Isis According to Egyptian mythology, Isis is the Egyptian Goddess of magic and motherhood. She is one of the greatest Goddesses in the Egyptian pantheon. She is known to protect women and children and is the healer of the sick. When her husband Osiris ruled Egypt, Isis also contributed her bit by teaching women how to weave, bake bread and brew drinks. Isis is represented as a beautiful woman wearing a sheath dress & either the hieroglyphic sign of the throne or a solar disk and a cow’s horns on her head. Her parents are Geb and Nut, while her siblings are Osiris, Nephthys and Set. Isis is Osiris’s wife and Horus’s mother. With her magical powers, she once cast a spell even on Amun-Ra and made him reveal his secret name. She then used this secret name to overthrow Amun-Ra and put Osiris on the throne. The famous story behind this goes to the times when Isis collected the God Ra’s spit, without his knowledge and built a powerful snake from this spit. She placed the snake on the route of the walking path of Ra and when Ra crossed that path, the venomous snake bit him. Given that the snake was magically created, there was no cure apart from the cure that Isis was aware of. The poison was rapidly spreading in Ra’s body and that is when Isis told Ra that he needs to tell her his secret name. Ra’s secret name gave him unlimited power so he was caught as he never told anyone his secret name. Eventually as the poison was spreading faster all over his body and was causing uncontrollable pain, he gave in and whispered his secret name to Isis and got cured with Isis and her healing magic. Using this new power of the secret name, Isis dethroned Ra and made Osiris the new king. There is another famous myth which talks of the time when the jealous Seth killed his brother, Osiris. Isis is said to have used her magical powers and bring him back to life with her spells. Earlier, Isis did not have many dedicated temples of her own, but as people started realizing her powers, her worshippers increased. Egyptian Mythology Amun-Ra Egyptian Mythology Nekhbet Egyptian Mythology Bes Egyptian Mythology Nephthys Egyptian Mythology Sobek Egyptian Mythology Khonsu Egyptian Mythology Osiris Egyptian Mythology Thoth Egyptian Mythology Seth Egyptian Mythology Isis Egyptian Mythology Geb & Nut Egyptian Mythology Bastet Egyptian Mythology Anubis Egyptian Mythology Horus Egyptian Mythology Sekhmet Previous Next
Geb & Nut
Geb & Nut The Egyptian Gods series ends with the first Gods since the beginning of time. The God of the Earth, Geb was one of the first Gods to appear from the Sea of Chaos. Geb is portrayed as a man; made of earth, with rivers, forests and hills across his entire body. Nut is Geb’s wife who is the Goddess of the Sky. She is portrayed as a woman with skin like a starry sky, dark blue and covered in constellations. She is often pictured stretching over Geb, as the sky stretches over the earth. Geb is also considered as a father of snakes and has a viper around his neck. It is believed that while he was also related to making soils fertile and habitable, his laughter caused earthquakes. While the two Gods embody opposites, their inseparable love is unique and impressive. Geb and Nut were twins and were born tightly holding each other’s arms. They had to be separated by their father Shu who is the God of air at birth. This is the symbolic explanation why earth and sky have the air in between them. According to the legends, during the day, the Sun and the Moon would pass across Nut’s body and Nut would swallow then by dusk. They would then pass through her belly during the night and be reborn at dawn. This is the explanation of the day and night cycle. Another famous myth talks of how Ra- who is the grandfather of Geb and Nut had heard a prophecy that that one of their children would overthrow him. Due to this insecurity, he warned Nut not to give birth on any of the 365 days of the year. Nut hit upon an idea and gambled with Khonsu for moonlight. She won the gamble and got 5 additional days. On each day, she delivered one child- Osiris, Horus, Set, Isis, and Nephthys. As punishment for her disobedience, Ra separated Nut and Geb. It is said that despite being separated, their love never diminished. If Nut would try and escape the sky, he ordered the clouds to flicker with lightning and ordered the winds to push her back. Egyptian Mythology Amun-Ra Egyptian Mythology Nekhbet Egyptian Mythology Bes Egyptian Mythology Nephthys Egyptian Mythology Sobek Egyptian Mythology Khonsu Egyptian Mythology Osiris Egyptian Mythology Thoth Egyptian Mythology Seth Egyptian Mythology Isis Egyptian Mythology Geb & Nut Egyptian Mythology Bastet Egyptian Mythology Anubis Egyptian Mythology Horus Egyptian Mythology Sekhmet Previous Next
Bastet
Bastet Bastet is the Egyptian Goddess of protection, fertility, childbirth and cats. She protected peoples’ homes from evil spirits and disease, especially diseases associated with women and children. She is often portrayed half- human and half cat, having a head of a cat and body of a woman, has a sistrum (music instrument) and is usually accompanied by a litter of kittens. Cats, which have lots of babies and take good care of them, were seen as mini versions of Bastet. Cats were extremely popular in Egypt and were known to ward away rodents and snakes who were big troubles for the people. Women in Egypt worshipped this Cat Goddess and told her their secrets. Because of Bastet, cats were considered as treasured and valuable pets. People also wore protective amulets for good luck, especially when their times were bad. Bastet was the daughter of Ra, wife of Ptah who is the God of architecture and mother of Mihos. Bastet was the defender of Ra and was his faithful cat who was sent into the Duat to fight his arch nemesis Apophis (the Chaos Serpent). It is believed that she travelled with the Sun God every day and night, and protect him. Bastet is also closely associated with Sekhmet- the lioness Goddess and many people considered both of them as one. The myth talks about the time when Ra was a mortal pharaoh. Once he got angry with the Egyptians and hence sent Sekhmet to punish them. Sekhmet killed many people and even drank their blood. As Sekhmet’s killings were unstoppable, Ra then thought of an idea. He asked the people to pour red beer over the land so that Sekhmet mistakes it as blood and drinks it. The plan worked and Sekhmet drank the beer and fell asleep after getting drunk. When she woke up, she had transformed into Bastet. This myth also talks about how Bastet transformed from a fierce lioness to a gentle cat. There is another famous myth which says that the colour turquoise originated from Bastet’s blood which changed its colour from red to turquoise after it touched the ground. Due to her popularity, her annual festival is one of the most lavish events in Egypt where people pray for safety and women pray for fertility. The most followers for Bastet are from the city of Bubastis. Egyptian Mythology Amun-Ra Egyptian Mythology Nekhbet Egyptian Mythology Bes Egyptian Mythology Nephthys Egyptian Mythology Sobek Egyptian Mythology Khonsu Egyptian Mythology Osiris Egyptian Mythology Thoth Egyptian Mythology Seth Egyptian Mythology Isis Egyptian Mythology Geb & Nut Egyptian Mythology Bastet Egyptian Mythology Anubis Egyptian Mythology Horus Egyptian Mythology Sekhmet Previous Next
Anubis
Anubis Anubis is the Egyptian God of mummification and the afterlife. He is also the patron God of the lost souls and the helpless. It is believed that in the afterlife, Anubis owns the weighing scale and determines whether a soul can to enter the realm of the dead or not. By weighing the heart of a deceased person against an ostrich feather, Anubis decided who would be devoured by Ammit who was the Egyptian Goddess and the devourer of the dead souls. If the dead souls were lighter than the feather, they could visit the heavens else they would be killed by Ammit. Anubis was born to Nephthys and Seth but was given to Osiris and Isis by Nephthys as she didn’t want Anubis to know his real father. He is portrayed as a black canine faced muscular man with the head of a jackal. The colour black was chosen for its symbolism which denotes the decay of the body and the fertile soil of the Nile which is regeneration and life. As the protector of the afterlife, he had the responsibility to make sure that the dead received their burial rights. It is said that thousands of years ago, hungry jackals would dig up dead bodies and would feed on them. To have such a destruction of their loved ones in afterlife would pain the Egyptian family members. People would pray to Anubis who is the jackal God and make offerings to spare the bodies of their loved ones. Anubis played a very significant role in the mummification process. Priests would perform rituals and embalm the dead body under Anubis’s guidance so that the dead body was preserved perfectly and would have an easy transition into the world of the dead. In the famous myth where Seth deceptively killed Osiris, and after Isis found and assembled together her husband’s body parts, it is believed that she went to the Sun God Ra for help who then instructed Anubis to help Isis. Anubis alongwith Horus assisted Isis with the embalming process and wrapped Osiris’ body and mummified him so that he could stay alive in the afterlife. Anubis was also capable of shapeshifting and it is said that when he saw Osiris’s dead body, he was so shocked that he turned himself into a lizard. Egyptian Mythology Amun-Ra Egyptian Mythology Nekhbet Egyptian Mythology Bes Egyptian Mythology Nephthys Egyptian Mythology Sobek Egyptian Mythology Khonsu Egyptian Mythology Osiris Egyptian Mythology Thoth Egyptian Mythology Seth Egyptian Mythology Isis Egyptian Mythology Geb & Nut Egyptian Mythology Bastet Egyptian Mythology Anubis Egyptian Mythology Horus Egyptian Mythology Sekhmet Previous Next
Horus
Horus Horus is the War God and the child of Isis and Osiris. He is also addressed as the Sky God or the “Distant One”. Horus has many symbols, some of which include the Eye of Horus and the Falcon. Horus’s appearance is portrayed as a hawk / falcon headed man, holding a sceptre and the Ankh. Horus proudly wears a white and red crown, where the two colours- white and red represent Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt respectively. His eyes are of two colours: gold and silver. His right eye is said to represent the Sun and the left eye is said to represent the Moon. This is also the reason why one of Horus’ eye shines brighter than the other as the sun shines brighter than the moon. According to one of the mythology stories, Horus lost his left eye (eye of the moon) in a battle with Seth when he was avenging his father, Osiris’ death. It got magically restored and healed by the Goddess Hathor. This is also a mythical explanation of the various phases of the moon. The ancient Egyptians believed that their Pharaoh was the “living Horus” who possessed superpowers and great stamina and strength. After the death of Osiris, the group of 9 Gods which were called the Ennead were brainstorming on who would take over the throne. Two contenders were shortlisted- Seth and Horus. While Seth was Osiris’ son and technically the logical successor, the Gods believed that he was still young and unprepared to rule Egypt. Seth on the other hand was more matured and experienced, but he also was the murderer of Osiris. That was when the Ennead decided to hold a competition and the winner would receive the kingship. Seth suggested that both of them can transform into a hippopotamus and dive into the Nile. The one who holds their breath longer would be the winner. This was suggested by Seth because he was associated with the deadly hippopotamus and he knew that he would win. Isis saw through Seth’s corrupt intentions and she came to Horus’ rescue and thrust a copper spear in his body and this made him lose the contest. Horus was then proclaimed by the Ennead as the rightful descendant to the throne and was then titled the “Lord of the two lands” of upper and lower Egypt. Egyptian Mythology Amun-Ra Egyptian Mythology Nekhbet Egyptian Mythology Bes Egyptian Mythology Nephthys Egyptian Mythology Sobek Egyptian Mythology Khonsu Egyptian Mythology Osiris Egyptian Mythology Thoth Egyptian Mythology Seth Egyptian Mythology Isis Egyptian Mythology Geb & Nut Egyptian Mythology Bastet Egyptian Mythology Anubis Egyptian Mythology Horus Egyptian Mythology Sekhmet Previous Next
Zeus
Zeus Zeus is one of the most important Gods in Greek mythology and is said to live on Mount Olympus. Zeus ruled the Gods of Olympus, as well as mortal men and was the mightiest of all. He is the God of the sky, lightning, thunder, and justice. Zeus is married to Hera, the Goddess of women. Zeus fell in love with many and whenever he would try to build a relation with any Goddess or woman, he would assume the avataar of an animal and so he is the father of many children. Some of his famous children are Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite and Hermes. Zeus’s parents were Rhea and Kronos who were human giants called the Titans. Kronos was the ruling God when Zeus was born. Zeus is usually depicted as a grown, elderly, and strong man with curly hair and a thunderbolt. Sometimes, he is also depicted along-with his sacred animal, the eagle. His symbols include the thunderbolt, eagle, bull, and the oak. He holds a powerful shield called the Aegis. The story of Zeus’s birth is a very interesting one. Zeus is the sixth child of Kronos who ruled the Titans and swallowed every child of his when they were born as he feared a prophecy that he would be overthrown by his children as the ruler of Mount Olympus. As per the prophecy, Kronos was told that one of his children would destroy him. Hence whenever a child was born, Kronos would immediately swallow the child. Kronos did that with his 5 children but he couldn’t kill Zeus. When Zeus was born, his mother gave Kronos a stone which Kronos swallowed thinking it was his baby. She hid Zeus in a cave till he grew up. When Zeus grew up, he along with other Gods and Goddesses, waged a war against the Titans and defeated his father and became the ruler. He also rescued his 5 siblings. It is believed that, Zeus would punish anyone who lied or deceived others. He had a unique ability to mimic people’s voices and was able to shape shift as per his wish. Zeus’s famous horse, Pegasus was entrusted with carrying his thunderbolts which were used by Zeus when he got angry. Greek Mythology Zeus Greek Mythology Hera Greek Mythology Aphrodite Greek Mythology Ares Greek Mythology Hephaestus Greek Mythology Poseidon Greek Mythology Hermes Greek Mythology Apollo Greek Mythology Artemis Greek Mythology Athena Greek Mythology Hades Greek Mythology Demeter Previous Next
Hera
Hera Hera, Zeus’ wife, is the queen of all Gods. Hera is usually portrayed as a beautiful and fair woman wearing flowing robes, a crown and holds a lotus sceptre. She is shown riding a chariot pulled by peacocks. The peacock and cow are her sacred animals. Hera is the daughter of Kronos and Rhea, the king and queen of the Titans. While she was Zeus’ sister, later she became his wife. Hera is also called the “Queen of the Heaven” as she rules over Mount Olympus. Hera’s story is one of the famous legends in Greek mythology. After being born, like her other siblings, Hera was swallowed by her father Kronos because he was scared that his children would someday overthrow him. Hera was eventually saved by Zeus. As Zeus loved many women and Goddesses, Hera would get jealous and in revenge try and kill the children. There is a famous legend where Hera hated the hero Heracles since he was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman. When Heracles was an infant, Hera sent snakes to attack him in his crib. When he grew up, Hera stirred up the Amazon against him on one of his quests. Hera also tried to kill Apollo and Artemis before they were even born. Despite her violent and jealous acts, Hera did many good deeds. She is considered very powerful and even controls the skies. When she is happy, she blesses people with clear blue sky and when she is angry, she can bring storms. She is worshipped as the Goddess of women, marriage, and childbirth. She would be worshipped by all women during childbirth. Hence she was named as the protector of women. Greek Mythology Zeus Greek Mythology Hera Greek Mythology Aphrodite Greek Mythology Ares Greek Mythology Hephaestus Greek Mythology Poseidon Greek Mythology Hermes Greek Mythology Apollo Greek Mythology Artemis Greek Mythology Athena Greek Mythology Hades Greek Mythology Demeter Previous Next
Aphrodite
Aphrodite Aphrodite is the Goddess of love and beauty and is believed to be born from the foam and waves of the ocean. She is depicted as a beautiful woman who is elegantly dressed and loves to wear jewellery. Aphrodite’s mode of transportation is a flying chariot pulled by sparrows. Her symbols include the swan, the dove, a scallop shell, an apple, a mirror and roses. Aphrodite was forced by her father Zeus to marry Hephaestus who had created the lightning bolt for Zeus. Hephaestus had also designed weapons for Artemis but he was not able to woo the beautiful Aphrodite who wanted to marry Ares, the war God, who was not good looking. That is why he had to seek Zeus’ help for the marriage. Aphrodite’s children are Eros (commonly known as Cupid), Aeneas, Phobos, Priapus, Deimos, Eunomia, Harmonia, Eryx, Pothos, and many more. Aphrodite loves playing the matchmaker role and loves making people fall in love. She is capable of making a couple fall in love again even if they are fighting. She has a girdle that is capable of making others fall in love with whoever wears it. There is a famous myth where Aphrodite and her son Eros (Cupid) teamed up to make her father- Zeus fall in love with a beautiful mortal named Europa. Aphrodite told Eros to shoot Zeus’ heart with his magical love arrow that made him fall in love with Europa. Zeus changed himself into a bull and carried her away to the Island of Crete. There is one more myth where Aphrodite was envious of a mortal’s beauty. That mortal’s name was Psyche and everyone said that she was much more beautiful than Aphrodite. Aphrodite ordered her son Eros (Cupid) too shoot his love arrow and made Psyche fall in love with an ugly beast. But when Eros saw the beautiful Psyche, he couldn’t stop himself from falling in love with her and rebelled against his mother and took Psyche to his house. This rebellious attitude enraged Aphrodite and she punished him. Greek Mythology Zeus Greek Mythology Hera Greek Mythology Aphrodite Greek Mythology Ares Greek Mythology Hephaestus Greek Mythology Poseidon Greek Mythology Hermes Greek Mythology Apollo Greek Mythology Artemis Greek Mythology Athena Greek Mythology Hades Greek Mythology Demeter Previous Next
Ares
Ares Ares is the God of war. Ares is portrayed as a simple warrior with swift feet. Usually he is depicted riding a chariot and wearing a helmet on his head. In his hands he holds a shield, a sword, or a spear. Ares’ symbols include the spear and the helmet. Even though he is the son of Zeus and Hera, he never enjoyed a prominent spot as other deities due to him being involved in warfare. None of the Greek cities are named after Ares because of his unlikable nature. Ares also has very few temples dedicated to his name. One unknown myth about Ares talks about Hera giving birth to Ares without Zeus and by consuming a magical flower. Some of Ares’ children included Phobos, Deimos, Eros, and Harmonia. Ares was madly in love with Aphrodite. It is said that Ares’s throne on Mount Olympus where he lived was covered in skin. The month of March is dedicated to Ares. According to Greek mythology, when Ares was a baby he was kidnapped by giants and kept in a bronze jar. He was rescued by Hermes. During the Trojan War, it is said that Ares took the side of the Trojans, who kidnapped a Greek queen. In the end, they lost the battle as his sister Athena helped the Greek warriors defeat the Trojans by giving them the wisdom to develop a strategy and take over Troy. There is also a very famous legend of Ares and his war with Hercules- a demigod who was the son of Zeus. In one war where Hercules was protecting pilgrims, Ares’ son was killed and hence as an angry father would react, Ares challenged Hercules to a war and attacked him with his spear. It was because of Athena that the spear direction changed ad Hercules was saved. Ares then took his sword to attack Hercules, but the swift and agile Hercules put his spear in Ares’ thighs and attacked him. The injured Ares was then rescued and taken away from Hercules by his sons. Greek Mythology Zeus Greek Mythology Hera Greek Mythology Aphrodite Greek Mythology Ares Greek Mythology Hephaestus Greek Mythology Poseidon Greek Mythology Hermes Greek Mythology Apollo Greek Mythology Artemis Greek Mythology Athena Greek Mythology Hades Greek Mythology Demeter Previous Next
Hephaestus
Hephaestus Hephaestus is the God of fire, metal working, stone masonry and forges. He is known as the God of art and sculpture too. He is the son of Zeus and Hera and was married to Aphrodite by Zeus to prevent a war of the gods fighting for her hand. Aphrodite was not happy with this proposal though. Usually, Hephaestus is depicted wearing a short tunic, that is typically worn by craftsmen and is seen holding an axe or the blacksmith’s pincers. Symbols associated with Hephaestus include the quail, tongs, anvil, and hammer. Hephaestus made the archery sets for Apollo and Artemis and also made Athena’s spear. Hephaestus was the one who made the Achilles’ shield and armour to use in the Trojan War. Hephaestus was believed to do most of his metal work under a volcano. In some legends, it is mentioned that Hephaestus was deformed at birth. His deformed and crooked feet made it impossible for him to walk normally and gracefully. Because of this, he is often depicted hunched over or even with a cane. In some stories, it is said that Hephaestus was thrown off a mountain by Hera because he was lame. Hephaestus learnt about this when he grew up, and that is when he decided to take revenge on Hera by making a beautiful golden throne for her and sent it to Mount Olympus. Hera saw the throne and immediately sat on it. An outstanding craftsman that he was, Hephaestus had made invisible and unbreakable chains to the throne, which appeared the moment Hera sat on the throne and these chains tied her up. Hera cried for help and all the Olympian gods ran to help her, but none of them could break the chains. They devised a plan and asked Dionysius, the God of wine to offer sweet wine to Hephaestus to intoxicate him. The plan worked and Hephaestus freed Hera from the chains. Greek Mythology Zeus Greek Mythology Hera Greek Mythology Aphrodite Greek Mythology Ares Greek Mythology Hephaestus Greek Mythology Poseidon Greek Mythology Hermes Greek Mythology Apollo Greek Mythology Artemis Greek Mythology Athena Greek Mythology Hades Greek Mythology Demeter Previous Next