Egyptian gods

In this thread I will divulge information of the Egyptian gods .
All the information is from http://www.timstouse.com/EarthHistory/Egypt/gods/thoth.htm
Non of this is my work , all the rights go to the respective owners .

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Thoth

God of Wisdom, Time, Writing and the Moon

Cult Center: Eshmunen or Hermopolis.

Attributes: Thoth was a moon god who played an important role in the Osiris legend and the judgment of the dead in the Hall of Ma'at. Thoth was said to be mighty in knowledge and divine speech. The inventer of spoken and written language. As the lord of books he was the scribe of the gods and patron of all scribes. He is credited with inventing astronomy, geometry, and medicine. Thoth was the measurer of the earth and the counter of the stars, the keeper and recorder of all knowledge. It was Thoth who was believed to have written important religious texts such as The Book of the Dead. In this text, he appears in the Hall of Ma'at as a scribe holding a writing reed and palette to record the results of the weighing of the deceased's heart against the feather of Ma'at.

In his last (of his three) incarnation, he left the writings known to modern occultists as the Emerald Tablets.

The Book of Thoth had two spells in it. If you read the first spell aloud, you would be able to understand every beast and bird, and summon the fishes in the sea. If you read the second spell, you could bring the dead to life. Prince Setna, the son of a Pharoah, knew the book was hidden in a royal tomb in the City of the Dead. With his brother Anhurerau, he broke into the tomb of Neferkeptah. When they found the burial chamber, they saw the mummy of Neferkaptah, and his wife and young son. The wife spoke to them, and warned them against taking the book of Thoth. She said that her husband had stolen the Book from Thoth, and had read the spells, but Thoth was angry and had drowned her and her son in the Nile, and Neferkeptah had then killed himelf. But Setna ignored her and moved towards the Book. The the muumy of Neferkaptah sat up and said "Play me at four games of draughts. If you win, you can take the Book." Setna was terrified, but agreed. He played the first game, and lost. He started to sink into the ground, up to his ankles. Then he lost the next game, and sunk up to his hips. As he was losing the third game, he shouted to his brother, "Run and fetch my magic amulets. Only they can save me!" He then sank into the ground up to his chin. His brother ran out of the tomb. Setna played the fourth game as slowly as he could, trying desparately not to lose, but the muumy was too good at draughts. Just as he had nearly lost for the final time, his brother Anhurerau returned with the amulets, and put them on Setna's head. The spell was broken, and Setna grabbed the Book of Thoth, and ran as hard as he could out of the tomb.

As Setna tried to read the Book, he saw a beautiful woman walking past. He fell in love with her, and tried to persuade her to marry him. She demanded that he kill his existing wife and children. Completely besotted with her, he agreed. When he had done this, she vanished, and he was apalled at what he had done. But he discovered that it was all a dream. He realized that he was being punished for stealing the Book of Thoth, and next time it might not be a dream, so he returned the Book to the tomb of Neferkeptah and resealed the burial chamber. Ever since then, no one has seen the Book of Thoth.

The magic amulet may have been a scarab. The scarab or dung beetle makes a ball of dung by rolling it along the ground, and then lays its eggs in it. The Ancient Egyptians imagined a scarab rolling the sun across the sky.

Representation: A man with the head of an Ibis. An ibis or an ape. A dog faced ape. He is often seen wearing a lunar disk and cresant on his head or the Atef crown.

Relations: Self conceived at the beginning of time. Husband of Ma'at. Brother and some times husband of Seshat.

Other Names: Tehuti.

Bastest:

This is just a bit of info on the Goddess Bastest.

Names and Titles:
She has been known by other names which include: Bast, Bastia, Bubastis, Pacht, Pasht, and various others. Her name has been translated to mean "The Tearer" and "Devouring Lady." She has also been the titles of "Lady of the East," "The Light Bearer," "Lady of Truth," and "Goddess of the Birth Chamber."

Mythology and Place in the Egyptian Pantheon:
Bastest is the Egyptian Goddess of protection, fertility, women, and cats. In mythology, she was the protectress of the Royal House and the Two Lands.

Her origins can be traced back to about 3000 BC. There are several stories on her origins. Some state that she was the daughter of the sun god Ra. In her associations with Ra, she was believed to defend her father from the serpent Apep. However, during the New Kingdom (between 1539 and 1075 BC) she was believed to be a daughter of Osiris and Isis. Some say her oldest form was the lion-headed Goddess Tefnut, Horus became a later version of Shu, Tufnut's twin and a God of the sky. She also became associated with the Goddess Sekhment, the Egyptian Goddess of war.

Her Role in Egyptian Society:
Herodotus stated that Bast was a benign deity. She brought joy, good fortune ,and protection to all that worshiped her. The cat was and is her sacred animal. Her followers worshiped the cats and viewed them as a living embodiment of the Goddess.

Symbolism:
Symbols sacred to Bast were the cat, a sistrum, an Aegis, and a basket containing kittens .

Offerings:
Cat statues, sweet foods and drinks, mint, catnip, honey, sweet scented perfumes and ointments.

Source:
http://inanna.virtualave.net/bastet.html

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/egyptiandeities/qt/BastProfile.htm

http://www.sacredtempleofra.net/

Isis

Queen of Goddess

Cult Center: A temple is dedicated to her on the Island of Philae,near the first cataract. She is revered throughout Egypt.

Attributes: Isis is one of the earliest and most important goddess in ancient Egypt. She was regarded as the feminine counterpart to Osiris,a role she probably occupied before the dawn of dynastic Egypt. No other Egyptian deity has stood the test of time as well as Isis. Her cult was not extinguished with the other Egyptian gods, but was embraced by the Greeks and Romans, her worship has even lasted into the present day.

She was revered by the Egyptian people as the great mother-goddess and represents the maternal spirit in its most intimate form. She is often seen suckling a young Horus. In the Osiris legend she is seen as a dutiful wife, a grieving widow and as a protector of the dead.

As a winged goddess she may represent the wind. In the Osiris legend there are references to Isis wailing and moaning like the wind. She is also continually travelling up and down the land in search of her lost husband. Upon finding Osiris' body, she takes the shape of one of the swiftest birds, a kite. Flapping and darting above his dead body she wails in mourning. She restores life to Osiris by flapping her wings and filling his mouth and nose with air.

Isis was a great enchantress, the goddess of magic. Together with Thoth,she taught mankind the secrets of medicine. She was the embalmer and gaurdian of Osiris. She is often rendered on the foot of coffins with long wings spread to protect the deceased.

Isis was the great mother-goddess. She was the wife of Osiris and protected her son Horus against his enemy Seth.

She was also a great healer and magician. She got her magic powers by a trick. Ra was the greatest of the gods and he kept his power in his secret name, which only he knew. He had started to grow old, and sometimes he dribbled. Isis collected some of his saliva and made it into a snake. She hid the snake where Ra would walk. When Ra trod on it, it bit him, and Ra screamed in pain. All the gods gathered round, but none could heal him. Isis said "If you tell me your secret name, this will give me enough magic power to heal you." Ra didn't want to do this, but eventually the pain was so bad that he had to. Isis healed him, and ever since then she has the magic powers that Ra had.

Representation: A woman wearing on her head the hieroglyphic symbol of her name, which represents a throne or seat. Often seen wearing horns and a solar disk on her head. Sometimes she is pictured with wings, It is noteworthy that she is one of only a few deities that we find with wings in ancient Egyptian mythology.

Relations: Daughter of Nut and Geb. Sister of Osiris, Nephthys,and Seth. Wife of Osiris. Mother of Horus.

Nut

Sky Goddess

Cult Center: Throughout Egypt.

Attributes: Nut was originally a mother-goddess who had many children. The hieroglyph for her name, which she is often seen wearing on her head is a water pot, but it is also thought to represent a womb. During the day, Nut and Geb are separated, but each evening Nut comes down to meet Geb and this causes darkness. If storms came during the day, it was believed that Nut had some how slipped closer to the earth. She also plays an important role in creation mythology.

Representation: As the sky goddess, she is shown stretching from horizon to horizon, touching only her fingertips and toes to the ground. Her husband, Geb is often shown reclining beneath her. She is also pictured as a giant sow, suckling many piglets. These piglets represented the stars, which she swallowed each morning before dawn. Nut was considered to be the mother of the sun and the moon. In some cases she took the form of a great cow who's eyes represented the sun and the moon.

Relations: Daughter of Shu and Tefnut, twin sister of Geb, wife of Geb,mother of Osiris and Isis,Seth,Nephthys.

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Cult Center: Throughout Egypt.

Attributes: Geb was thought to represent the earth, he is often seen reclining beneath the sky goddess Nut. Geb was called 'the Great Cackler', and as such, was represented as a goose. It was in this form that he was said to have laid the egg from which the sun was hatched. He was believed to have been the third divine king of earth. The royal throne of Egypt was known as the 'throne of Geb' in honor of his great reign.

Representation: As a vegetation-god he was shown with green patches or plants on his body. As the earth, he is often seen lying beneath Nut,leaning on one elbow, with a knee bent toward the sky, this is representive of the mountains and valleys of the earth. He was often pictured with a goose on his head or as a goose.

Relations: Son of Shu and Tefnut, twin brother of Nut,husband of Nut,father of Osiris and Isis,Seth,Nephthys.

Other possible Names: Keb

Nephthys

Lady of the House.

Cult Center: Throughout Egypt. Plays a role in the Osiris legend.

Attributes: Her name means 'Lady of the House' it's thought to be referring to Osiris' Palace. Nephthys conceived no children with her husband Seth. Her son, Anubis was conceived from a union with Osiris. It is said that she tricked Osiris into this union by making him drunk, or by disguising herself as Isis. Fearing Seth's anger, Nephthys hides the infant in the Delta marshes shortly after his birth. Seth murders Osiris and Nephthys flees in fear. She finds her sister, Isis,and helps in the search for Osiris' body. Nephthys tells her sister about the infant. During the search for Osiris, Isis finds Anubis and adopts him. After finding the body of Osiris, she helps Isis embalm him. The two sisters turn into birds and fly about mourning over the dead body. She is often rendered on the head of coffins, as Isis is rendered at the foot, with long wings spread to protect the deceased.

Representation: A woman wearing on her head the hieroglyphic symbol of her name.

Relations: Daughter of Nut and Geb. Sister of Osiris,Isis, and Seth. Wife of Seth, mother of Anubis.

Other Names: Nebhet

Osiris

King of the Dead.

Cult Center: Busiris, later Abydos.

Attributes: Supreme god and judge of the dead. The symbol of resurrection and eternal life. Provider of fertility and prosperity to the living.

Representation: A bearded man wearing white mummy wrappings. Wearing the atef crown and holding the symbols of supreme power, the flail and crook. His skin is green to represent vegetation or red to represent the earth. See also the Osiris legend.

Osiris is shown as a man with a beard wearing white mummy wrappings. His crown is the white crown of Upper Egypt surrounded by red feathers. He holds the symbols of supreme power, the flail and crook. His skin is green to represent vegetation. He was the God of the Dead. You would expect that such a god would be gloomy or even evil, but the Egyptians thought about death a lot. They mummified their dead and buried them with their belongings so they could enjoy themselves in the afterlife.

Osiris ruled over the Egyptians and taught them farming. His brother Seth had always hated him, and wanted to kill him. Seth made a beautiful box, like a coffin, made to the exact measurements of Osiris. Then Seth invited Osiris and other people to a great feast. When everyone had finished eating, Seth displayed the box, and said that he'd give it to anyone who fitted inside. Everyone tried, but only Osiris fitted. While he was still inside, Seth and his friends quickly slammed on the lid and threw the box in the Nile river. But what happened next? Read the Osiris Legend.

Relations: Son of Geb and Nut. Brother of Isis,Nephthys, and Seth and in some myths he is brother of Horus. Husband of Isis and father of Horus. Father of Anubis by Nephthys.

Seth

God of the desert, storm and violence

Cult Center: Ombos.

Attributes: Early in Egyptian history, Seth is spoken of in terms of reverence as the god of wind and storms. He was even known as the Lord of Upper Egypt. Horus being the Lord of Lower Egypt. It was Seth who stood in the front of the solar barque to defended the sun god Ra from his most dangerous foe, the serpent Apep. At this time, he seems to have had no conflicts with the cults of Isis or Osiris. In fact, he was part of the same family of gods, and married to his twin sister, Nephthys.

However, it appears the followers of Seth may have resisted the followers of Horus and the First Dynasty pharaoh, Menes, when he united Upper and Lower Egypt. This struggle for control of Egypt seems to be reflected in the mythology. At this point, Seth is portrayed as questioning the authority of his brother, Osiris. The Osiris cults took this opportunity to discredit the followers of Seth; he was now considered to be Osiris' evil brother. And the story was told that Seth was evil since birth, because he ripped himself from his mother's womb by tearing through her side. In the Osiris legends,it is Seth who tricks and murders Osiris. He is also the antagonist of Horus. By the Twenty-sixth Dynasty, Seth was the embodiment of evil. He was depicted with red eyes and hair. The ancient Egyptians beleived red represented evil.

Seth (or Set) is shown with an animal's head with a long curved pointed snout, slanting eyes, and square-tipped ears. Sometimes he has a forked tail. No one seems to know what the animal is. Aardvark, antelope, ass, camel, fennec, giraffe, greyhound, jackal, jerboa, long-snouted mouse, okapi, oryx and pig have all been suggested! Seth was the God of the desert, storm and violence, which are all enemies of the fertile, prosperous, narrow valley of the Nile. His sceptre has his head of top and his tail at the other end. Several other gods seem to carry this sceptre as well.

Seth had killed Osiris by tricking him into a coffin, which he threw into the Nile. When Osiris' wife Isis heard about this, she started searching desperately for her husband's body, to bury it properly. She asked everyone she met and finally some children told her where it was. Isis mourned for her dead husband. Then she hid the body, while she went back to look after her son Horus,still a baby. Seth was terrified that Isis might be able to bring Osiris back from the dead, since she was a great magician. So Seth found where she had hidden the body and cut it into pieces, which he scattered up and down the Nile. Now Isis had to find all the scattered pieces of Osiris. Whenever she found a piece, she buried it there and built a shrine. This means that there are lots of places in Egypt where Osiris was buried! Osiris himself became the King of the Dead, and all Egyptians hoped they would join him after death.

Representation: Man with the head of an unknown animal. Some times he takes the form of a crocodile. He is represented as a hippopotamus or a black pig in his battles with Horus.

Relations: Son of Geb and Nut. Brother of Isis,Nephthys, and Osiris. The husband of Nephthys or sometimes the husband of Taurt.

Other Names: Set, Suetekh.