The Egyptian Gods their main centers of worship and some festival days

Aker, Amaunet, Ammut, Amun, Amunhotep-son-of-Hapu, Anat,

Andjety, Anhur, Anubis, Anuket, Apep, Apis, Apophis, Aset, Astarte, Aten, Atum

Please note - Festival days are an estimation compiled from several sources.

Aker

Aker, an ancient eart-god, signifying the horizon, the point where night turns to day, where day turns to night, and therefore depicted as two lions seated back to back, facing away from each other. They are also called 'Yesterday' and Tomorrow', as one lion faces towards the east where the sun rises and begins the new day, the other lion faces west where the sun sets and descends into the Underworld. Aker also guards the gate to the Underworld and opens it for the King to pass through. The area between the lions´ backs often shows the circle of the sun as if rising between two hills. This also signifies the sun´s journey across the sky during the day, as well as it being safely carried on the back of Aker during it´s dangerous night journey in the Underworld each night.

Aker was not worshipped in temples like a Netjer, He was more connected perhaps to the primeval concepts and earth powers.

Amaunet

Amaunet - the name means 'hidden one'. She is one of the eight primeval gods in the Ogdoad,, forming the female counterpart of Amun. There her shadow is a symbol of protection. The Ogdoad, the Creation myth which originated in Heliopolis (Iunu), conceived of four female and four male deities, forming four couples (the number four being the number of totality and completeness). Of these eight deities, only Amun developed into a remarkable status and moved to Thebes with his female counterpart Amaunet. At Karnak she remains the consort of Amun though less important than Mut. The names of Amun and Amaunet are mentioned as early as the Pyramid Texts (Dyn 5.)

Main center of worship: Thebes/Waset; Karnak from the New Kingdom to Late Period. Khemmu/Hermopolis - el Ashmunein, together with the Ogdoad.

Ammut/Ammit

Ammit, or Ammut; a funerary deity, 'Devourer of the Dead', also sometimes called the 'Great of Death', is the annihilator of criminal souls in the Underworld. She is present at the Hall of Two Truths, when the deceased´s heart is weighed on the scales, prepared to swallow the heart of those who are deemed not fit to enter the Land of Wesir (Osiris). In the Book of Going Forth By Day, Chapter 125, she is depicted with a head like a crocodile, the front part of her body is a lion´s or a leopard´s, and her back part is in the form of a hippopotamus. Thus she is a combination of those animals wich were considered as the most dangerous to the Ancient Egyptians.

Ammut/Ammit played her part in the funeral texts and was not worshipped as a deity in shrines or temples.

Amen, Amon, Amun, Imen - Primeval Creator God mentioned already in the Pyramid Texts (5th Dynasty) as a primeval deity whose shadow protects the other gods. His female counterpart is Amaunet. He is often called "The Hidden One" which shows an association with invisibility. The ancients regarded him as being behind and in all things, a deity too complex to describe in one name or even possible to depict in his true form. Therefore another name was "He who abides in all things". 'Hidden of aspect, mysterious of form' or the ba of all things are other epiteths. They also called him 'asha renu' which means 'rich in names'. Amun and the Ogdoad. Amun and his female counterpart Amaunet, are one of four pairs of the Ogdoad, the Creation Myth which originated in Hermopolis (el-Ashmunein). Amun in his form of a snake (Amun Kem-Atef) is also the forerunner, or ancestor of these eight deities Forms and Sacred Animals As the creator behind all of cosmos, also other deities were unaware of his true form. He was sometimes depicted in the form of the Nile Goose, and sometimes as a ram with curved horns or as a ram-headed man. These two animals; the goose and the ram, were sacred to him, and therefore never offered. The connection with the goose might come from the creation myth about the "Gengen Wer" (means: Great Honker or Great Cackler) - the goose which carried the egg from which life came forth, and indicated Amun as a creator god, while the ram´s creative energy indicated him as a fertility god. As Amun-Min he was also shown in ityphallic form. Another frequent image of Amun shows him in human form, with two tall plumes on top of his head, seated on a throne. His skin is blue like lapis lazuli which was a highly treasured, semi-precious stone, and he is wearing a short kilt. On top of his crown are two tall plumes, signifying him as a sky deity, and it is said that he was as invisible as the wind. Amun-Re Already in the 11th Dynasty, Amun was merged with the royal sun-cult of Re in Heliopolis. His importance grew and he was imported at Thebes where he became Amun-Re, the Sun-god, or the 'King of the Gods', which title appears for the first time in Dyn 12. This was an effort at making Amun the most important of all deities and to link him to the kingship as being the divine father of the ruler. Many kings called themselves Mery-Amun (Beloved of Amun) Though he was the High God, he also was a deity to whom the commoner could turn to in times of need. Papyrii tells of him protecting the rights of the poor in law courts and he is called the 'vizier of the humble' who comes at the voice of the poor'. There are also traces of Amun being 'Amun of the road', a protector of travellers. Amun at Thebes - Karnak and Luxor Karnak; "Ipet-Isut", in ancient Egyptian: 'The Most Select of Places', consists of three main precincts: for Amun, Mut and Khonsu which form the 'Triad of Karnak'. These are all situated within the main precinct of Amun. Here is also the Opet temple and a small temple dedicated to Ptah to be found. To the north is the precinct of the temple of Montu, the earlier main god of Thebes from the end of Dyn XI. Luxor; "Amun em Ipet Resyt", in ancient Egyptian: 'Amun Who Is In His Southern Sanctuary'. This temple lies 3 km south of Karnak, and was in ancient times situated in the center of Thebes (Waset), and dedicated to Amun-Re. He was here mainly represented in either the blue painted form or the black ityphallic form, and he was even 'visited' by Amun of Karnak once a year during the Opet Festival. The temple was called the 'Place of Seclusion' or the 'Southern Opet'. The ityphallic form of Amun; ‘Amun Kamutef’- ‘Bull of his mother’, is not to be confused with his name of ‘Amun Kem-Atef’, by which is meant an ancient form of Amun as a snake deity; ‘He Who has Completed His Moment’, probably referring to the snake sending his skin and beginning a new cycle of life. Amun in Kush (Nubia) There were temples built to Amun even south of the 1st cataract to celebrate him as a god of the Egyptian rulers and in this way extend the territory to enable safe transport ways to the gold of Kush. The cult of Amun developed such a strong foothold that when Egypt lost control to the Kushite rulers, these continued the worship. His importance endured into the Greek and Roman days when several temples were dedicated to him.

Main center of worship:   Thebes/Waset, 4th Nome, Upper Egypt Other temple locations: Djamet/Medinet Habu 4th N, Upper Egypt Khmun/Hermopolis/el-Asmunein 15th N, Upper Egypt Teudjoi/Ankyronopolis/el-Hiba 18th N, Upper Egypt ("Amun of Great Roaring") Mennefer/Memphis, 1st N, Lower Egypt Naukratis 7th N, Lower Egypt Djan´net/Tanis 19th N, Lower Egypt Ain Amur Between El-Kharga and El-Dakhla, from Roman times. Ain Birbiyah at El-Dakhla Oasis, from Roman times. Deir El-Hagar, at Dakhla Oasis, from Roman times. Nadura, at El-Kharga Oasis, two small temples, Roman times. Temple of Hibis, at El-Kharga Oasis, to Amun, Mut and Khonsu. Qasr Ain-El-Zaijan, at El-Kharga Oasis, Roman times. Siwa Oasis, 26th Dynasty. Djan´net/Tanis, 19th N, Lower Egypt Qasr El-Megysbeh at Bahariya Oasis, to both Amun and Horus, Greek times. Main Festival: Opet which was celebrated when the yearly rising of the Nile was halfway through. the cult-statue of the god was carried on a processional boat from his temple at Karnak to the great temple at Luxor, 2.5 km away, where it stayed for several days before it returned to Karnak.

Amunhotep-Son-of-Hapu

In a few, very rare cases humans became deified on account of their achievements. One is Amenhotep (or Amunhotep)-son-of Hapu, the other is Imhotep. It might be good to bear in mind that e was not deified until in the Ptolemaic Period. Amunhotep-son-of-Hapu (or Amen-hotep, spelling varies) was a courtier, who was employed as a royal scribe and "overseer of all the work of the king" in the reign of Amunhotep III (Dynasty XVIII). Later, in the Ptolemaic period, he was deified on account of his reputation for wisdom. Amunhotep came from Athribis in the Delta area, and rose to power in the Theban court. He was responsible for recruiting military personnel and labourers for state building projects. As Pharaoh’s chief architect he would have been involved in most of the lavish building programme, not only in Thebes but also in Nubia. He was Pharaoh’s most trusted and privileged official, being given management of the vast estates of Sitamun, the eldest royal daughter, and exclusively for a commoner, awarded a mortuary temple. Here, he is portrayed as a corpulent seated scribe. He is believed to have lived into his eighties; his tomb is in the Theban necropolis. Of all his titles, Amunhotep seems to have been most proud of "royal scribe". His cult seems confined to Thebes, where he was worshipped as a benefactor and healing genius. At Deir el-Bahari, Deir el-Medina and the temple of Ptah at Karnak, he shares his cult with Imhotep, of whom he is claimed to be the inseparable brother. His statues in the main Karnak temple were often prayed to, as being the way to gain access to the greater deity, Amun.

Main center of worship: Thebes, where he was worshipped in conjunction with Imhotep:4th Nome,upper Egypt Other places: Deir el-Bahari, 4th Nome, Upper Egypt Deir el-Medina, 4th Nome, Upper Egypt Temple of Ptah at Karnak, 4th Nome, Upper Egypt

The spelling varies: Anubis/Inpew/Yinepu/Anpu. Jackal- or dog headed god, mostly represented as a crouching dog with tall, pointed ears and a long, hanging tail. It is thought the prototype for this deity was the jackal but other forms of dogs cannot be excluded. What speaks against the jackal, is that the black color of the coat is not typical for jackals. Instead, the color black could be symbolic of th putrefation of the deceased, as well as the black soil which was the basis of the fertility of the Nile valley, and from which the ancient saw new life being born each year. He is known since Predydnastic times as protector of the deceased and of the necropolis, and overseer of the mummification process. Apart from appearing in jackal or dog form, he is also depicted in human form with a jackal´s head. A few representations show him in fully human form, as in the temple at Abydos, in a chapel of Ramesses II. It is believed that the symbolic connection of Anubis/Yinepu with embalming process and with the Underworld, is due to the ancients observing the desert dogs and jackals being frequent around the shallow burial areas during the Predynastic period. With the usual Egyptian way of turning a dangerous animal or force into an advantage, Yinepu was taken to be a protector for the deceased. In the Pyramid Texts he was mentioned in connection with the king as the one who frees the king from his earthly bindings so that he can ascend to the heavens and join the gods. Parentage In myth he is sometimes called the son of Nebt-Het (Nephtys) and Re. There are mentionings in the Pyramid Texts of a daughter of Anubis/Yinepu; Kebehwet, a celestial serpent who purifies the king. In the Coffin Texts Anubis/Yinepu is called the son of Bast, probably due to the hieroglyph for Bast, which includes an unguent jar, which has a great importance in the mummification process. But here he is also said to be born by the milk-goddess in cow form Hesat. In the Greek Period Plutharch calls him the son of Nebt-Het and Wesir, the spouse of Aset - despite this adultery, Aset adopted Anyubis/Yinepu as her son. This is thought to be an attempt at incorporating Anubis/Yinepu into the circle of the deities surrounding Wesir. During this time he became more of a cosmic deity who brings light to humanity, instead of the protector of the deceased and the mummification, which he had been throughout the then ca 2500 year long history of ancient Egypt. Epithets He carries several epithets; among them are Khenty Amentiu, "Foremost of the Westerners", indicating his supremacy over the deceased and buried. Another is Neb-Ta-Djeser, "Lord of the Sacred Land", meaning the desert on the western side of the Nile, where the necropolis was located. Khenty-Seh-Netjer, "presiding over the god´s pavillion", by which is meant the canine form of Anubis/Yinepu crouching on a shrine or pavillion, which symbolically can mean both the burial chamber itself, and the tent where the mummification is carried out, the so called Per Wabet or 'House of Purification'. The statue of Yinepu from Tut-Ankh-Amon´s tomb is just such an example. Tepy-Dju-Ef is another epithet; 'He Who is Upon His Mountain', meaning Yinepu looking out from his perch on the cliffs over the necropolis.

Main center of worship: Zawty/Lycopolis/Asyut, 13th N, Upper Egypt Other places: Mena´t Khufu/ el Minya, 16th N, Upper Egypt Hardai, 17th Nome, Upper Egypt Men-NeferMemphis, 1st N, Lower Egypt: anubeion in the necropolis. Saqqara 1st N, Lower Egypt. The Imiut This is a stuffed, headless animal skin, often a feline, which is tied to a pole fixed in a pot. It goes as far back as to the 1st Dynasty (3100-2890 B.C.) and was in time connected to Yinepu and is therefore sometimes called the 'Anubis fetish'. It´s said that it symbolizes Yinepu as embalmer. There are depictions of the imiut at the chapel at Deir-el-Bahri and other places, and sometimes there were models of it included in the funerary equipment. Yinepu in jackal form as he appears on a shrine from the tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amon, 28th Dyn. Mummification He was also the overseer and protector of the embalming process and guardian of both the mummy and the necropolis. It is thought that Sem priests used to wear a mask of Anubis/Yinepu during mummification. This was also used by the acting sem-priest at the Ceremony of the Opening of the Mouth, when the eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth of the mummy were ritually 'opened' so that life could enter the body again - a prerequisite for rebirth in the afterlife. Anubis/Yinepu´s link with mummification goes back into the Pyramid Age. There is the epithet 'He Who is in the Place of Embalming', Imy-Ut as a special indication of this. In the Pyramid Texts putrefaction of the king´s flesh is prevented in the name of Yinepu. He is the one who washes the intestines of the deceased royalty, and who purifies and embalms the body, who uses incense and who wraps them with linen bandages woven by Tayet. After the cult of Wesir (Osiris) had risen to power in the Middle Kingdom, Anubis/Yinepu was placed under his rule, Wesir (Osiris) taking over much of Anubis´/Yinepu´s role as caretaker and protector. This is when Anubis/Yinepu became the embalmer, ("he who is before the divine booth") and overseer of the funerary proceedings. In the Hall of Two Truths Anubis/Yinepu was standing by the scales, overseeing the weighing of the heart of the deceased. Here he was called 'he who counts the hearts'. If the deceased passed this test and deemed as justified, Anubis/Yinepu guides him or her to the throne of Wesir.

Anukis/Anuket

Her name means "Embracing Lady", and like most ancient Egyptian concepts this could be understood in two senses; either the protective embrace or the life-quenching strangling one. She was probably of Nubian origin though it is believed that she encompasses the Egyptian idea of a deity existing beyond the southern border. She was worshipped in the 1st cataract area, especially at the islands of Elephantine and Sehel, where she goes back to the Old Kingdom Period, and when she was regarded as the daughter of the sun-god Ra. The name of Anuket has been found together with Satet on a great number of inscriptions from quarry expeditions in that area. In the New Kingdom Period she was included in the Elephantine triad as the daughter or consort of Khnum and his consort Satet. Together they protected the waters of the Nile in the cataract area. Anuket is depicted as a woman wearing a tall feather crown, some say of ostrich plumes, others say of reed. She sometimes holds a papyrus sceptre. Thre is an ostracon on which she is depicted in the form of a gazelle and called 'lady of heaven' and 'mistress of the gods', though she is mostly shown in human form. Her image can be seen in the Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel and at other Nubian temples.

Main center of worship: Abu/Elephantine, 1st Nome, Upper Egypt. Kom Meir, near Esna, 1st Nome, Upper Egypt. Festival Days: (dates not historically verified) End of July - Beginning of August Thuthi - Feast of Anuket: Welcoming the rising of the Nile

Apep (Apophis) was the symbol of the Primeval Chaos, a lethal snake who consistently threatens Creation. He is depicted as a long snake with several coils, he is thought to exist outside of the normal world, in the Uncreated where he is trying to swallow up everything and everyone into the void of non-existence, and he can only be temporarily defeated. When the sun-god Re travels in the night-boat through the Underworld, Set stands guard in the fore, spear aloft, and destroys Apep. In one papyrus dated to ca 300 BC, Apep is hacked to pieces and burnt. The papyrus also tells of a spell to ensure the destruction; a drawing of Apep is to be inscribed on a new sheet of papyrus, which is to be sealed into a box. The box is to be burnt and be spitted upon four times. But every night the story repeats itself as Apep is indestructible. He is also said to be 16 m long and his head is made of flint. In some stories he lies in wait for Re at the mountain situated at the furthest west, called the Bakhu. When Re embarks the night boat at sundown, Apep hypnotizes everyone on board except for Set, who is said to bind him with a spell which enables Re to continue with his underground journey. The deceased need the help of deities to be able to defeat Apep and navigate the solar boat. Sometimes the deceased assumes the form of Shu and can in that way save the sun-god. Apep was the antithesis to the sun-god. While Re was light and life, Apep was darkness and death. And at Gate 2 in the Underworld, Atum is condemning Apep and other enemies of the sun-god to destruction.

Apep exists outside of creation and has no need of nourisment other than his own loud and dreadful roar.

Originally a fertility symbol, he developed into the sacred bull, or the 'Ba' of the creator god Ptah at the cult center of Memphis. He was also called the 'son of Ptah'. According to the Palermo Stone, the worship of Apis goes back to shortly after 3000 B.C., and the Late Period historian Manetho states as far back as the 2nd Dynasty, though this is uncertain. In the Pyramid Texts and in the Book of Going Forth By Day, the cult of Apis is indicated as being located north of Men-Nefer (Memphis) in the Delta of Lower Egypt, in the town of Zau (Sais) and Hut-Heryib (Athribis). From the 22nd Dynasty (945-715 B.C.) onwards, the Apis bull was depicted on private coffins and obviously regarded as a protector of the deceased. During the Greek Period, the bull´s mother was said to be Isis, who was said to have conceived him through a flash of lightning. Only the Justified Dead in the Afterlife were allowed to witness the birth of the Apis. By the means of oracles the Apis bull helped humans to communicate with the creator god Ptah. The Apis bull was also a manifestation of the king, as bulls were considered symbols for strength and fertility, qualities which are closely linked with kingship. The Apis lived in palace-like surroundings near the temple of Ptah at Men-Nefer. There was even a 'window of appearance' for him, just like for the king. The Apis bull was different from other sacred animals in that a single individual animal was chosen as being this divine incarnation. The Greek traveller and historian Herodotus (c.484 - c. 420 B.C) tells us that the Apis bull had special markings which selected him as sacred from the herd. He was to be black with a small white triangular mark in his forehead, and on his back there should be a pattern like the wings of the vulture (or the eagle). During its life, which is estimated to ca 14 years, there were festivals held, in which the Apis could be seen by the nobles and higher members of society, at the window of appearances, in the same manner as kings were showing themselves. Each Apis bull was mourned at his death, as if it was the king himself who had died. The animal was mummified, the funeral was a great event where the mummified and adorned bull was pulled on a sledge towards the tomb at the necropolis situated on the plateau of Saqqara, overlooking Men-Nefer (Memphis). Here, in 1851, Mariette discovered an underground gallery of tombs, 198 m long, which had been cut out for the bull burials. Most of them date from ca 650 B.C and onwards, some of them are from the New Kingdom, but they had all been plundered. The area is known as the Serapeum. The Apis bull was at his death assimilated into the god Wesir (Osiris); Wesir-Apis which in the early Ptolemaic period became hellenized and called Serapis and combined with even several other Greek deities.

The cow mothers of these bulls were brought to Men-Nefer along with the progeny, and venerated as a form of Isis, which at their death were given similar burials at the Iseum further to the north of Saqqara. These burials were discovered and excavated in the 1970´s. In a funerary context, the Apis was still linked to the king, as his protector. The strength of the bull gives a person control over the four winds in the Afterlife, and becoming transformed into Apis, 'high of horns, beautiful of names, far-seer and wide-ranger', will enable someone to withstand the dangers of the Underworld.

Aset/Isis

ISIS and ASET are in effect two different deities. When the worship of Isis began to spread, Aset had already been forgotten for hundreds of years, for at this time only a small group of priests still knew how to read the hieroglyphs on the temple walls. Isis was a Roman deity, reminding of Demeter, a great and loving mother goddess, but her Egyptian origin had sunk into oblivion. The mixup with Aset comes from Greek and Roman interpretation. The Egyptian Aset ASET is the original ancient Egyptian deity, who we find mentioned for the first time in Dynasty IV. Then she was known in myth as the sister-spouse and mourner of Wesir (Gr: Osiris), mother of Heru (Gr: Horus) and sister of Nebt-Het (Gr: Nephtys) and Set, children of Geb and Nut of the Heliopolitan Ennead. Her name as it first appears, means "throne" or "seat", indicating the seat of kings, is the same as the hieroglyph above her head. This meant that she was the personified Throne of Egypt who made the kings. Thereby she was the King´s symbolical mother and as such of special significance to him, but in the early days she was not a mother goddess for common people. Together with her sister Nebt-Het (Gr: Nephtys) she is frequently seen on coffins in the form of a kite with outstretched wings protecting the deceased or in the Hall of Judgment standing protectively behind the throne of Wesir. In this aspect she is more a mortuary deity than a mother goddess and she and Nebt-Het are also mentioned in the Pyramid Texts as the 'mooring posts' to which the deceased laid to after their hazardous travel in the Underworld. In myth she comes forward much more fierce than a mother goddess, quite strongwilled and lashes out against attackers if need be. She sometimes appears as the scorpion goddess Serket and as the star Sopdet (Sirius, Gr: Sothis) she is considered to bring on the inundation of the Nile. The ancient Egyptians called her the "Eye of Re", thus giving her an association with the sun. She could be quite cunning and earned the epithet "Great of Heka" (Mistress of Magic) as in myth she managed to trick Ra into revealing his secret name to her, thus getting access to the geratest of knowledge. In the "Contendings of Horus and Set" she uses all her magic and trickery to help her son regain the throne of Wesir (Osiris) from his uncle Set. And in the most well known myth about her it is told how she mourned and searched for her husband Wesir (Osiris) who had been murdered by Set, how she succeeded in bringing him back to life and beget his son Heru (Horus). This myth goes back to the early dynastic days and became widely known and elaborated upon in later Roman days. In the Middle Kingdom her popularity rose among common people at the same time as the worship of her husband Wesir (Osiris) became spread among the non-royalties in the so-called 'Democratisation of the Afterlife'. During the New Kingdom Aset and Het-Hert began to merge and could only be identified, not by their iconography, but by their hieroglyphs. They were then both depicted wearing the sun-disc crowned with the two horns on top of their heads, which can lead to much confusion unless you can read their respective hieroglyphs. Her cult continued to develop throughout the New Kingdom, and into the Late period. During this time she incorporated most of the traits of the other great goddesses and also some gods. It was probably easy for people to identify with her, especially for women, because of her sufferings in myth as a widow and lonely mother. She was also greatly worshipped for her healing and protective powers and love spells and amulets (tyet knot) connected to Aset were frequently used. Her popularity grew and endured longer than any other Egyptian goddess into the Greek and Roman days when she became interpreted according to their cultural values and religious viewpoints: The Roman Isis ISIS is the Goddess of Ten Thousand Names, the Great Mother Goddess. She is the goddess for all women, the protector at childbirth, for nurturing and caring of children. She absorbed most of the different Egyptian goddesses´ properties and abilities during the Roman days. Her popularity spread far beyond Egypt, all around the Mediterranean. She was even considered a Creator Goddess, as can be read in the various and quite common Aretalogies of Isis. Plutharch, who elaborated on the myth of Isis and Osiris, associated her with the moon, which must be considered a sign of Roman influence, since the older form, the Egyptian Aset was associated with the sun and also since in ancient days Djehuty (Thoth) was the ancient Egyptian moon deity. So there is a distinction to be made between the origins of Aset and the Romanized deity Isis. Both of them are equally valid, but to mention Isis and failing to make this distinction will blur the picture and be unfair to both aspects of the deity.

Main center of worship (in Roman times): P-aalek/Philae,1st Nome, Upper Egypt Other sites: Esna/Contralatopolis (opposite Esna), 2nd Nome, Upper Egypt Djamet/Medinet Habu (Deir el Shelouit), 4th Nome, Upper Egypt Waset/Diospolis Magna/Thebes (at Shanhour, between Quis and Luxor), 4th Nome, Upper Egypt for Isis, Mut and others. Koptos/Gebtu/Qift 5th Nome, Upper Egypt Iunet/Tentyris/Dendera 6th N, Upper Egypt Diospolis Parva/Hut-Sekhem/Hiw 7th Nome,Upper Egypt Sebennytos/Tjebnutjer/Sammanud 12th N,Lower Egypt Island of Pharos, Alexandria, Lower Egypt Aset at Philae A closer look at Aset Myths of Aset Isis knot Festival Days: (exact dates not historically verified) Middle-end July, the 4th of the Epagomenal Days, is the Birhtday of Aset Middle-end July - 1st Thuti - Marriage of Isis and Osiris Middle August - 25th Thuti - Feast of Lights of Aset (Isis) Middle August - 26th Thuti -Aset gains the Horns of Het-Hert (Hathor) End August - 13th Paopi - Day of Satisfying the Hearts of the Ennead End September - 8th Hethara - Day of Going Forth of Aset (Isis) Beginning October - 17th Hethara - Lamentations of Aset (Isis)and Nebet-Het (Nephthys) for Wasir (Osiris) Middle October - 24th Hethara - Day of Going Forth of Aset (Isis) End October - 13th Koiak - Day of Going Forth of Het-Hert and the Ennead Middle November - 27th Koiak - Aset seeks the body of Wasir (Osiris) Middle November - 28th Koiak - Aset grieves the loss of Wasir (Osiris) Middle November - 29th Koiak - Aset rejoices as She finds Wasir (Osiris) Middle November - 30th Koiak - The Ennead feast in the House of Ra, Heru and Wasir End December - 6th Mechir - Winter Solstice - Feast of Aset (Isis) End December - 10th Mechir - Birth of Heru (Horus), the child of Aset (Isis), Day of elevating the Great Netjret (goddess) in all her names and manifestations. Beginning January - 23rd Mechir - Festival of Aset (Isis) Beginning January - 24th Mechir - Festival of Aset Middle January - 26th Mechir - Aset sees the face of Wesir (Osiris), Min Goes Forth to Coptos End March - 8th Pachons - Festival of Aset

The Creator God of the Ennead of Heliopolis, who rose out of the Primeval Waters (the Nun) to form the Primeval Mound, the first piece of land which emerged when the water withdrew. Some of his epiteths were: 'Lord to the limit of the sky', 'He Who came into being of Himself', the 'Lord of All' and 'Lord of Iunu (Gr: Heliopolis)'. He self-developed into a being, standing on a raised mound; i.e. the primeval mound, which became the Benben, a pyramid shaped stone, regarded as the dwelling place of the sun god. Atum is therefore the creator god who created the universe, he is the supreme being and master of the forces and elements of the universe. Utterance 600 in the Pyramid Texts: "O Atum-Kheper! You became high on the height, you rose up as the Benben Stone in the Mansion of the Phoenix in On (Heliopolis)." By this is meant the Primeval Mound itself. Depictions Atum is usually depicted in anthropomorphic form, seated or standing. He wears either the Double Crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, or the royal headcloth (the Nemes), and often leans on his staff of office. Whe he is shown as aged, he denotes the setting sun. Creator - Self-engenderer Atum embraces the idea of 'Totality' and of 'The Perfect State'. He is therefore both male and female in one and thus the producer of Shu and Tefnut, which in turn created Geb and Nut, who parented the children Wesir, (Gr: Osiris) Aset,(Gr: Isis) Nebt-Het (Gr: Nephtys) and Set. These deities make up the Heliopolitan Ennead (the Pesedjet). The aspect of Atum as coming out of the primeval chaos as both male and female and creating Shu and Tefnut is rendered in two versions. The earliest is hinted at in the Pyramid Period, describing how Atum takes his phallus in his hand and brings it to orgasm, thereby creating Shu and Tefnut with his semen. An extract from Papyrus Brehmer-Rhind states: "All manifestations came into being after I developed...no sky existed no earth existed...I created on my own every being...my fist became my spouse...I copulated with my hand...I sneezed out Shu...I spat out Tefnut...Next Shu and Tefnut produced Geb and Nut...Geb and Nut then gave birth to Wesir...(Gr: Osiris) Seth, Aset, (Gr: Isis) and Nebt-Het...(Gr: Nephty) sultimately they produced the population of this land." Other sources state that Atum created them by spitting out the one and sneezing out the other. This is based on the sounds of the names Shu and Tefnut. Atum and the King of Egypt Atum was considered a protective deity in regards to the king, and even called the father of the king. During the Pyramid Age, it was Atum who lifted the dead king from his pyramid to the heavens so that he could become a star-god, and in later times, Atum was protecting him during his journey in the Underworld. Atum is also taking part at the crowning of a king. Reliefs in the Temple of Amun, show Atum and Montu leading the king. The reason for this is that Atum, as the ultimate creator, is the one who gives power to the king in his identification as the Living Heru (Gr: Horus). Sacred Animals and the End of the World Atum was also thought to manifest in the form of a scarab, a bull or a lion. Among animals belonging to a more primeval realm are the ichneumon, the lizard and the primeval serpent. This last is especially interesting as it touches on a rather unusual concept in Egyptian myth; the concept of the End of the World. There is a dialogue between Atum and Wesir in the Book of Going Forth By Day, whre Atum states that he will submerge the world with all its deities, humans and everything else in the Nun (primeval waters) and that only he himself and Wesir will survive in the form of serpents. Another story telling about an earlier catastrophe ending with only one survivor, the 'kerhet' - snake as conveying the image of the snake shedding its skin (destruction)and emerging in a new form. Atum in the Underworld Atum, as te Creator of all things and beings, protects the deceased from all dangers and evil forces in the Underworld. He defeats the snake Neheb-Khau by pressing his fingernail on its spine, and annihilates the Apep serpent. In tombs from the New Kingdom Period, Atum is seen punishing the enemies of the sun by drenching or beheading them. In later times Atum was merged with the setting sun and became Re-Atum. He was a cosmic deity and as such did not have a large priesthood and only few temples.

Main Center of worship: Iunu/Heliopolis/Cairo, 13th N, Lower Egypt. Other places: Per-Bastet/Bubastis, 18th N, Lower Egypt Zau/Sais, 5th N, Lower Egypt Tjeku/Pithom/Tell-el-Makuta, 8th N, Lower Egypt Festivals: (dates not historically verified) 30th August - 13th Paopi - Day of Satisfying the Hearts of the Ennead 7th September - 21st Paopi - Neith Goes forth to Atum 23rd September - 7th Hethara - Honors offered to Atum 15th March - 30 Parmutit - Offerings to Ra, Wesir (Osiris), Heru, Ptah, Sokar and Atum 29th October - 13th Koiak - Day of Going Forth of Het-Hert (Hathor) and the Ennead 15th November - 30th Koiak - The Ennead feast in the House of Ra, Heru (Horus) and Wesir (Osiris)

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All the Egyptian Deities A - W: A   B   D   G   H   I   K   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   U   W   Y

Or go direct to some of them: Amun, Anubis, Aset - Bast -Djehuty - Hathor, Horus - Isis - Khepri - Ma'at - Nephtys - Osiris - Ptah - Re - Sekhmet, Seth - Thoth - Wadjet, Wesir

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Some sources:

Temples of Ancient Egypt - Dieter Arnold
Temples of the Last Pharaohs - Dieter Arnold
The Pyramid Texts - transl: R.O. Faulkner
The Coffin Texts - transl: R.O. Faulkner
Egyptian Myths - by George Hart
A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses - George Hart
The Complete Gods and Goddesses in Ancient Egypt - Richard H. Wilkinson

My special thanks go also to House of Netjer for allowing me to draw from their knowledge of the Netjeru!


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