The cosmic Gods, as we have seen, were adopted by theologians and woven into cosmologies that supported the official state religion. These gods then tended to receive little worship; the gods of the pharaoh were not usually approached by the masses. But this was changed in later periods of religious democratization and the rise of ancient Osirian deities. The god Bes, for example, originally viewed as a protective deity to the Pharoah, became one of the most popular cult figures. In the following, we shall touch on only the gods who became absorbed by the personalities of the great gods and entered common mythology.
Nun
Nun (or Nu) was chaos, or the original waste of waters in which all creation was thought of, and was guarded by four bisexual frog and serpent deities. Atum came forth from Nun, who was from that point onward called ‘father of the gods’ even though his son was greater than he was himself. In Hermopolis, Nun was called ‘Infinity, Nothingness, Nowhere and Darkness.” Forms and figures of him were often shaped as a bearded man, often times with the head of a frog, beetle or serpent. Many pictures have him standing in water up to his waist, holding up a solar barque in his arms, in which the sun-disk was raised up by a scarab. The scarab in turn was supported by Isis and Nephthys, while the crew of the boat was included Shu and Geb; these are described in the texts as being Gods who issued from Nun. (It should be noted that the Greek myth of Athena’s birth sounds very similar; it is said that Athena sprang fully formed from her father, Cronus’s, brain.) However, there are other texts that say Nun had real physical form; that he filled the entire cosmos and that it was only through the intervention of Shu, god of air, that the sky was separated from the surface of the earth.
Nun was considered to be still existing; he was seen to be the water found when digging a deep well, as well as the turbulent floodwaters of the Nile. Some even believed that the waters of Nun, which surround the floating earth, would one day completely cover the earth and that Atum would return to his original form as a serpant; that Osiris, instead of Ra, would then sail the waters of Nun.
Generally speaking though, Nun was believed to be a beneficial God, as he looked after Shu and Tefnut at birth and was further believed to guard and keep in check the demonic powers of chaos represented by chaos.
Khepri
Kehpri (or Khepera) was an aspect of Ra, personifying the dawn sun welcoming back Auf at the end of a night journey. The rising sun, his name meant both ‘He who comes into existence’ as well as ‘Scarab.’ The scarab beetle is often seen as pushing a ball of food in front of itself which it buries in order to eat later without being bothered (or eaten itself). The Egyptians believed that these balls were in fact the dung in which the female scarabs laid their eggs. As such, they viewed the scarab as a symbol for the self-generative aspect of sun-god, for they saw the scarab as being born of its own substance. Because part of his power lay in self-renewal, Khepri was sometimes identified with the creator, Neb-er-djer or Atum, and was associated with Osirian afterlife. Figurines of Kehpri were often scarab-headed men, or a scarab pushing along the disk of the new sun. Less often, yesterday’s sun was depicted behind him.
Shu
Shu and his twin sister Tefnut formed the first divine couple fo the Heliopolitan Ennead, and were created by Ra. Shu was atmosphere personified and his name (meaning ‘to raise’) is derived from his most important act in Egyptian mythology: the separation of his children Geb (the earth) and Nut (the sky), which ultimately resulted in the earth as we know it. Following Ra’s commandment, Shu forced himself between his children, separating them forever.
Shu’s name is also defined as meaning ‘to empty’ and he is said, in certain texts, as being emptiness deified. In other, later, versions, he is seen as being divine intelligence. As such, he became a physical expression of Atum’s highest power; he started the actual creation through his division of Geb and Nut. As the personification and occupation, if you would, of atmosphere, he is also seen in some texts as being the god of light; light being something that lives in empty spaces. For this reason, he is shown holding a solar disk.
Tefnut
Tefnut, Shu’s sister, was the goddess of dew and moisture and the tears that she cried became incense-bearing plants. In Egyptian myth, she is said to have a solar aspect, just like her brother Shu, and was the left eye of Horus. It is said that she once escaped in the form of a lion and that Ra sent Shu and Thoth to bring her back. She is therefore shown as a lioness or as a woman with the head of a lion wearing the solar disk. She was also protectress to Osiris and the dead who were identified with him.
Nephthys
Nephthys was the second of Nut’s daughters. Despite the fact that she was married to Set, her true loyalty was with with Osiris. As the wife of the God of aridity and storm, she could not conceive children. She greatly desired to have a child by Osiris and somehow deceived him into believing that she was Isis, his wife. The child born of their union was Anubis. Soon after she exposed the child, Set murdered Osiris and Nephthys fled from him. Isis joined her in the search for Osiris’s body and, after being led to the child by a group of dogs, adopted Anubis.
Anubis
The son of Nephthys and Osiris was represented as dog or jackal-deity. The jackal is a desert animal and as such, the Egyptians associated him with the western desert, also the home of the dead. It would seem from the texts that Anubis was originally god of death only for the pharaohs. Ritual stated that a pharaoh would be put to death after a twenty-eight year reign by a viper bite and, although this practice soon ended, Anubis was still seen as the announcer of death. Therefor, Anubis is also sometimes seen as a warrior holding daggers or a poisonous snake, such as a viper or cobra, in his hands.
Also gifted with the ability to foresee the time of a mortal’s death, he is further associated with magic and divination. A likeness of him was painted on the bottom of every divination bowl so that all seers would see him first, leader to all the other gods who would reveal the secrets of the future. After Anubis grew up, he became associated with the Osirian cult and afterworld and protected Isis, his adoptive mother. He also healed his father’s body once it was found by his mother and aunt, further being identified as a healer, someone who administered both medicines and poisons.
In later times, he was believed to have three primary and very important functions: he “supervised the correct embalmment of bodies and their reconstitution. He received the mummy into the tomb, performing the ceremony;” afterwards, he led the soul to the Field of Celestial Offerings, placing his hands over the mummy’s form to protect it. Most important and perhaps, most noted, he oversaw the weighing of the souls. His judgement was final and was then accepted in turn by Thoth, Horus and Osiris.
Anubis is often depicted as a jackal-headed man, the dog that accompanies Isis, or as a jackal or dog on a pedestal or tomb. His symbol was a black and white ox-hide that was splashed with blood and hung from a pole, but the significance of this is as of yet undetermined.
Upuaut
Also known as Wepwawet, Upuaut was a wolf deity and was originally a local god to a city in Middle Egypt. He was closely associated with Anubis and was often confused with him. His name is defined as meaning ‘Opener of the Ways’ and as a war god, he led the front lines into battle. Although he maintained roles in both Osirian and and Auf-Ra myth, he is primarily recognized and revered for his job as Opener of the Ways to the West, the Underworld, and showing the dead souls their path through the dark realm.
He was represented as a standing wolf or wolf-headed man and was sometimes shown wearing armor or carrying weapons.
Seshet
Seshat was an ancient goddess, alternatively seen as being the sister or wife of Thoth. The deity of writing and of measurement, she was called ‘Lady of Books’ and was seen as the ‘celestial librarian.’ Additionally, she was the patroness of arithmetic, architecture and record keeping. As a strictly royal goddess, Seshet and the pharaoh were portrayed together when temples were founded. As the record-keeper of the kings, she wrote down the names of all kings on the leaves of the Tree of Life and marked the duration of each king’s earthly life on a notched palm-branch that she carried. In this way, she is often associated with Anubis.
Other gods of the ‘First Time’ you might want to look into: Anhur, Geb, Nut, Set, Horus (and any other form of his name), Thoth
Buto
More correctly known as Udjat or Ejdo, Buto was a cobra-goddess who originated in the Delta Marshes, seen to be the aggressive defender of the pharaoh. She was the cobra worn on the brow of Ra, and then all the pharaohs, her hood spread, ready to spit poison at the king’s enemies or to burn them with her menacing glance. In early times, it was believed that this power could even be turned against the pharaoh; her bite was the instrument of Anubis at the king’s appointed time of death.
Khons
Said to be the son of Amon and Mut, Khons came power as a moon-god in Thebes. Since the pharaoh was said to be of divine origin and therefore everything associated with his birth was divine. Accordingly, since the king was associated with the sun, the afterbirth was associated with the moon and so Khons was originally identified as the placenta of the king.
Khons was described as being a runner who traversed the skies. In Thebes, he was associated with Thoth as a reckoner of time and with Shu as the god of atmosphere and the heavens. He was called the Lord of Truth and made the destinies of man, giving oracles. He was also worshiped as a spell breaker, holding authority over all evil spirits.
Bast
Bast’s earliest fetish was the cat, particularly the wild variety once it was domesticated, admiring it for its strength, agility and virility. She was soon connected with Ra and was said to be either his wife or daughter; regardless, she is always said to be his defender against Apep. Her son by Ra, Maahes, is represented as a lion-headed man.
Bast was seen as being a kindly goddess, personifying the beneficent powers of the sun that protected the Two Lands. Soon, she was also associated with Hathor, known as a goddess of music, joy and dancing. She is depicted as a woman with a cat’s head, holding in her a hands a sistrum, a box or basket and the head of a lioness. In her honor, cats were treated as sacred animals and the cat cemetery in Bubastis was famous in the ancient world.
Neith
An ancient goddess of hunting, Neith’s worship in Sais started long before any of the dynasties. Her cult sign was the shield and and crossed arrows, but from early times she had the names of Great Goddess and mother of the gods. Depending on the time in question, she is said to either be the mother of Ra, his daughter, or the mother of Sebek, Isis, Horus and Osiris (who is said to be buried in Sais). Even later, the pharaoh Nectanebo II claimed her as his mother. Clearly, she is given the name of universal mother for a reason.
Neith is also said to have looked after the dead. As ‘Opener of Way’ she was the female equivalent of Anubis. During the Eighteenth Dynasty, she was identified as a protector of women. When trade in wool became important, the symbol of her arrow was seen as a weaver’s shuttle and a further association was made with Isis. She was often appealed to for her wisdom.
Other protective deities you might want to look into: Nekhebet, Harsaphes, Mont, Sebek, Amon, Aten, Mut
Divinities of Creation, Fertility and Birth
Ptah, Sekhmet, Nefertum, Khnum, Heket, Satis, Hapi, Min, Bes, Taueret, Meshkent, Renenet, The Hathors, Hu, Sia, Sehem and Heh and Mayet.
Divinities of Death
Seker, Selket, Mersteger and the four sons of Horus.