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

On this page:
Satis, Sekhmet, Selket, Serapis, Seshat, Seth, Shezmu,
Shu, Sia, Sobek, Sokar, Sopdet

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

Satis/Satis

Satet, (Gr: Satis) "The Lady of Elephantine" and "She of Sehel (the island)" the giver of water for purification of the deceased, and associated with the inundation. Together with Anuket she was the protectress of the waters of the Nile in the cataract area. Satis, Anukis and Khnum formed in later days the Triad of Abu (Elephantine) and the neighboring islands. She was depicted in human form, wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt, with two curved antelope horns on the side. When Khnum later was identified with Re, Satis became the "Eye of Re" and assuming some of Hathor´s aspects, she was seen as a goddess of women and love.

Main center of worship: Abu/Elephantine, 1st Nome, Upper Egypt

Sekhmet/Sekhmet

Two Aspects As many other Egyptian deities, Sekhmet, whose name means 'Mighty One' or 'Powerful Feminine', had two different aspects; one protective and healing, the other destructive and retaliating. She was said to have an awesome appeareance, her weapons being arrows 'with which she pierces hearts', her body was said to spread a fiery glow. Her breath was associated with the hot winds of the desert. But she was also called "Great of Magic" or 'Mistress of Life' and was a goddess of healing and surgery. As well as spreading pestilence, she was believed to be able to cure it. Names An early name for her was 'The Eye of Re' or 'Daughter of Re', which shows her solar association and thereby her association with the king. She is the most important one of the several manifestations of the 'Eye of Re'. This association she shared especially with Hathor and several other deities like Aset, Tefnut, Bast and Mut. She was also often called Mother of the King; already in the Pyramid Texts it says that she 'conceived' the king. She followed him in battle, protecting him, and her rage induced the king´s victory over enemies. Her title of 'Lady of bright red linen' carries the meaning both of her place of origin in the Delta, as well as the blood-soaked garments of conquered enemies. Worship Physicians were 'priests of Sekhmet', this goes back to at least the Old Kingdom when they were already organized for her service. It seems they still held their position in later times. Prayers to the goddess were an integral part of every healing ministration. There was even a formal rite called 'Appeasing Sekhmet' which was recited by priests in effort to stop epidemics from spreading. Among common poeople there was a great fear of the 'Seven Arrows of Sekhmet', which were believed to bring unluck. Many spells and charms were used to avert the wrath of Sekhmet and there was the 'Book of the Last Day of the Year' which was recited over a piece of cloth worn around the neck at the end of they year, which was considered a dangerous period. On the first day of the new year (Wep Ronpet) People exchanged amulets in the form of Sekhmet or Bast for appeasing them. Still today, statues of Sekhmet can invoke some apprehension, even in museums. In the small temple of Ptah at Karnak, there is a statue of Sekhmet holding a was scepter in her hand, looking quite impressive. Depictions Sekhmet was mostly depicted in anthoropomorphic form as a seated woman with a lion´s face. She wore a wig and a sundisc on top of her head and there is often a was sceptre in her hand. There are also depictions of lionheaded goddesses wearing the Double Crown. This is usually a fusion of Sekhmet with Mut. More seldom is she represented in full leonine form. Myth Her destructive aspect is demonstrated in the myth 'The Destruction of Mankind', as she on the order of Re goes out to punish mankind for their transgressions against him. The breath of Sekhmet is here described as being of fire, and the host winds from the desert was called the 'Breath of Sekhmet'. In her rage and bloodthirst she nearly wipes out all humans and Re has to ask his high priest at Heliopolis to mix beer with the colour ochre from Elephantine. Many thousands of this red beer was placed out over the lands and believeing it is blood, Sekhmet drank of it, got so drunk she fell asleep and when she woke up, her rage was gone. There are several versions of this myth in tombs at Thebes. Because of this fierceness, many ancient kings adopted her as a military patroness and she became their symbol in battle. Here her duality can be deomonstrated in that she used her power to protect the king in an almost motherly way. Already in the Pyramid Texts it is said that Sekhmet conceived the king. Associations With her consort Ptah and their son Nefertem she made up the Memphite Triad. Here she absorbed several other, minor deities, and was called 'Mistress of Ankh-Tawy' (meaning Mistress of the Two Lands). As the 'Eye of Re' she was associated with Hathor who also bore this title. At Waset (Gr: Thebes), she was associated with Mut, the consort of Amun. This manifested the aggressive side of Mut or a counterpart of this deity. Sekhmet was also associated with Bast, perhaps also here because of her fierce side. When Thebes was the seat of royal residence,(11th Dyn.) the local goddess Mut was merged with her. At the precinct of Mut at Karnak hundreds of statues of Sekhmet were erected, either in a sitting position, holding the ankh in her hand, or standing, with a sceptre in the form of a papyrus plant by her side. It is believed that these many statues were honoured with offerings, each of them on a specific day of the year. During the Middle Kingdom, Sekhmet was also associated with the more or less local leonine goddess Pakhet at Beni Hassan in Middle Egypt. Cult Centers Her main cult center was in MenNefer (Gr: Memphis) but there were many temples and shrines erected to her all throughout Egypt and all the time into the Greco-roman Period. Through her association with other deities, special temples, like the one for Sekhmet-Hathor at Kom-el-Hisn were also built.

Main center of worship: Mennefer/Memphis, 1st Nome, Lower Egypt Other sites: at Imu/Kom-el-Hisn, 3rd N, Lower Egypt to Sekhmet-Hathor Festivals: (exact dates not historically verified) 12 August - 25th Thuti - Day of Sekhmet's repulsion of Set 17th Ocotber - 1st Koiak - Month of Koiak Begins; The feast of Sekhmet 31st October - 15th Koiak - Feast of Sekhmet, Bast and Ra 20th November - 5th Tybi - Day of Sekhmet and the Purifying Flame 24th November - 9th Tybi - Day of Offerings to Sekhmet 28th November - 13th Tybi - Feast of Het-Hert (Hathor) and Sekhmet 14th December - 29th Tybi - Tehuti (Thoth) sends Bast and Sekhmet to guide Egypt 28th December - 13th Mechir - Day of Sekhmet Going forth to Letopolis 31st December - 16th Mechir - Feast of Sekhmet 12th March - 27th Parmutit - End of the World by Sekhmet

Serqet/Serqet

Her name means 'She who causes to breathe' and refers to her power of protecting from, or curing poisonous stings of scorpions and serpents. The reason for this might lie in the fact that those who have been bitten tend to breathe too fast and too shallow because of the poison. She is depicted with a scorpion ready to strike above her head or as a woman with a sorption's head. In ancient Egypt her priesthood was connected to the healing of poisonous bites and she was frequently appealed to for protection from venomous bites. Serqet is mentioned already in the Pyramid Texts and the Coffin Texts as one of the four goddesses (Aset (Isis), Nit, (Neith) Nebt-Het (Nephtys) and Serket who protects the canopic jars. Sometimes she is thought to be an aspect of Aset (Isis) as a protector of the child Heru (Horus) and thereby also to all children and even the king. She is also sometimes associated with the sun´s scorching heat. Together with Nit (Gr: Neith) she watched the sky so that noone would disturb Amon and his wife, thus becoming a protector of the marriage union. She helped the deceased orient themselves in the Underworld, and she was said to bind the Apophis snake. She was also a patron to healers and magicians, and a protectress against venomous bites and poison.

There was a priesthood to Serket in the ancient days but if there were temples and shrines built especially for her they seem to have gone without leaving traces. Festivals: (exact dates not historically verified) 23th October - 7th Koiak - Festival for Serqet (Selket)

Serapis

The cult of Serapis rose during the early Ptolemeian period. This was an anthropomorphic deity, most likely of Egyptian origin but with Hellenistic attributes like those of Zeus, Helios, Hades, Asclepios and Dionysos added. The basic model for Serapis could be said to be Osiris combined with the Apis bull which made up Osirapis, which in Greek became Serapis. On his head could be seen a corn measure, indicating him as the protector of the corn supply, and therefore pointing at his fertility function. His main cult centre was, though linked to the Apis bull, not at Saqqara, but at the Serapion at Alexandria. The Roman influenced Isis was seen as his consort and these two formed a pair which embodied the natural forces of male and female fertility. The Romans brought this cult all over their empire, even to Britain.

> Main cult center: The Serapion at Alexandria.

Seshat/Seshat

Goddess of writing and measurer of time, referred to as "she who is foremost in the house of books". She measured time and helped Pharaoh with laying out the ground plan of a new temple with a measuring cord, therefore she was also the "Lady of builders". Her most important function was to keep track of Pharaoh´s regnal years and jubilees. She also supervised the booty and tributes from foreign lands and military expeditions. She was shown as a woman wearing a panther skin robe, holding a pen, a palette and a tally-stick and on her head she wore a seven-pointed star surmounted by either a bow or a crescent moon with two falcons feathers. Often she held a palm leaf in her hand. Considered to be the consort of Thoth (Djehuty)

No historical temples or priesthood is known for Seshat.

Seth/Seth

Set, Seth, Sutek, the second son of Geb and Nut, depicted as either an animal with four legs, a curving snout, long ears and an erect tail, or as a human with an animal´s head. Which kind of animal this was has been subject to much debate. His skin was white and his hair red, he was called the god of chaos, of thunder and storms, of destruction and of the desert. Originally he was probably a desert deity who stood for the forces of confusion and disturbance in the world. From these early periods, he maintained his place in the pantheon throughout Egyptian history, into the Late Period. He is depicted on standards on the "Scorpion Macehead". He is also attested on the serekhs of the 2nd Dynasty kings Peribsen and Khasekhemwy. It seems that at this time he was equal in power and improtance to the falcon deity Heru The Elder (Gr: Horus). During the Old Kingdom his name appears in many of the Pyramid Texts and in the Middle Kingdom he became the god who stood in the prow of the Boat of Millions of Years (Solar Boat)where he repelled the evil, cosmic serpent Apep which threatend to kill Re. At this time Set was also incorporated into the RaHelipolitan Ennead where he was son of Nut and Geb together with his siblings Wesir, Aset and NebtHet. During the Hyksos interval he was uidentified with their god Baal as their chef deity. Later, in the New Kingdom, he was not that important, but in the 19th and 20th Dynsties he was elevated as a kind of patron deity for the Ramesside kings. After the 20th Dynasty however, the worship of him declined and he became associated with the god of the Egyptians much hated emeny, the Assyrians. By the 25th Dynasty, his worship was more or less extinct. Nevertheless, his mythology includes both negative and positive sides. He was the god of violence, chaos and confusion, ill-tempered and close to anger and rage. Thereby he was opposed to ma'at and could threaten existence. He was on the other hand the god of protective power, strength and cunning. These traits were taken up by kings who called themselves "Beloved by Set" (Thutmose III, Ramses II). He travelled with Ra in the sun-boat, standing in the prow, spearing the attacking Apep serpent of chaos. In that way he was both associated with Apis the chaos serpent and the protector of Re. According to the most Ra wellknown myth he was jealous of his brother Wesir and betrayed and killed him, taking his throne. Through this action Wesir became ruler in the Underworld so that the deceased had a king and leader. Seth was later beaten by Horus, the son of Wesir and had to cede the throne to him. Set´s relationship to Heru is demonstrated in depictions where both are standing opposite ech other, binding the symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt together to make one whole country. The ancient Egyptians never had any problems with incorporating both opposite sides of a concept, or, let us say instead of oppsites, complementary sides which make a whole, combined unit.

Main center of worship: Nebyet/Ombos/Tukh, 5 th Nome, Upper Egypt. Festivals: (exact dates not historically verified) 16th of July, the 3rd Epagomenal Day is the Birthday of Seth 30th August - 13th Paopi - Day of Satisfying the Hearts of the Ennead 29th October - 13th Koiak - Day of Going Forth of Het-Hert and the Ennead 15th November - 30th Koiak - The Ennead feast in the House of Ra, Heru and Wasir 18th December - 3rd Mechir - Seth Goes Forth 2nd March - 17th Parmutit - Going forth of Seth, Son of Nut

Shezmu/Shesemu

Shezmu is a patron deity of wine and unguent-oil presses. He is mostly depicted in anthropomorphic form as the master of a (wine)press. He has a dual personality with ability to be both beneficient and cruel: On the cruel side he is known from the Old Kingdom and continues throughout history to the Roman days. In the wellknown 'Cannibal Hymn', Pyramid Text 403 it is Shezmu who butchers and prepares the gods themselves for the king to absorb extra divine strength. He is also the one who brings the king grape juice for wine production. In the Coffin Texts from the Middle Kingdom, he is the demon who squeezes heads like grapes and lassoes sinners to the slaughter-block. In the Book of Going Forth By Day Shezmu is associated with the capture of beings in the afterlife. In a papyrus from the New Kingdom (Dyn 21) his cruel aspect is shown as two hawk deities wringing the net of the wine press but instead of grapes it contains three human heads. His benign aspect became more emphasized by time and in the Book of Going Forth By Day it says: 'Shezmu is with you, he gives you the best of the fowl'. In the New Kingdom he comes forward as a god producing perfumes and fragrant oils for the gods and on the sarcophagus of Ankhnesneferibre, Gods Wife of Amun, Shezmu is describe as maker of prize quality oil to Re. In the Graeco-Roman Period, the benevolent aspect became the one emphasized.

Shezmu had probably a priesthood already in the Old Kingdom. By the Middle Kingdom his cult was well established both in the Faiyum area and elsewhere. In Graeco-Roman times there were rooms especially for the production of oils, unguents and other things for the use in rituals, at temples like Edfu and Dendera and in these places Shezmu is called 'master of the perfumery'

Shu/Shu

Shu is one of the Heliopolitan Ennead. He is the god of sunlight and air, first recorded in the Old Kingdom, where he was responsible for bringing Ra and the king to life every day. Over a millenium later, Akenaten was to continue this tradition, by commemorating Shu as dwelling in the sun’s disk. Shu is one of the first two deities created by Atum, the sun-god of Heliopolis. The semen (or in an alternative tradition, the mucus sneezed by Atum from his nostrils) of Atum gave birth to Shu. His wife, and also his twin sister, is Tefnut, the goddess of moisture. Shu holds aloft the sky, and keeps separate his two children Geb the earth god, and Nut, the goddess of the sky. In sacred art, Shu is shown in human form with an ostrich feather on his head, the hieroglyph of his name. In the Underworld, Shu is dangerous, leading a band of torturers and executioners, whose slaughtering-block represents a great peril for the deceased. On the other hand, he is also a protection against the snake-god Apophis, and Shu’s spells can ward off the poisons of Apophis.

Shu belongs to the cosmic deities and as such no temples were dedicated to him. There seems to have been no priesthood serving solely Shu either. A Chapel was built to Shu, Atum, Tefnut, Re-Harakhte and the Theban triad at Tjeku/Pithom, 8th N, Lower Egypt, by Osorkon II (22nd Dyn.) Festivals: (not historically verified) 30th August – 13th Paopi - Day of Satisfying the Hearts of the Ennead 14th May – 30th Payni - Tehuti (Thoth) appears with Shu to bring back Tefnut 2nd April – 18th Pachons - Day of Joy of the Ennead and crew of Ra 15th November – 30th Koiak - Ennead Feast in the House of Ra 2nd October – 16th Hethara - Day of the appearance of the eight Great Netjers (Primordials)

Sia

Personification of Divine Knowledge or Omniscience, which together with Heka (divine power) and Hu, personification of Divine Utterance, were neccessary for the King´s creative powers during the Old Kingdom. They are seen together with the falcon-headed sungod standing in the Sunboat as it travels across the sky; "in order to sustain the life of men, and all the cattle, and all the worms, [everything] he has created". This points to the mythical concept that every sunrise is equal to the world being created anew, after having fought back all dangers on its way through the Underworld. See also: Heka, Ancient Egyptian Magic

Sia is a deity without a special worship, belonging to the Heliopolitan Creation myth and its´ early sun cult.

Sobek/Sebek

Sobek, Sebek, or (Gr:)Suchos, 'Watching over you'. This deity is symbolic of the might of the King. His cult rose to prominence in the 12th and 13th Dynasty, when the name Sobekhotep was held by eight rulers. The last of the kings in the 12th Dynasty was the first definitely attested female king, called Sobeqneferu, 'The Beauties of Sobeq'. Sobeq is first known from Old Kingdom texts as 'Rager'. At this period he is called the son of Nit, and in some myths Set is said to be his father. In the Middle Kingdom he began to be assimilated into the cult of Amun, like many other deities. He is most often depicted as a crocodile, wearing the sun disc on his head, which indicates a connection to Re. In this form he is often perched on a shrine or an altar. More seldom is he depicted as a human-headed crocodile wearing an atef crown and carrying a was scepter and an ankh. He is also depicted in crocodile form with a falcon's head which shows a relationship with Heru. In this connection Sobeq is a protector, a healer and one who avenges wrongdoers. Sobeq is called 'Lord of stretches of water and of fishes' and among the deities related to water, Sobeq is the most important one. Another title is 'Lord of Bakhu', by which is meant the mountain of the horizon where he was said to have a temple made of carnelian. As he is a god of water, the Nile is said to issue from his sweat and "he made the herbage green". According to some myths Sobeq belongs in the underworld from where he could be called upon to get rid of bothers and troubles of different kinds, by using the phrase 'to Sebek with it!'. There were two main cult centers in ancient Egypt for Sobeq: Kom-Ombo, (Gr: Ombos) situated 40 km north of Assuan, where a double temple from the Ptolemaic and Roman times, was erected for Sobeq and Hours the Elder (Gr: Haroeris). Here his consort was said to be Het-Hert and Khonsu was their child. The earliest remains of a building date however from at least the 18th Dynasty, and in the area are also traces of settlement from the Upper Palaeolithic Period. Medinet-el-Fayum, at the ancient town Shedyet (Gr: Crocodilopolis). The earliest remains of a temple for Sobeq dates from the 12th Dynasty (1985-1795 BC), which was restored by Ramesses II (1279-1213 BC). There were numerous shrines and temples built all over Egypt for Sobeq, at the temples there usually was a sacred pool at which were kept crocodiles.

Main centers of worship are two different ones: Nebet/Ombi/Kom Ombo, 1 st Nome, Upper Egypt AND: Faiyum/Krokodilopolis/Medinet el-Faiyum, 20 th Nome, Lower Egypt Other cult centers: Gebel-el-Silsila Gebelein Festivals: (exact dates not historically verified) Beginning october - 23 Hethara - Ra judges the dispute of Set and Heru (Horus). Middle October - 26th Hethara - The Black Land is given to Horus, The Red Land is given to Set End October - 4th Koiak - Festivals for Sebek (Sobek) End December - 11th Mechir - Birth of Sebek (Sobek) End March - 14th Pachons - Day of cutting out of the tongue of Sobek

Sokar/Sokher

Ancient falcon-god of the Memphite necropolis, already in the 6th Dynasty fused with Ptah to become Ptah-Sokar and taking Sekhmet as his spouse. There are indications he was a god of craftsmanship at the outset, transformed into funerary deity at an early stage and in the Middle Kingdom he became the triple form of Ptah-Sokar-Wesir. He would remain an important funerary deity throughout the Egyptian history. Meaning of name The meaning of his name is unclear. In the Pyramid Texts, where he is frequently mentioned, it seems to be explained as an anguished outcry of Wesir calling out to Aset to come and help him: 'Sy-k-ri'. At this time it seems he was a manifestation of Wesir as slain by Set at Nedyet (Abedjou). As such, his influence must have stretched from MenNefer to Upper Egypt. Funerary Deity and Depictions Titles like 'He of Rosetau' or 'Lord of the mysterious region of the Netherworld' puts Sokar as a funerary deity. Rosetau, meaning the 'mouth of the passage' (into the underworld) is an ancient name for Saqqara. In the Pyramid Texts the deceased king is said to be raised into the 'henu barque' of Sokar, his processional boat. Later, Sokar is also frequently depicted in royal tombs in the Waset (Thebes) area. The original form of Sokar was as a falcon. A frequent symbolic form shows a funerary mound with a falcon´s head on top. On depictions of the Amduat, this mound might be set on a boat and the title 'He who is upon his sand' is given and he appears here in the 4th and 5th hour. Sokar is also depicted in anthropomorphic form as a falcon-headed mummiform man wearing a conical crown adorned with the horned sundisc and cobras. It´s however not until the New Kingdom that we see him in depictions as Ptah-Sokar though this form occurs in texts before this time. The most striking representation of him as a funerary deity is from the exquisite silver coffin of Sheshonq II at Tanis. By time his fusion as Ptah-Sokar-Wesir became more and more usual and from the Late Period there are small statues of him in mummiform standing on a box or pedestal. Sometimes Ptah-sokar-Wesir was depicted as a squat pygmy surmounted by a scarab beetle. The amuletic deity Pataikos is believed to have developed from these figures. God of craftsmanship It is possible that he originally was a god of craftsmanship before he became connected with the necropolis. In the Pyramid Texts he is the manufacturer of the royal bones and during the Middle Kingdom the Book of Going Forth By Day puts him as the maker of the silver bowls which the deceased use as foot-basins. Out of this he becomes associated with the mixing of the unguents vital to ritual life in ancient Egypt. It must have been a short step to fuse him with Ptah as lord of craftsmanship but if this was his origin is unclear. Festival of Sokar Already in the early Old Kingdom, the Festival of Sokar was celebrated yearly at MenNefer. In Akhet, the fourth month of spring, Sokar was carried on his henu bark, in his joint form as Ptah-Sokar-Osiris-Wennufer, in procession from his temple out to the fields and irrigation canals. It was a free day for workmen and people followed the procession wearing garlands of onions and bringing offerings to Sokar-Wesir and the deceased. The god assisted the king in hoeing the earth or digging ditches and canals and other rituals and the festivities were also celebrated at night. The aim of the festival seems to have been to emphasise the continuation of the royal mortuary cult along with the resurrection of Sokar as being a funerary deity. In the New Kingdom the festival was celebrated at great measure in western Waset (Gr: Thebes). The reliefs in the mortuary temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu show it to be of comparable magnitude as the yearly Opet Festival and in the temple of Seti I at Abydos, Seshat calls him 'the cutter' who is holding the mattock to break the soil after the inundation has withdrawn from the land, which might widen association to include a fertility aspect.

Main center of worship: Mennefer/Memphis, 1st N, Lower Egypt. Festivals: (date unknown) In earlier times a stone was dragged across fields followed by people wearing onion garlands, probably a ritual for enhancing cultivation. The stone might have been his cultic image.

Sopdet/Sothis

Sothis was the goddess personifying the dog-star Sirius, the bright appearance of which in the July dawn sky announced the annual flooding of the Nile. The Egyptian name of the goddess was "Sopdet", from which came the Greek Sothis, normally used in Ancient Egyptian studies. She is portrayed as a lady with a star on her head. As early as the First Dynasty, Sothis was called bringer of the New Year and the Nile Flood. The agricultural calendar started with the rise of the Nile. Gradually Sothis became linked with the constellation Orion, because of the prosperity which resulted from the fertile silt left by the receding waters of the river. In the Pyramid texts, there is clear evidence that the king unites with his sister Sothis who gives birth to the morning star. She is also the king’s guide to the heavenly Field of Rushes. In the Lamentations of Isis and Nepthys (a fourth century BC papyrus), Isis states that she is Sothis, who will without fail follow Osiris in his manifestation as Orion in heaven. In the Late Period, the cult of Isis-Sothis resulted in less individuality for Sothis, and Greek versions of this double deity caused Sothis to be even further separated from her Pharaonic origins. P>Both Sothis and Orion are astral symbols for abundant crops.

Main center of worship: Per-sopdu/Soped/Saft el-Hinna, 20th Nome, Lower Egypt Festivals: (exact dates not historically verified) 25th July – 7th Thuthi - Annual flooding of the Nile.

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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