Egyptian God Sobek Statue

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The name Sobek means crocodile. He was a crocodile god much favored by the kings of the twelfth and thirteenth dynasties. Many of the rulers of this period chose to bear names such as Sobek-Hotep, which means “Sobek is merciful”. His main place of worship was in the Nome of Faiyum of which he was the patron deity. His temple there had a holy lake where a sacred crocodile named Pet-Sobek “he who belongs to Sobek” was kept. He was also worshipped at Kom Ombo, where he replaced Seth in a triad of gods, becoming the husband of Hathor and the father of Khonsu. He had associations with the god Horus and a further identification with Ra led to a form of the crocodile with the solar disk on his head. He was usually represented as either a crocodile or a man with a crocodile’s head. Sobek was understandably a god of the water, the Nile river issued from his sweat. He “made the herbage green” and therefore took on a somewhat Osirian character.
 
 

Egyptian Goddess Isis Wall Plaque

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The name Isis means “seat” or “throne”. She was regarded as the symbolical mother of the King. In myth, she sought her dead husband and brother, Osiris, conceived her son Horus by him, buried and mourned him together with her sister Nephtys. Isis was regarded as the “Eye of Ra” and was worshipped as the “Great of Magic” who had protected her son Horus from snakes, predators and other dangers: thus she would protect mortal children also. The ancient Egyptians regarded the Goddess as the “Eye of Ra”. Here she carries the ankh and the papyrus sceptre of Goddesses as well as the horns and sun disk of Hathor. She wears a feather dress and a headdress composed of a vulture, showing that she was identified with Mut.
 
 

Egyptian God Ra-Harakti Statue

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Harakhte, whose name meant “Horus of the Horizon”, and who was also called “Horus of the Two Horizons”, was the form which Horus took when his early characteristics as a god of light were emphasized. He was identified with Ra as he made his daily journey from the eastern to the western horizon, and especially with his Khepri and Atum aspects. The roles of the two gods as solar and as royal deities became inextricably mixed, and under their combined authority Ra-Harakhte held sway over all Egypt. He was represented as a falcon or a falcon-headed man wearing the solar disk and triple crown or the uraeus and the atef crown.

 

 
 

Egyptian God Amun-Ra Sculpture

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New York Metropolitan Museum of Art Dynasty XXII, 945-715 B.C.

Amun-Ra, God of Kings and King of Gods. The oldest and longest venerated ruler of ancient Egypt, Amun, meaning “hidden” and Ra meaning “light” translates to "hidden light". The sacred creature of Amun is the ram with curved horns. Pharaohs repeatedly called themselves “Merry-Amun” or Beloved of Amun. Also, since the ruler was “Son of Ra” it followed that Amun was father of the Monarch. As God of the Theban capital, Amun attained the position of supreme state God in the new kingdom, and as Amun-Ra was identified with the Sun God. Lastly, the God “He who abides in all things”, was imagined as the soul (Ba) of all phenomena. As a god, he carries an ankh, the sign of life in one hand while the other, against his chest, holds a scimitar, a symbol of power.
 
 

Egyptian Goddess Winged Isis Statue

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Egyptian Museum, Cairo Dynasty XX, 1150 B.C. Dynasty XVIII, 1347-1237 B.C.

This sculpture shows the Goddess Isis with her wings extended in a pose of protection, often used to protect her son Horus or her husband Osiris. The name Isis means "Seat" or "Throne". She was regarded as the symbolical mother of the King. In myth she sought her dead husband and brother, Osiris, conceived her son Horus by him, buried and mourned him together with her sister Nephtys. Isis was regarded as the “Eye of Ra” and was worshipped as the "Great of Magic" who had protected her son Horus from snakes, predators and other dangers; thus she would protect mortal children also. In the New Kingdom Isis was closely connected with Hathor whose physical attributes, the cow's horns and sun-disk she adopted.
 
 

Egyptian Goddess Maat Sculpture

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The Goddess Maat is the personification of all the elements of cosmic harmony as established by the Creator-God at the beginning of time-including truth, justice, law, world order and moral integrity. Maat is shown as a lady wearing on her head an ostrich feather. The seated image of Maat was held in pharaoh’s hand like a doll and was presented as an offering to the Gods. This meant that the king was the representative of divine order since Maat was seen as legitimizing their authority to govern and to uphold the laws of the universe which she embodied. Judges were regarded as priests of Maat. In the hall of judgement at the weighing of the heart the heart of the deceased was placed on the scales of justice balanced against the feather of Maat, symbol of justice. Here, Maat stands carrying the ankh in one hand and the “waas” scepter in the other.
 
 

The Offering of Maat Large Wall Plaque

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Temple of Abydos, Egypt. 19th. Dynasty 1317 B.C.

Here, Pharaoh Seti I, (father of Ramses II) is seen offering to the Gods the seated image of Maat, held in his hand like a doll. The Goddess Maat is the personification of all the elements of cosmic harmony as established by the Creator-God at the beginning of time-including truth, justice, law, world order and moral integrity. She is shown as a lady wearing on her head an ostrich feather. This scene establishes the king as the representative of divine order since Maat was seen legitimizing his authority to govern and to uphold the laws of the universe which she embodies.
 
 

Egyptian God Seth Sculpture

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Seth is “He before whom the sky shakes”, God of winds and storms, with lightning and thunder his heralds. Early in Egyptian history, Seth is spoken of in terms of reverence. He was known as the Lord of Upper Egypt. Horus being the Lord of Lower Egypt. It was Seth who stood in the bow of the solar barque of Ra and slays the enemies of Ra as the ship traverses the sky on its daily journey. It seems that in very early times the followers of Seth were conquered by the followers of Horus but they resisted the followers of Horus and the First Dynasty Pharaoh, Menes when he united Upper and Lower Egypt. At this point, Seth was discredited and literally demonized, and in later periods was identified with Apep as a symbol of complete destruction. Seth was already known as a deity of the night and darkness. As god of chaos and destruction, Seth represented a necessary force in the universe, that of strength and violent force which together with the force of creation maintains the balance of the universe and the cosmic order that was so important for the Egyptians to maintain and was personified by the Goddess Maat. Seth was represented as a man with the head of an unknown animal with square ears, often called the “Seth animal”.
 
 

Egyptian God Ptah Sculpture

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Egyptian Museum, Cairo Dynasty XVIII, 1347-1337 B.C.

Originally a local god of Memphis, Ptah is generally represented as a standing mummiform figure with hands protruding from the tight shroud to hold a scepter that combines the “waas” scepter and the djed pillar symbols. He wears a tight-fitting cap, and has a menat hanging down behind his neck. Originally he was only a god of craftsmanship, therefore the invention of the arts were attributed to him, but in the Pyramid Age, he assumed the position as god of the creation. He created by means of his heart and tongue, thus fashioning the world by the power of his word. The god’s creative power was then manifest in every heartbeat and in every sound. Ptah was regarded as “the ancient one” who united in his person the entity Nun, the masculine aspect and Naunet, the female aspect. Ptah was known as the “sculptor of the earth” who created all beings on a potter’s wheel.
 
 

Egyptian God Anubis Statue

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The Egyptians didn't worship the animals, but the forces of nature that they symbolized. Anubis, God of the Dead, represented with a head of a jackal or simply as a jackal opened the road to the other world and presided over embalmments. After a funeral, Anubis would take the deceased by the hand and introduce him into the presence of the sovereign judges where the soul of the deceased would be weighed. Anubis was the Guardian of Offerings brought to the ceremony by heirs of the deceased and he also guarded the mummy from evil forces in the night. When the body was embalmed, a priest wearing a jackal mask acted as Anubis's representative. He also was the guardian of the Sacred Esoteric Mysteries. The origin of this God lay in the fact that jackals could be heard howling in the desert to the west of the Nile at sunset-at the time when burials took place. Here Anubis stands carrying the ankh in one hand and the “waas” sceptre in the other.