Top 20 Iconic Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

It makes sense to kick our list off with a mother-figure: Taweret, an ancient Egyptian goddess of childbirth and fertility. The Egyptian pantheon includes many deities that feature both animal and human characteristics. Taweret is no different, being portrayed with a hippopotamus body, leonine legs and crocodile tail. She sometimes holds the hieroglyphic sign sa, which means protection. Hippos can often be aggressive creatures, which makes Tawaret the epitome of a fiercely protective fertility goddess and water deity. Her images were also venerated in Nubia in what’s now Sudan, as well as ancient Crete and mainland greece.

Our next deity is another protective mother goddess, but this time associated with night and darkness. Nephthys is a goddess of childbirth, but also mourning, embalming, and the dead. She’s generally portrayed as a human with a headdress and ceremonial staff, but is also known to possess wings on occasion. Nephthys' role as a death goddess also makes her a counterpoint to her sister Isis; while both are involved in funerary rites, Isis is more strongly associated with birth and rebirth. Temple service is also a specialty for Nephthys, as is the brewing of beer for celebrations and festivals.

He is the wolf or jackal: a scout and god of war by the name of Wepwawet. While not a major martial deity, Wepwawet, whose name translates to "opener of the ways," was said to assist the Pharaoh in hunts. As a result, it's good to have Wepwawet at your side during a conflict, as his influence is said to open up attack and escape routes for armies. Wepwawet is often compared with Anubis, thanks to their physical similarities and canine features, but make no mistake: this clever god of war more than stands on his own as a unique member of the Egyptian pantheon.

There's a sense of wonder and beauty associated with our next goddess. Her name is Nut, and she's closely associated with the open sky, stars...actually the whole universe. Nut is a creation goddess, an elder deity whose occasionally portrayed as a cow, but more often as a nude, starry woman arched over Earth. She also serves as mother to some of Egypt's most well known gods, including Osiris, Set, Isis, Nephthys, and in some versions Horus. The myth of the sun god Ra's cycle of death and rebirth hinges on the participation of Nut. Simply stated: without Nut, the celestial Egyptian landscape would look a whole lot different.

Creation is intrinsic to the story of Ptah, a patron god of craftsmen and architects. Ptah was a poetic and well spoken god, responsible for the creation of the ancient Egyptian world and a father to the high priest known as Imhotep. There are a number of animals that are considered either sacred to Ptah or associated with how he's depicted physically. One of them is a bull, specifically the sacred bull known as Apis. Elsewhere, he's occasionally depicted as twin birds with human heads, or as a regal, green skinned man, mummified in the traditional Egyptian manner.

There's something of a dichotomy behind the history of our next entry, the sun goddess Sekhmet, as she's often associated with both war and healing. This lion-headed deity leads slain warriors into the afterlife, but she's also a fearsome personality on her own, acting out the fire-breathing vengeance of her father Ra. Indeed, Sekhmet can become so bloodthirsty as an instrument of war, that one particular myth saw Ra needing to ease her anger with beer, so as not to eliminate all of humanity. As a result, many of her festivals and celebrations saw followers drinking ceremonial wine to excess, as a means of both reminding them of Sekhmet's rage, and of quelling it.

Maahes is another god of war, associated with Sekhmet, and also possesses the head of a lion. The son of Ptah and either Sekhmet or Bastet, Maahes may actually have originated from outside Egypt in Nubia. It's actually not too surprising that we see so many gods and goddesses with feline attributes, as cats were considered sacred in Ancient Egypt. While Maahes doesn't share as big a name recognition as some of his contemporaries, the cults that worshipped him gave praise to his mastery of the weather and skill with a blade.

There is an annual holiday in Egypt known as the Flooding of the Nile, a natural weather cycle that occurs during monsoon season, yet which possesses origins dating back to ancient times. The Nile god Hapi is closely associated with this event, which is said to occur due to Isis' tears for her slain husband Osiris. At the same time, Hapi's arrival is notable for its connection to fertility, symbolized by the god's androgynous physical appearance, an amalgamation of a pregnant woman and a bearded man. The flood is celebrated as a birth to all things, with Hapi's visitation signifying rebirth for both Egypt's people and her land.

Justice and balance: these are concepts that appear often in Egyptian mythology, and the goddess Maat, or Ma'at, embodies these virtues. She is order and harmony, the antithesis of Isfet, an Egyptian concept that connotes chaos and wickedness. Her consort is Thoth, and they both act as judges of the dead. The deceased's hearts are weighed against the sacred ostrich feather of Maat, and if the evil of their lives is heavier, then they are not allowed passage into paradise. It's one of the most iconic and well-documented aspects of Egyptian mythology, which makes Maat a central figure in the pantheon.

There are few goddesses who embody the sacred nature of cats in ancient Egypt better than Bastet, also known as Bast. While Sekhmet, who was sometimes called the Lady of Slaughter, could be compared to a lion on the hunt, Bastet had a gentler feline nature, even coming to be portrayed as a cat rather than lion goddess. A sleek and beautiful goddess connected with motherhood and childbirth, she was depicted as a woman with the head of a cat. Although she originated as a warrior goddess, she was also a protector, who devotees relied on to guard them from disease or evil spirits.

The Nile River is intrinsic to Egyptian identity and culture, an important physical place that's connected deeply to the country's roots. It even has its own patron god in the form of Sobek. Sobek is a fearsome warrior god depicted as having the head of a crocodile. This is the result of so many ancient Egyptians possessing a fear of the creatures and their dwelling place within the Nile. Sobek is the divine manifestation of this fear, reverence and respect, a dangerous god who, at the same time, can be called upon for protection against enemies. It's a complex cult of personality around one of the Egyptian pantheon's most complex deities.

One must meet Thoth, if they are to survive the Judgment of the Dead. Thoth is a major god of Egypt, an arbiter who works alongside his wife Maat as a guardian to the underworld, and herald of Ra. His depiction as an Ibis-headed man is iconic, as is his stature as a scribe and master of all sciences. The five children of Nut are attributed to a myth involving Thoth and the creation of the 365 day calendar, and his counsel is vital to Ra as overseer of the gods and men. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs are also said to have come from Thoth, and cultures as far as Greece were aware of him and his importance to the Egyptian people.

We’ve all looked up at the sky in wonder, but perhaps no-one has gazed with quite the same intensity as Geb, god of the earth. The father of snakes, he was sometimes depicted as having a serpentine head. He fell in love with his sister, the sky goddess Nut, and had to be separated from her by Shu, god of the air. This is the reason that the earth, air, and sky are separated. As god of the earth, Geb was responsible for droughts and deserts on one hand, but also fertility on the other. His influence even included earthquakes, which were said to occur when he laughed.

The Osiris myth is one of the most important from Ancient Egyptian mythology, with some clearly defined heroes and villains. The latter character in the story is Set, also known as Seth, a violent god of storms and disorder who murders his brother Osiris to take the throne of Egypt. However, Isis raises her husband from the dead, allowing them to conceive a son, Horus. Set’s father is Geb, and his head is a composite of various animals, including a jackal and a donkey. Set's conflicts with Horus in the Osiris myth can be brutal, but the stories are some of the most fleshed out tales of Ancient Egypt. He was also sometimes portrayed in a positive light, protecting Ra on his journey across the sky.

This important member of the Egyptian pantheon possesses one of the most striking appearances of all the deities. The god of the sky is portrayed as a man with the head of a falcon, and he's closely associated with the Pharaoh's kingship throughout Ancient Egypt. The sun and moon are said to be his eyes, and the hieroglyphs depicting these eyes have become some of the most well known symbols from Ancient Egyptian culture. There's a reason why the Eye of Horus shows up so often when we see major Egyptian art exhibits, as it was said to have been a symbol of aristocracy, power and a means to ward off the influence of evil spirits.

As king of the gods, Amun had a central role in the Egyptian pantheon and was even worshipped, in some form or another, outside of Egypt, such as by the Ancient Greeks. Eventually, some saw the rest of the pantheon as mere extensions of Amun's personality. Think of him as the "Zeus" of Ancient Egypt, although with perhaps a more softened relationship with humanity. This was due to Amun-Ra's reputation as a god who was devoutly worshipped by the poor and unfortunate, as well as sailors who sought calm seas for their journey. Amun's relationship with Ptah and Ra are sometimes seen as roughly analogous to the Christian Holy Trinity of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Isis was yet another Egyptian deity whose reputation and influence were so vast, that her worship extended far beyond Egypt's borders. Greeks and Romans alike recognize Isis as an important figure, a maternal goddess of wisdom, magic and the afterlife who was a protector and governess for her people. The influence of Isis is so important, in fact, that she's one of the few Egyptian deities to have persisted into the modern day, with many Pagan beliefs referencing Isis as a divine manifestation of the female form. In many ways, Isis is a personification of nature itself.

The sun god Ra is another pivotal figure in Egyptian mythology, an overseer of heaven, earth and the underworld. Ra was presented in a fashion similar to Horus, as a man-falcon hybrid. Travelling the sky on a solar barque, he brought light to the world and was closely associated with creation. Often, he was depicted with a solar disc above his head. Pharaohs of Egypt were seen as Ra's emissaries on Earth, physical manifestations of his leadership and guidance. Although Ra's legend today hasn't continued in the same manner as Isis, he remains a vital figure of the Egyptian pantheon.

Just as there are gods of earth and sky, so too are there gods of the underworld. Enter Anubis, the god of death, cemeteries, mummification...basically everything cool about the Egyptian mythos. We've seen a number of similar looking animal-human hybrid gods, but Anubis stands out with his strikingly black canine head atop a man's body. He's the lord of the underworld, or at least was until Osiris took on the role, and he guards the scales that weigh the soul after death. While he doesn’t get a lot to do in ancient Egyptian tales, he serves as a fearful and implacable reminder of death and judgement.

Before we name our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions!

Hathor
The Mother of Pharaohs

Khonsu
Moon God of Time

Bes
Protector of the Household

Kherty
A Guide in the Realm of the Dead

Behold, the first mummy! This major Egyptian god of fertility, death, rebirth and agriculture is the basis for Egyptian funerary rituals, thanks primarily to his role in the Osiris Myth. Here, Seth kills Osiris and dismembers his body so that he can’t be resurrected. The journey of Isis to collect the pieces and wrap them up is linked to the embalming and mummification process, and symbolizes the belief in life after death. As a result, Osiris was also closely associated with farming, worshipped for healthy crops and protection from the elements.