Egyptian Gods' Identities

Crouching deity in the hieroglyphic
pose for "god". Egyptians often
used such generic images of deities
- sometimes specified by name and at
other times anonymous - to represent
the idea of divinity, as the forms assigned
to deities were not necessarily believed
to depict their true appearance.
Detail, painted coffin, 12th Dynasty.
The Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

The ancient Egyptians visualized their Egyptian gods and goddesses in manifold ways, and this is demon­strated by the Egyptian word netcher, the etymology and original meaning of which are unknown, although examination of the word's use by the Egyptians shows that it actually encom­passed a far wider range of meanings than the English word god. It could include deified humans (famous individuals, and from the 30th dynasty, those who had drowned) as well as what might be called spirits and demons, or in some cases even monsters such as the great chaos serpent Apophis. 

Egyptian Gods, Spirits, Demons and Bau

In addition to their major gods the ancient Egyptians believed in various other types of super­natural beings which are often included in the category of minor deities. Even the earliest religious writings are peopled with frightening creatures (especially underworld monsters and demon-like beings) and throughout ancient Egypt­ian literature we find references to demons and spirits which seem to be similar to our ghosts. The ghosts or spirits of the deceased were also feared by the Egyptians and were known as akhu, a term which itself was also used of demons in the later periods. But the most feared, or at least most commonly feared, beings were the messengers and bau of deities. Bau were manifestations or emanations of a god. Often they occured in groups and seemed quite generic, but they were also linked with specific deities which when offended, sent their bau to punish or trouble the offender. Magicians used their most powerful spells and conjured the images of the most bizarre and frightening beings to combat these bau and hold them at bay.


Divine Identites of the Egyptian Gods

Falcon-headed crocodile deity from Naqa, Upper Nubia.
Although such deities seem to have been  first worshipped
in Egypt, the particular iconography of this god with human
hands and leonine rear legs shows subtle change which
occured with its assimilation into the Meroitic culture.

Ultimately it must be remembered that the various representations of the gods do not reflect the Egyptian concept of what their deities actually looked like. Their assigned forms were merely formalities, giving visible, recognizable appearances to deities that were often described as 'hidden', 'mysterious' or even 'unknown'. The physical form allowed cuItic or personal interaction with deities, but their real identity was to be found in their own individual roles and characters, which were usually far broader than could be delimited by physical images or representations. Although many deities had clear associations, such as that of Re with the sun, differ­ent deities could share the same associations ­Atum, Re, Khepri, Horakhty and several other gods were all associated with the sun, for example. Con­versely, many deities were associated with more than one characteristic. Most of the more important gods and goddesses had many different names showing their multiple identities - and some, such as Neith and Hathor, fulfilled several distinct roles, often without exhibiting any single identity which could be said to be clearly 'primary'. Generally, and often as a result of fusion of lesser deities, the greater the deity the wider the range of his or her associations and identities.

The characters of individual deities and their relationships with humanity could be widely differ­ent. Some deities were viewed as particularly helpful to humans. Thoth, Horus and Isis were all called sunu or "physician", for exmaple, due to their healing powers. But while many Egyptian gods and goddesses were viewed sa benevolent, others were regarded as being inimical towards humanity. Even some of those who were generally regarded as benevolent could be ambivalent in nature. This was especially true of female deities. Hathor, for example, was worshipped as a goddess of love, music and celebration, but she was also mythically typecast as a raging destroyer of humanity. In some cases deities exhibited different forms according to aspects of their nature, so that in her usual placid role the goddess Bastet appeared in the form of the cat, and in her more ferocious role in the guise of a lioness. Such ambivalence is not rare among the Egyptian gods, and it is sometimes difficult to ascertain whether certain deities were worshipped despite or because of their potential hostility. Like their own human subjects, the Egyptian gods could eat and drink (sometimes to excess), they could work, right, think, speak and even cry out in despair. They could interact well or poorly and could exhibit anger, shame and humour - often exhibiting distinctive personality traits as part of their identities.