In no other country in the world are gods as omnipresent as in Egypt. Every temple, every tomb, every hieroglyph tells of them. This overview will help you recognise them.
The most important gods
*Ra (Re)* — Sun god and king of the gods. Depicted with a falcon or ram head bearing a sun disc. Each day he sails his solar barque across the sky and at night defeats the serpent demon Apep.
*Osiris* — God of the underworld and resurrection. Green skin (symbol of fertility and rebirth), crown with feathers. After his death at the hands of his brother Seth, he was revived by Isis — the foundation of Egyptian resurrection religion.
*Isis* — Goddess of magic and motherhood. One of the most powerful deities. She gathered the body parts of the murdered Osiris and revived him. Symbol: outstretched wings.
*Anubis* — God of the afterlife with a jackal's head. He guided souls to the underworld and weighed the heart of the deceased against the feather of Maat (justice). If lighter than the feather — eternal life. If heavier — damnation.
*Horus* — Falcon god, son of Osiris and Isis. Symbol of royal power — every living pharaoh was considered an incarnation of Horus.
*Thoth* — God of wisdom and writing, with an ibis head. The inventor of hieroglyphs according to tradition.
**The Weighing of the Heart — the idea of the Last Judgement** The Egyptian concept of life after death was complex and moral: those who had lived well entered paradise (Aaru). Those who had lived badly were devoured by Ammit — a hybrid creature of crocodile, lion and hippopotamus. This idea later influenced Jewish, Christian and Islamic conceptions of the afterlife.