the most common Egyptian Creation Myth and
• the role of the pharaoh in ancient Egyptian religion.
RELIGION

Ancient Egyptian religion was a intricate system of polytheistic beliefs and

practices. The ancient Egyptians’ beliefs centred their interactions with many
deities, which they believed were present in, and in control of the world. Their
religion played a very important part in every aspect of the lives of their lives. It
extended beyond religious observances and included strong beliefs and
practices relating to mythology, science, medicine, psychiatry, magic,
spiritualism, herbology, the belief in higher powers, and the belief in an afterlife.

1. What does the term polytheism mean and what does it tell us about the ancient Egyptian
religion?

2. The ancient Egyptians believed that, here on earth, one should live “a life worthy of
continuance”. What does this mean?

MA’AT
3. The ancient Egyptian religion expected individuals to uphold the principle of ma’at (also
spelled mayet). How was the goddess Ma’at depicted?
 Ma’at is considered to be more of a concept than a goddess. The ancient
Egyptians believed that if they lived by the principles of Ma’at, they are in actual
fact worshipping her.

4. Ma’at refers to principles the ancient Egyptians believed must be in balance, and which
guided proper human behaviour. What are these SEVEN principles?

5. Ma’at was extremely important in achieving the Afterlife. What was Ma’at’s role in this?

Even though Ma’at was considered extremely important, she did not have any
temples of official clergy. Small shrines to her were set up in the temples to other
gods. She was venerated by living according to her principles and brining her
gifts and offers to her shrines when he other gods’ temples were visited.

6. What does clergy refer to?

HEAVEN and HELL

For the ancient Egyptians the heart was the centre of the personality and the
spirit. When the heart of the soul was weighed and found to be in balance with
the feather of Ma’at, the soul then proceeded to heavenly paradise, the Field of
Reeds, or Aaru, as it was known. If the soul was found too heavy and not in
balance with the feather of Ma’at, it was dropped to the floor and devoured by
the monster Ammut.

7. Describe the Field of Reeds.

8. The ancient Egyptian religion did not have the same idea about hell as many religions have
today: a place where condemned souls go for all eternity. There was something that they
feared much more than being doomed to a place in the afterlife. What was this ultimate fear?

THE CREATION OF THE GODS and the WORLD

There are a number if creation myths in ancient Egyptian religion and mythology
and, in some cases, the roles during creation is attributed to other gods.
However, the most common creation myth, called the Heliopolitan creation
myth, tells of the stillness of the primordial waters, called Nu, before the
beginning of time. Out of these never-ending, depthless waters rose the
primordial mound, or ben-ben. Magic, personified by the god Heka, has always
existed within the primordial waters and some believe that it was Heka who
caused the mound to rise.
Upon the mound stood the god Atum (or Ra). Atum looked upon the emptiness
and recognized his aloneness and with the help of Heka, he created two
children: Shu, the god of air, whom he spat out, and Tefnut, the goddess of
moisture, whom Atum vomited out. Shu gave to this early world the principles of
life while Tefnut brought the principles of order.
Shu and Tefnut left their father on the mound and set out to create and establish
the world. They stayed away for a very long time and Atum became worried. He
removed his eye and sent it to search for his two children, while he sat on the
mound amidst of chaos, contemplating eternity.
Shu and Tefnut returned with the eye of Atum (known as the All-Seeing Eye), and
their father, grateful for their safe return, shed tears of joy. These tears, dropping
onto the dark, fertile earth of the mound, gave birth to men and women.
Men and women did not have a place to live and Shu and Tefnut gave birth to
Geb, the earth, and Nut, the sky. Atum then pushed them away from each other
and fastened Nut to the heavens, high above Geb. Geb and But gave birth to
the first five gods: Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, and Horus. It is from these original
gods that all other gods came.
The first nine gods, according to this myth, were called The Great Ennead.

9. Before The Great Ennead, the Ogdoad was worshipped, of which Nu is probably the most
well-known. What was the Ogdoad? How were they depicted? What happened to them?
Above: Nut, the goddess of the Sky, and Geb, the earth. It was believed that Nut swallowed the
sun at the end of each day. It then travelled though her body at night to be reborn at dawn.

The gods of ancient Egypt were seen as the lords of creation and guardians of
order, harmony and balance. The Egyptians also regarded them as familiar
friends who were interested in helping and guiding them. It is thought that the
ancient Egyptians believed in a pantheon of more than 2 000 deities! The gods
and goddesses were often depicted in theriomorphic form to symbolise their
character traits.

10. What does the pantheon mean?

11. What does theriomorphic mean?

Before you take a look at some of the well-known gods, it is important to know
that the importance of gods and goddesses changed throughout the history of
Ancient Egypt. For example, during the Old Kingdom (2686 to 2134 BC), the
Ogdoad (the eight gods) were worshipped. Under Akhenaten’s rule, Aten was
worshipped for 16 years from 1349BC to 1333BC.
Different cults in different cities and areas also attached greater or lesser
importance to the gods and goddesses.
 AMUN
RA
Amun was one of the
Ra was the sun god
primordial creator
and the most
gods.
important god to the
He was depicted as a
Ancient Egyptians. Ra
bearded man wearing
was depicted as a
a headdress with a
man with a hawk head
double plume. In the
and a headdress with
New Kingdom, he was
a sun disk. At one point
depicted sim0ply as a
Ra was combined with
man, or as a man with
Amun and so the even
the head of a ram. In
more powerful god,
this form he was known
Amun-Ra was created.
as Amun-Min.

12. Identify the following Egyptian gods and goddesses. Write their names and what they were
responsible for. The areas circled in red serve as clues.

12.1.
12.2.
Name:
Name:

12.3.
Name:

jj
12.4.
Name:
12.5. Who were these gods? Complete the table.

Name Depicted as … Purpose …

OSIRIS

HORUS

BASTET

HATHOR

SETH

12.6. Who was the most feared Egyptian deity, regarded as the most evil enemy of the sun
god? ? Why?
 THE PHARAOH

The pharaoh was the supreme ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt and was thus
referred to as the 'Lord of the Two Lands’. As ‘High Priest of Every Temple’, the
pharaoh was considered a god on earth and the direct intermediary between the
gods and the people.

13. With which god were pharaohs associated when they came to the throne? Why? Did this
change when a pharaoh passed away?

The pharaoh was tasked to maintain ma’at throughout Egypt. Consequently, the
Egyptian pharaoh had a sacred duty to enter into war in order to defend the
borders of the land, as this could disturb ma’at and cause imbalance and chaos.
The pharaoh was also tasked to pay homage to the gods and build
temples in their honour.
The temple complex at Karnak is one of the largest temple complexes in the
world. Karnak was the main religious centre of the god Amun-Ra.

The Heretic Pharaoh

Akhenaten reigned for about 17 years. His wife

was one of Egypt’s most famous queens: Nefertiti.
Akhenaten is probably the most controversial
pharaoh of all and his actions earned him the
title of The Heretic Pharoah.

14. Explain what Akhenaten did to earn himself this title.

 After his death, Akhenaten was succeeded by his son, Smenkhkare. After
Smenkhkare, his well-known brother, Tutankhaten, ascended to the throne. Early
in his reign, he reversed most of what his father changed and restored the religion
in the old god, Amun. He even changed his name to demonstrate his dedication.

15. What did he change his name to and why is he so famous today?
 Ancient Egypt – Religion, Gods and Goddesses
VOCABULARY
Name
Date
Class

Instructions
• Use the clues to complete the crossword and check your understanding of the words printed
in RED.

DOWN
1. the collection of all the gods
of a religion
2. a person who acts as a link
between people to assist n
finding a solution; a mediator
5. the shaping of something n
animal form
10. the collection of people who
are ordained to conduct
religious duties.

ACROSS
3. to rise; to move up through
the air; to go up; to climb
4. a person whose views and
beliefs are in direct opposition to
what is generally accepted
6. hill
7. of the highest rank
8. showing honour and respect
publicly
9. the belief in more than one
god; the worship of more than
one god
11. ancient; existing from the
beginning of time
 Ancient Egypt – Religion, Gods and Goddesses
CLASS PROJECT
CREATE THE EGYPTIAN PANTHEON … or part thereof ☺
Name
Date
Class

Instructions
• There are more than 2000 gods in the Egyptian pantheon.
• Choose one from the list below.
• Find a picture and description of this god / goddess.
• Find THREE facts about this god or goddess.
• Use the above info to complete the next page.
• Share the god/goddess you found with the group.
• Then, put up all the gods and goddesses on the classroom wall to create an overview of a
part of the pantheon.
• NOTE: Some names have multiple spellings.

1. Amenet
2. Amunhotep
3. Ammut
4. Ba-Pef
5. Bat
6. Gengen Wer
7. Hapi
8. Hatmehit
9. Heh and Hauhet
10.Heka
11.Heset
12.Ihy
13.Ipy
14.Iusaaset
15.Kek and Kauket
16.Khepre
17.Khonsu
18.Kherty
19.Maahes
20.Mafdet
21.Mut
22.Nefertum
23.Nephythys
24.Neper
25.Ptah
26.Renenutet
27.Serket
28.Seshat
29.Sobek
30.Wadjet
 NAME

PICTURE / DRAWING

This god / goddess was depicted in the following manner …

THREE FACTS about this GOD / GODDESS:

1.

2.

3.