Amun/Amon/Amen
God. Considered to be king of all the gods; he is as well a creator god, believed to be himself a self-created deity, and is associated with sovereignty and with the winds. He is frequently depicted as a man with deep blue skin; he may also be depicted with black skin, or with the red skin typical of depictions of men in Egyptian art, and is sometimes depicted as a man with the head of a ram.

Anubis/Yinepu/Anpu
God. Associated with the afterlife and underworld; he is a psychopomp, a guardian of the dead and of the tomb. He is frequently depicted as a man with the head of a jackal, or in the full form of a jackal.

Atum
God. Associated with great primordial forces. He is considered to have been the first of the gods, who existed before the beginning and will continue to exist after the end. He is often depicted as a man wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Bast/Bastet
Goddess. Associated with protection, love, joy, music and dance. She is an Eye of Ra, an agent and protector of the sun-god. She is often depicted as a woman with the head of a cat (or, in earlier times, a lioness); she may also be shown in the full form of a cat.

Bes
God. Associated with fertility, joy, pleasure, and good fortune; he is a protector of home and family, and particularly a protector of women and children. He is primarily a household god. He is most often depicted as a small man, bearded, wearing a crown of ostrich plumes and a lion’s tail and mane.

Geb
God. Associated with the earth; he is the brother and consort of Nut (Nuit), goddess of the sky and stars, and the father of Isis, Osiris, Set, Nephthys, and Horus the Elder. Nut and Geb are often depicted together in art, with Nut’s star-strewn body arched over Geb. On his own, Geb can be depicted with a goose on his head.

Hathor/Het-hert
Goddess. Associated with with fertility, motherhood, love, beauty, joy, music and dance. She is an Eye of Ra, an agent and protector of the sun-god. She is often depicted as a woman wearing a horned crown, in which the sun disk and uraeus snake are held by the horns of the cow. She may also be depicted in the full form of a cow.

Heka
God. Associated with magic; the word “heka” is also an Egyptian word for magic. He is also associated with medicine and healing. Heka is often depicted as a man holding two snakes; he may also be depicted in the form of a child.

Heruakhety
God. His name means “Horus of the Horizons” and he is thus associated with the sun’s crossings made each morning and evening. Heruakhety is one of a number of guises of Horus. He can be depicted as a man with the head of a hawk, wearing the solar disk with the uraeus snake and the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Horus the Elder/Heru-Wer
God. Associated with battle, protection, and prosperity. In myth he is the son of Geb and Nut and a sibling of Osiris, Isis, Set and Nephthys, and thus the uncle of Horus the Younger. Heru-wer is one of a number of guises of Horus. He can be depicted as a man with the head of a hawk.

Horus the Younger/Heru-sa-Aset
God. with sovereignty, justice, and victory. In myth he is the son of Isis and Osiris and is thus the nephew of Horus the Elder. Heru-sa-Aset is one of a number of guises of Horus. He can be depicted as a man with the head of a hawk, wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt; he can also be depicted in the form of a child.

Isis/Aset
Goddess. Associated with sovereignty (her name means “throne”), magic, wisdom and knowledge, marriage and motherhood. She is the wife of Osiris (Wesir) and the mother of Horus the Younger (Heru-sa-Aset). She can be depicted as a woman wearing the throne crown, or (especially in later times) wearing Hathor’s horned crown. She can also be depicted as a bird (the kite) or as a woman with outstretched wings.

Khepera/Khepri
God. Associated with the sun, the scarab, rebirth and creation, change and transformation. He is often depicted as a man with a scarab as a head, or in the full form of a scarab.

Khnum
God. Associated with creation and protection; he is considered to be self-created, and was said to create human beings from clay at his potter’s wheel. He is also the god of the source of the Nile river. He is frequently depicted as a man with the head of a ram.

Khonsu
God. Associated with the moon and with time itself. He is often depicted as a man with the head of a hawk, wearing the lunar crown.

Maahes
God. Associated with war and protection. He is often depicted as a man with the head of a lion, holding a knife in each hand.

Ma’at
Goddess. Associated with truth, order, harmony, and justice. The word Ma’at also refers to these concepts–to things being and existing as they rightly should be. She has charge of the ordering of the seasons and the hours of the day. Ma’at has an important role to play in the afterlife as well; the feather she carries is weighted against the heart of the deceased in order to determine their fate. She is frequently depicted wearing the ostrich feather, her symbol, on her head, and is equipped with wings.

Mafdet
Goddess. Associated with law and justice, a protector from venomous and poisonous beasts. She is often depicted as a woman with the head of a cheetah, carrying an executioner’s axe.

Meretseger
Goddess. Protector of tombs and patron of artisans and builders. She was particularly beloved by the workers who built the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, where she was believed to live in the highest mountain peak. She is often depicted as a woman with the head of a cobra.

Min
God. Associated with fertility. He is often depicted as a man with black skin, symbolizing the fertile Nile soil, with an erect phallus, wearing the double-plumed crown and carrying the flail.

Montu
God. Associated with war and with the burning heat of the sun, he is a god of soldiers and military leaders. He may be depicted as a man with the head of a falcon, wearing the solar disk with uraeus snake and the double-plumed crown; he is also sometimes depicted as a man with the head of a bull.

Mut
Goddess. Queen of all the gods, in early times she was primarily associated with the primordial waters of creation while in later times she was linked with motherhood and other creative forces as well. She is often depicted wearing the vulture crown, topped with the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Nefertem
God. Associated with beauty; he is also associated with scent and perfumes, and with healing. He is often depicted as a man wearing a lotus blossom on his head.

Nekhbet
Goddess. Associated with protection, particularly of children, and is a goddess of childbirth; she represents Upper Egypt and is often depicted in art along with Wadjet, who likewise represents Lower Egypt. She is often depicted as a woman with the head of a vulture, wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt, or in the full form of a vulture.

Nephthys/Nebt-het
Goddess. Associated with death and mourning. She is the sister of Isis and aided her in the resurrection of Osiris; she is also the wife of Set. She is often shown wearing a crown depicting the symbols for “house” and “basket,” affirming her importance in the lives of all. Like her sister Isis, she may also be depicted in the full form of a bird (the kite) or as a woman with the wings of a bird.

Nu/Nun/Nunet/Naunet
God or goddess. The primordial abyss from which all things were created. Nun may be depicted as a green-skinned man carrying a palm frond and wearing another frond on his head, as a man with the head of a frog, or in the full form of a frog; Naunet may be depicted as a woman with the head of a snake or in the full form of a snake.

Nut/Nuit
Goddess. Associated with the sky, stars, and all that lies within the heavens. She may be depicted as a woman with long black hair and deep blue skin covered with stars. She is frequently depicted in this form in art, lying far above Geb, as the sky lies above the earth.

Osiris/Wesir/Asar
God. Associated with the afterlife, underworld, death and rebirth. He is the husband of Isis (Aset) and the father of Horus the Younger (Heru-sa-Aset). He is often depicted as a man with green skin, wrapped in white like a mummy and wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt between two ostrich feathers.

Ptah
God. Associated with creation, both in his role as a creator god and as a patron of artists, artisans and builders. As a primordial creator he is considered to have no parent. He is often depicted with green skin, wrapped in white like a mummy and wearing a blue skullcap.

Ra/Re
God. The primary Egyptian sun god; the name Ra itself means “sun” and Ra is associated with the sun, particularly the noonday sun. He is also a creator god, and his travels on the Sun-boat take him not only through the sky during the day but through the underworld during the night. He is often depicted as a man with the head of a hawk, crowned with the sun disk and uraeus snake.

Renenutet
Goddess. Associated with nurturing, abundance, and the harvest, she is said to present each newborn child with its destiny.She is often depicted as a woman with the head of a cobra, wearing the sun disk on her head, or in the full form of a cobra.

Sekhmet
Goddess. Associated with healing, war and battle, justice and vengeance. She is an Eye of Ra, an agent and protector of the sun-god. She is often depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, wearing the sun disk and uraeus snake, or in the full form of a lioness.

Serqet/Serket
Goddess. Associated with magic and medicine, particularly protection from poisonous and venomous beasts such as the scorpion that is her animal. She is often depicted as a woman with a scorpion on her head, or in the full form of a scorpion.

Seshet/Seshat
Goddess. Associated with wisdom, knowledge, history and the art of writing; the name Seshet means “writer,” and she is excellent to pray to regarding matters of intellect and study. She is a frequent companion of Thoth (Djehuty). Seshet is also associated with the art of measurement, an essential skill for the architects and builders of Egypt. She is often depicted wearing a leopard-skin dress and a headdress with a seven-pointed star.

Set/Seth
God. Associated with change, chaos and disorder, war and battle, and the desert. He is often depicted as a man with the head of an unidentified animal usually referred to as the “Set beast” or in the full form of the Set beast.

Shu
God. Associated with the air and the winds; he is the brother and consort of Tefnut, goddess of the waters, and the father of Nut (the sky) and Geb (the earth). He can be depicted as a man wearing an ostrich feather on his head, or in the full form of a lion.

Sobek
God. Associated with fertility, protection, the Nile, and the military. He is often depicted as a man with the head of a crocodile, or in the full form of a crocodile.

Sokar
God. Associated with death and the dark. He has the responsibility of helping the soul from the body after death; he is also associated with the art of metalwork and is a patron of those who work those crafts. He is often depicted as a man with the head of a hawk, wrapped in white like a mummy.

Taweret/Tauret
Goddess. Associated with fertility, motherhood and childbirth; primarily a household goddess. She is often depicted as an anthropomorphic hippopotamus, her hair in a long golden braid, holding the protective sa symbol.

Tefnut
Goddess. Associated with the waters and the rains, she is the sister and consort of Shu, god of the air, and the mother of Nut (the sky) and Geb (the earth). She is often depicted in art as a woman with the head of a lioness, wearing the sun disk and uraeus snake. (Images of Tefnut in art can be difficult to differentiate from those of Sekhmet, but Tefnut’s ears are somewhat pointed while Sekhmet’s tend to be more rounded.)

Thoth/Djehuty
God. Associated with writing, knowledge, education and scholarly pursuits. He is often depicted in art as a man with the head of an ibis bird, carrying the tools of the scrobe, the stylus and palette. He may also be shown in the full form of an ibis, or as a baboon.

Wadjet
Goddess. Associated with protection, particularly of children, and is a goddess of childbirth; she represents Lower Egypt and is often depicted in art along with Nekhbet, who likewise represents Upper Egypt. She is an Eye of Ra, an agent and protector of the sun-god. She is often depicted as a woman with the head of a cobra, wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt.

Wepwawet
God. Associated with war, protection, and the hunt. The name Wepwawet means “Opener of the Ways,” and many consider him a god of possibilities. He is often depicted as a man with the head of a jackal, or in the full form of a jackal.