GODS OF ANCIENT EGYPT

1. Ancient Egyptians were associated with ritualistic animal worship. They were very invested in it.

They invested a lot of “economic wealth” into making sure their afterlife was going to be fantastic. Better than their life on earth. Hence mummification.

2. They kept exotic pets, dogs, crocodiles, lions. According to ancient Egyptian belief; dogs are associated with the god Anubis. A mummified dog, could be an offering to Anubis.

Anubis was a jackal headed god of mummification. He weighed the heart of the dead against a feather.

3. If the heart was lighter, the soul could enter Heaven. But if it was heavier, they were eaten by the Ammit, “the devourer of the dead.”

Anubis would often be depicted in tombs, or offer protection to the mummy.

4. A mystery cult worshiped an ancient god called Sobek. For an animal that lived on the banks of the Nile, Sobek was always represented by the crocodile.

Fertility was associated with Sobek, typified by life River Nile gave to Ancient Egyptians.

5. Ancient Egyptians believed the crocodile god; Sobek, built the world, & created River Nile from his sweat.

Sobek was feared for his power, but also revered as a protector & a healer.

6. Some mythologists do believe that when the Sun god “Osiris” was dismembered in a fight, Sobek gathered up the body parts, & put the god back together.

Privileged Egyptians kept pet crocodile. They adorned the pets with jewels & fed them with food & fine wine.

7. When the crocodiles died, they were mummified, & buried as votive offerings to Sobek. This was done to ensure protection in the afterlife.

Quite an interesting ritual, isn’t it?

8. Animal worship wasn’t just practiced by the Pharaohs; people all over ancient Egypt, were making offerings to different animal gods, in the form of mummies.

Ancient Egyptians feared & revered lions in equal measure.

9. Like body of the lion in a human body, represented in the Great Sphinx of Giza. The lion is the embodiment of the goddess Sekhmet (the daughter of the sun god Ra).

In one of ancient Egyptian myth, Sekhmet wreaks death & destruction on mankind.

10. According to the myth, the sun god “Ra,” was furious humans were turning against him. He summoned his daughter Sekhmet, “the lion-faced goddess of destruction,” to teach humans a lesson.

Sekhmet went on a rampage, killing humans until the Nile turned red with blood.

11. Ra, worried his daughter Sekhmet would wipe out all of humanity, used a trick to stop her.

He did the next best thing; he poured 7000 jugs of red tinted beer on to earth. After Sekhmet drank it, she passed out for three days.

12. When she woke up, she’d been transformed into benevolent goddess “Hathor,” & humankind was saved.

Brings me to “Taweret,” the hippopotamus goddess. Taweret was the principal female deity, & was often cast in the role of protectress.

13. Ancient Egyptians prayed to the goddess Taweret to keep them safe from harm.

Work in Ancient Egyptian quarries was dangerous & life expectancy short. So laborers asked Taweret for protection in the quarries & labor sites.

14. Now what did history say about the “brief interruption” to these ritualistic animal worship?

Amenhotep III ruled Egypt during the New Kingdom Era. This was over 3000 years ago. His son, Amenhotep IV, revolutionized Egypt. He banned the polytheistic worship of multiple gods.

15. So all the animal deities like Taweret the Hippo, Sobek the croc, & even the mighty Sekhmate the lion, were abandoned.

Amenhotep IV was married to Queen Nefertiti, & together, they ruled & worshipped just one god; the sun god Aten.

16. Amenhotep IV moved Egypt’s capital from Thebes to a new capital he named Akhetaten (present day Amarna).

He proclaimed himself the representative of Aten on earth, & changed his name to Akhenaten. Akhenaten broke off from the state religion, which worshiped many gods.

17. After Akhenaten's death, subsequent ancient Egyptian rulers labeled him a “rebel & the enemy,” & destroyed his monuments. They hid his statues & excluded his name from the list of Pharoahs.

The boy King Tutankhamun; gradually restored the polytheistic religious practices.