Amun / Amun-Ra: King of the gods during the New Kingdom. Originally a Theban deity of air and invisibility, merged with Ra to become supreme solar deity. Associated with creation, kingship, and hidden power.
Anubis: Jackal-headed god of mummification and the necropolis. Protector of graves, conductor of souls to judgment, overseer of embalming. Predates Osiris as lord of the dead.
Aten: Solar disk deity promoted to sole god during Akhenaten's monotheistic reform (18th Dynasty). Represented as sun disk with rays ending in hands. Cult suppressed after Akhenaten's death.
Atum: Primordial creator god of Heliopolis. Self-created from the waters of Nun, brought forth the first divine pair (Shu and Tefnut). Associated with the setting sun and completion.
Geb: Earth god, son of Shu and Tefnut, husband/brother of Nut. Father of Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. Portrayed lying beneath sky goddess Nut.
Hapi: God of the annual Nile inundation. Depicted as androgynous figure with pendulous breasts and large belly, crowned with water plants. Brought fertility through flooding.
Horus: Sky god with falcon head, son of Osiris and Isis. Multiple forms: Horus the Elder (early sky god), Horus son of Isis (avenger of Osiris). Associated with kingship—pharaoh considered living Horus.
Khepri: Scarab beetle god representing the morning/rising sun. Embodied self-creation and transformation. Often merged with Ra.
Khnum: Ram-headed creator god who fashioned humans on a potter's wheel. Guardian of Nile sources at Elephantine. Husband of Satet and Anuket.
Khonsu: Moon god, son of Amun and Mut. "The Traveler" who crossed night sky. Associated with healing and protection, particularly at Thebes.
Min: Ithyphallic god of fertility, procreation, and sexual potency. Protector of desert travelers and patron of male virility. Cult center at Coptos.
Montu: War god with falcon head, originally supreme deity of Thebes before Amun's rise. Patron of warriors and pharaoh's military might.
Nefertem: God of the lotus blossom, perfume, and aromatics. Son of Ptah and Sekhmet (Memphis triad). Associated with healing and the primordial lotus from which sun emerged.
Nun: Primordial waters of chaos from which creation emerged. Personification of the infinite, formless ocean existing before creation. Father of Ra.
Osiris: God of death, resurrection, and fertility. Murdered by Set, reassembled by Isis, became ruler of the underworld. Judge of the dead and guarantor of eternal life. Central figure in Egyptian afterlife belief.
Ptah: Creator god of Memphis, patron of craftsmen and architects. Created through thought and speech (Memphite theology). Husband of Sekhmet, father of Nefertem.
Ra (Re): Supreme solar deity, creator god of Heliopolis. Traveled through sky by day in solar barque, through underworld at night. Merged with other gods (Amun-Ra, Ra-Horakhty).
Set (Seth): God of chaos, storms, deserts, and foreigners. Brother and murderer of Osiris. Ambivalent figure—sometimes protector of Ra's solar barque against Apophis, sometimes personification of disorder.
Shu: God of air and light, created by Atum. Separated Geb (earth) from Nut (sky). Father of Geb and Nut.
Sobek: Crocodile god of the Nile, fertility, and military prowess. Protected against dangers of the river. Major cult centers at Crocodilopolis and Kom Ombo.
Thoth: Ibis-headed god of writing, wisdom, magic, and moon. Scribe of the gods, inventor of hieroglyphs, keeper of divine records. Recorded judgment of souls in the Hall of Maat. Cult center at Hermopolis.
Wadj-Wer: "Great Green"—personification of Mediterranean Sea and large water bodies. Lesser-known fertility deity depicted with water and plants on body.
Major Goddesses
Ammit: Demoness who devoured hearts of the unworthy in the Hall of Judgment. Composite creature (crocodile, lion, hippopotamus). Not worshipped but feared.
Bastet: Cat goddess of protection, joy, music, and domestic life. Originally lioness deity (more fierce form), later domesticated cat. Major cult center at Bubastis.
Hathor: Cow goddess of sky, love, beauty, music, motherhood, and joy. Patroness of miners, foreign lands. Could transform into Sekhmet (destructive aspect). Major temple at Dendera.
Isis: Goddess of magic, motherhood, healing, and protection. Wife of Osiris, mother of Horus. Reassembled Osiris after his murder. Most powerful goddess by Greco-Roman period, with mystery cult spreading throughout Mediterranean.
Maat: Goddess of truth, justice, cosmic order, and balance. Depicted with ostrich feather (symbol of truth). Her feather weighed against the heart of the deceased in judgment. Represented fundamental Egyptian concept of cosmic harmony.
Mut: Mother goddess, wife of Amun, member of Theban triad. Depicted with vulture headdress or as lioness. Name means "mother."
Neith: Ancient goddess of war, hunting, and weaving. Creator deity in some traditions. Protector of royal mummies. Major cult at Sais in Delta.
Nekhbet: Vulture goddess of Upper Egypt, protector of pharaoh and royal children. Paired with Wadjet (cobra goddess of Lower Egypt) as "Two Ladies."
Nephthys: Sister of Isis, Osiris, and Set. Wife of Set but assisted Isis in resurrection of Osiris. Protector of the dead, guardian of canopic jars. Associated with death and mourning.
Nut: Sky goddess who arched over earth (Geb). Swallowed sun at night, gave birth to it at dawn. Mother of Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys. Depicted on coffin lids protecting the deceased.
Satet: Goddess of Nile floods and fertility, part of Elephantine triad with Khnum and Anuket. Guardian of southern frontier.
Sekhmet: Lioness goddess of war, plague, and healing. "Eye of Ra" sent to punish humanity. Destructive aspect of Hathor. Appeased through festivals to prevent plague. Wife of Ptah.
Selket (Serqet): Scorpion goddess of protection, particularly against venomous creatures. Guardian of canopic jars. Protector of the deceased.
Seshat: Goddess of writing, architecture, astronomy, and record-keeping. Depicted with seven-pointed star above her head. Female counterpart to Thoth.
Taweret: Hippopotamus goddess of childbirth and fertility. Protective deity for pregnant women and children. Composite creature (hippo, lion, crocodile).
Tefnut: Goddess of moisture, rain, and dew. Twin sister and wife of Shu. Mother of Geb and Nut. Created by Atum.
Wadjet: Cobra goddess of Lower Egypt, protector of pharaoh. Appeared as uraeus serpent on royal crown. Paired with Nekhbet as "Two Ladies."
Additional Significant Deities
Aker: Double-lion god guarding horizon where sun rose and set. Guardian of underworld gates.
Anuket: Goddess of the Nile cataracts, part of Elephantine triad. Associated with fertility and the inundation.
Apep (Apophis): Serpent demon of chaos and darkness, enemy of Ra. Threatened solar barque nightly in underworld. Never worshipped—ritually defeated in temple ceremonies.
Bes: Dwarf god of protection, childbirth, music, and domestic life. Warded off evil spirits. One of few deities depicted face-forward rather than in profile.
Heket: Frog goddess of fertility and childbirth. Assisted in daily rebirth of sun. Wife of Khnum.
Imhotep: Deified architect and physician (historical figure from 3rd Dynasty). God of medicine and healing in later periods.
Meretseger: Cobra goddess of Theban necropolis. "She who loves silence." Punished tomb robbers and workers who violated tombs.
Meskhenet: Goddess of childbirth and fate. Determined destiny of newborns at birth.
Neper: God of grain, particularly representing the grain harvest and agricultural fertility.
Pakhet: Lioness goddess of hunting and warfare in Middle Egypt. Name means "she who scratches."
Renenutet: Cobra goddess of harvest, nursing, and children's names. Protector of pharaoh.
Reshep: War god adopted from Canaan during New Kingdom. Associated with plague and healing.
Sopdet (Sothis): Personification of star Sirius. Her heliacal rising marked beginning of inundation and new year.
Tatenen: Primordial earth god, personification of land emerging from Nun. Later merged with Ptah.
Notes on Syncretism and Development
Egyptian theology was non-dogmatic and highly syncretic. Deities merged over time (Ra-Horakhty, Amun-Ra, Ptah-Sokar-Osiris). Regional variations existed with different cult centers emphasizing different deities and creation myths. Theban theology (New Kingdom) elevated Amun; Heliopolitan theology centered Ra; Memphite theology emphasized Ptah.
Animal forms represented divine qualities rather than literal appearances. Many deities appeared in multiple forms depending on context and period.