Egyptians had many gods. Each
god had many forms and powers. Temples were built for these
gods and the gods were believed to live in the temples in
the form of a statue. An inner sanctuary in the heart of
each temple protected the statue of the god. The pharaoh and
the high priest were the only ones allowed to enter this
sacred place. The people could leave written prayers outside
the temples, but they never saw the statues of the gods.
Even when there were processions, portable shrines hid the
figures from the public to see. Women played some part in
the temple ritual, but the high priests were men. The god's
shrine would be opened each day and the high priest or
pharaoh carried food and drink to the sanctuary three times
a day. Before each day they washed, dressed and put make-up
to the statues as though they were alive. The priests also
lived by very strict rules of cleanliness. They would bathe
four times a day, shaved their heads and bodies and wore
fresh white linen gowns. Seven of the most important gods
were Thoth, god of writing and knowledge. He was sometimes
shown as a baboon and other times he was shown by a man with
an ibis's head, (a bird similar to that of a herod except
that its bill curved downward). He carried writing
tools. Re, the sun god was
symbolized by a man with a falcon's head crowned with the
sun disk and holding an ankh (cross) and scepter. Hathor was the cow-headed
goddess of love, joy, women, childbirth and music. She was
usually shown with a solar disk flanked by cow horns on her
head. The Egyptian believed that when a child was born seven
Hathors came to his bedside to decide his future. Anubis was god of the
embalmers and of the dead. He was suppose to have mummified
Osiris. He was guardian of tombs and pyramids. He also
supervised the priests' embalming work. Anubis was sometimes
shown as a man with a jackal's head. Osiris was the god and ruler
of the dead or the underworld He was wrapped as a mummy and
was thought to be the first Egyptian to be mummified. Dead
Egyptians wished to go to his kingdom. He is shown with a
crown of reeds and ostrich feathers. He carried a crook and
flail to show that he was the king of the
underworld. Isis, was perhaps the most
important goddess of all. Her job was those of being a
mother, a wife, healing the sick and working magical spells
and charms. She was believed to be the most powerful
magician in the universe. Isis was the sister and wife
of Osiris, sister of Set, and
twin sister of Nephthys. She was also the mother of Horus,
cared for him and hid him from his wicked uncle Seth until
he grew up. Seth killed Osiris and tried to kill Horus too.
Isis helped Horus to get revenge for his father's death by
using her magic to trick Seth. Horus was the son of Osiris
and Isis. He was the king of gods and the god of light and
heaven. On earth, it was believed that he lived in the
person of the pharaoh. He had the head of a falcon and
carried an ankh in his right hand. The ankh symbolized
life.
