Some gods, originally just local deities, gained the status of national cults due to, for instance, the particular favour of a Pharaoh. They often continued to be associated with a particular place such as Amun of Thebes, Ptah of Memphis, Re of Heliopolis and had large permanent staffs of attendants at their temples whilst smaller local deities had their shrines served part-time by local people of high standing. Ordinary people were not allowed in the temples.
| Heqa - magic, creativity | Sia - perception | Hu - divine word |
These were pairs of gods and goddesses who were worshipped in early times. Sometimes the pairs included were different but there were never more than eight. Amun later became one of the most important gods.
| Nun and Nunet | primeval waters |
| Heh and Hehet | eternity |
| Kek and Keket | darkness |
| Tenem and Tenemet | twilight |
| Amun and Amunet | 'hiddenness' |
These were the first generations of the Egyptian 'holy family' of deities.
| God | Attributes | Parents | Spouse |
| 1 Atum | 'the All' | Iusaas | |
| 2 Shu (male) | dry, preserving | Atum? | Tefnut |
| 3 Tefnut (female) | moist, corrosive | Atum? | Shu |
| 4 Geb (male) | Earth | Shu and Tefnut? | Nut |
| 5 Nut (female) | Sky | Shu and Tefnut? | Geb |
| 6 Osiris, Asar | afterlife, death, judge | Geb and Nut | Isis |
| 7 Isis, Aset | Geb and Nut | Osiris | |
| 8 Seth, Sed, Set, Sety, Sutekh | storms, evil, chaos (composite animal) | Geb and Nut | Nepthys |
| 9 Nepthys, Nekhbet, Nebethut | Upper Egypt (vulture Nekheb/ElKab) | Geb and Nut | Seth |
| Horus, Har, Heru | Kingship/falcon head | Isis and Osiris | |||
| Imsety | guarded parts of the body and the Canopic jars containing them when preserved | son of Horus | |||
| Hapi, Hapy, Hapu, Apis? | Manifestation of the inundation, fecunditity baboon | '' | |||
| Duamutef | '' | '' | |||
| Qebhseruef | '' | '' |
| God | Attributes | Symbols | Consort | Place |
| Ra/Re/Amun-Re | sun, creation | Scarab | ||
| Re-Harakhte | Re with Horus | Falcon-head, winged sun-disc | ||
| Amun | creation, war | Mut | Thebes | |
| Aten | ||||
| Thot(h) | knowledge,moon | Ibis, baboon, Apis bull | ||
| Ptah | creation | Apis bull | Memphis | |
| Anubis | judge of dead, mummification | Jackal | ||
| Khons(u) | childbirth, moon | s of Amun + Mut | ||
| Khnum | Potter, lord of the inundation | Ram-headed | Satet, Anuket | |
| Khentamentiu | Death | Thebes | ||
| Montu | War | Falcon | Thebes | |
| Sokar | Death | Memphis | ||
| Meresgar | Snake | Thebes | ||
| Apedemak | Lion | Nubia | ||
| Bes | children, music | Lionheaded dwarf | ||
| Min | fertility/travellers | Mummy + whip | Akhmim/Koptos | |
| Iah | Moon | assim to Osiris | ||
| Sobek | Fertility | |||
| Wepwawet | war, then dead | wolf on nome | ||
| Sed | god of the dead | '' | ||
| Harsaphes/Harishaf | war, fertility | Ram | ||
| Khepi | scarab beetle |
| Goddess | Attributes | Symbol | Consort | Place |
| Hathor | love, motherhood | cow | ||
| Mut | divine fury | Amun | Ashru | |
| Edjo/Wadjet | Lower Egypt | cobra | Buto | |
| Bastet | ointment, healing | cat | ||
| Sekhmet | doctors/war | lioness | Ptah | |
| Matit/Mehit | lioness | Nekheb/El Kab | ||
| Pakhet | raging lioness | Beni Hasan | ||
| Mafdet/Mefdet | anti-snakebite | panther/cat | ||
| Neith/Nit | creation/hunt/war | shield + arrows | Sais | |
| Maat/Maet | justice, truth | woman + feather | ||
| Serket | guarded dead | |||
| Sekhet-Hor | 'she who remembers Horus' | Cow-headed | ||
| Seshet/Seshat | writing/learning | star on pole | ||
| Mehytweret | Flood | |||
| Ipet | Household | hippo | ||
| Taweret/Thermuthis | Household | hippo | ||
| Shesmetet | king's girdle | |||
| Werethkau | king's diadem | snake | ||
| Satet | Khnum | |||
| Anuket | Huntress | Khnum | ||
| Sepdet/Sopdet/Sothis | Sirius | |||
| Renenutet | Fertility | snake | ||
| Nenet | ||||
| Nefertem | ||||
| Meskhenet | fate, birthstool | |||
| Heket/Heqet | royal midwife | frog | ||
| Anat | ||||
| Selkis | Breathing | scorpion | ||
| Meretseger | cobra |
The year was divided into three seasons whose names, Akhet (Inundation), Peret (Growing) and Shemu (Drought) originally corresponded to the main events of the agricultural season. Each was made up of four thirty-day months with five festival days added to make a 365 day year. As there was no leap year, the calendar slipped due to the extra quarter day until the season names had no connection with the actual time of the year.
| Year 9, Deserkare | |
| New Year's festival | month III of Shemu |
| Tekhy | month IV of Shemu |
| Menkhet | month I of Akhet |
| Huther | month II of Akhet |
| Kaherka | month III of Akhet |
| Shefbedet | month IV of Akhet |
| Rekeh 1st | month I of Peret |
| Rekeh 2nd | month II of Peret |
| Renutet | month III of Peret |
| Khonsu | month IV of Peret |
| Khentykhet | month I of Shemu |
| Ipet | month II of Semu |
This collection of names was compiled by Kate Monk and is ©1997, Kate Monk.
Copies may be made for personal use only.