All the Egyptian Gods & Goddesses You Should Know

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Learn all about major & minor Egyptian deities

Co-authored by Annabelle Reyes

Last Updated: March 31, 2026 Fact Checked

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If you’re a fan of Egyptian mythology or ancient history in general, you’ve probably heard of major figures like Ra, Osiris, and Anubis. But did you know there are actually over 1,500 Egyptian deities? If you want to take a deep dive into their stories, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve compiled a thorough list of the most important Egyptian gods and goddesses you should know. We even talked to wikiHow’s mythology and ancient symbols experts for their insights, so keep reading!

Egyptian Gods & Goddesses: An Overview

Some of the most prominent Egyptian deities include Ra (god of the sun), Amun (god of the air), Osiris (god of the underworld), Anubis (god of mummification), Horus, (god of the sky) Isis (goddess of magic & motherhood), Ma’at (goddess of truth), Hathor (goddess of love & beauty) and Bastet (goddess of cats).

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Section 1 of 4:

Egyptian Gods

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1. 1
   Ra As the god of the sun, Ra is one of the oldest and most prominent Egyptian deities. He was thought to be a creator god and the first pharaoh of the Earth, ruling over both the land of the living and the dead. Often depicted with the body of a human and the head of a falcon, Ra was believed to drive his sun barge across the sky each day and dive down into the underworld each evening, creating day and night. He was later merged with the god Amun to become Amun-Ra, the supreme god in Egyptian mythology.

   • Symbols: Sun Disk, Eye of Ra

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Adeche Atelier, also known as Adwoa Botchey and Solomon Adebiyi, are African mythology experts. Together, they host the Afro Mythos Podcast and share information about African mythology to their 580k followers on social media.

   John Paul Gomez is an ancient symbols expert, freemason, and founder of FraternalTies based in Toronto, Canada.
2. 2
   Amun Amun is the Egyptian god of the air, and his name translates to the “Hidden One.” He was originally worshipped locally in the city of Thebes but was later combined with the sun god Ra to become Amun-Ra, god of the sun and the wind and the most powerful deity in ancient Egypt. Amun was usually depicted as a man wearing a crown with two tall plumes on his head and holding a sceptre in his hand.

   • Symbols: The ram and the goose, which represented his virility
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3. 3
   Osiris Osiris is the god of the underworld and fertility, as well as the judge of the dead. According to myth, Osiris was an Egyptian king who was dismembered and murdered by his brother Seth, but his wife Isis was able to reassemble his body and bring him back to life, and he became the lord of the underworld. As a result, he represents both death and resurrection, and he’s traditionally depicted as a mummified king with green skin.

   • Symbols: Ancient symbols expert John Paul Gomez says the Djed pillar is associated with the god Osiris, representing stability, continuity, and structural integrity. “Ritual ‘raising of the Djed’ ceremonies expressed renewal and the triumph of order,” he explains.
4. 4
   Anubis “Anubis was the god of mummification and embalming, and a major protector of the dead, especially of tombs, cemeteries, and the body during burial rites,” explain African mythology experts Adeche Atelier. “He functions as a kind of funerary guide, ensuring the deceased are properly prepared and safely transitioned into the next phase of existence.” He also oversees the famous judgment ritual where the deceased person’s heart is weighed against a feather, and he’s usually represented as a jackal, or a man with the head of a jackal.

   • Symbols: Symbols associated with Anubis include the jackal and the Ankh. Also known as the ancient Egyptian Key of Life, Gomez explains that the Ankh represents vitality and enduring existence. “Its loop suggests eternal life, while the crossbar and stem relate to earthly experience and the union of complementary forces.”
5. 5
   Horus Horus is the Egyptian god of the sky, war, and hunting. As the son of Osiris and Iris, Horus was raised to avenge his father’s murder at the hands of his uncle, Seth. According to the myth, Horus lost his left eye while fighting with Seth, but it was then healed by the god Thoth. He’s often portrayed as a falcon, or as a man with the head of a falcon.

   • Symbols: Gomez points to the Eye of Horus as a significant symbol in Egyptian mythology. “Also called the Wedjat, this symbol embodies healing and protective power. Rooted in the myth of Horus’s restored eye, it was worn to safeguard health, ward off harm, and bring spiritual balance,” explains Gomez.
6. 6
   Seth Seth is the god of chaos, violence, deserts, and storms. He is also the brother of Osiris, and according to myth, he murders and dismembers his brother out of jealousy. He’s often depicted as a human with the head of an animal with a long snout and long ears, but it’s not clear exactly what type of animal this is supposed to be.

   • Symbols: The symbol most associated with Seth is the enigmatic animal he’s often depicted as. Historians are unsure what type of animal this was supposed to be, but it appears to have traits of several different animals, including the aardvark, antelope, donkey, camel, fennec, greyhound, jackal, and more.
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   Thoth As the god of writing and wisdom, Thoth was thought to have invented language and the hieroglyphic script, and he served as a scribe and advisor to the other Egyptian deities. He also plays an important role in the judgment ritual after death. According to myth, Thoth is the one who weighs the deceased’s heart against Ma’at’s feather and reports the verdict to Osiris. He’s usually depicted as a baboon or ibis, or as a man with the head of an ibis.

   • Symbols: Thoth is associated with the sacred ibis or baboon and writing supplies like a papyrus scroll and stylus.
8. 8
   Geb Geb is a deity of the earth and fertility who was central to the Egyptian creation myth. He was married to Nut, goddess of the sky, and together they had 4 children who became important Egyptian deities: Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nepthys. He’s often depicted as a man lying down at the feet of Shu (god of the air), or as a man with a goose atop his head.

   • Symbols: Geb is associated with the goose, which was the hieroglyphic representation of his name.
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   Ptah As the god of craftsmen, artists, and architects, Ptah was seen as a creator god who gave life to all other deities. He was originally associated with the city of Memphis (near modern-day Cairo), but his cult eventually spread throughout Egypt. He’s typically represented as a mummified man wearing a skullcap and a short false beard.

   • Symbols: Ptah is often represented by the sacred bull, Apis.
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    Atum According to one of the most popular Egyptian myths, Atum is the creator of the world. He’s usually depicted wearing a double crown, representing Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Atum is also believed to be the creator of twin gods Shu (god of the air) and Tefnut (goddess of moisture). He was later combined with the sun god Ra to create the powerful deity Atum-Ra.

    • Symbols: Atum is often seen carrying the ankh (symbolizing life) and a scepter (symbolizing power).
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    Khepri Khepri is the Egyptian god of the morning sun, and as such, he’s associated with the sun god Ra. Often depicted as a scarab beetle or as a man with the head of a scarab beetle, Khepri was thought to symbolize transformation and rebirth, since these beetles emerged from inside balls of dung.

    • Symbols: The symbol most commonly associated with Khepri is the scarab beetle (Egyptian dung beetle). “The scarab symbolizes rebirth and daily regeneration,” and “its movement pushing a sphere resembled the sun’s journey, making it a powerful amulet of protection and transformation,” explains Gomez.
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    Imhotep Imhotep was a real-life architect and physician in ancient Egypt who was later deified and worshipped as the god of medicine. He is believed to be the architect of the step pyramid at the necropolis of Ṣaqqārah in the city of Memphis, near modern-day Cairo.

    • Symbols: As a physician and healer, Imhotep is sometimes associated with the Ankh, which represents life.
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    Bes Bes is the god of music, merriment, and childbirth. Often depicted as a man of very short stature, Bes is associated with those who have the condition of dwarfism. He was also seen as a protector of children, couples, and pregnant women, and depictions of him could often be found in ancient Egyptian households to ward off evil spirits.

    • Symbols: Bes was often depicted with a lion’s mask and loud instruments (for driving off nefarious spirits).
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    Shu In Egyptian mythology, Shu is the god of the air and supporter of the sky. He is the father of Geb (god of the earth) and Nut (goddess of the sky), who were siblings as well as spouses. Shu was often depicted holding the body of Nut arched above him with Geb lying down beneath him, representing his job of keeping the two deities apart.

    • Symbols: The hieroglyph representing Shu’s name is an ostrich feather, and it was often depicted above his head.
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    Khnum Khnum is a water and fertility deity, as well as the god of the island of Elephantine and the guardian of the source of the Nile River. According to myth, he was believed to have formed humankind out of clay made from the silt of the Nile, so he’s also heavily associated with pottery.

    • Symbols: Khnum is strongly associated with rams, and he is often depicted as a man with a ram's head or as a ram with twisting horns.
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    Khonsu Khonso is the ancient Egyptian god of the moon. As the son of Amun (god of the air) and Mut (goddess of the primordial waters), Khonsu was often depicted as a young man with a side lock of hair and a crown in the shape of a lunar disk.

    • Symbols: Khonsu’s symbols include the lunar disk and the uraeus (rearing cobra), and he was often shown with these objects atop his head. He was also associated with baboons.
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    Aten Aten is a sun god, and he’s often depicted in the form of a solar disk with rays ending in human hands, rather than in a fully anthropomorphic form. During the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten (1335-36 BCE), Aten briefly became the principal and only god of Egypt, but the cult devoted to worshipping only Aten didn’t survive after the pharaoh’s death.

    • Symbols: Aten’s most prominent symbol is the solar disk.
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    Montu Montu is an ancient Egyptian god of war. Often depicted as a man with a falcon’s head wearing a crown with two tall plumes and a double uraeus (rearing cobra), Montu was primarily worshipped by soldiers who believed he could aid them in battle.

    • Symbols: Montu is associated with his sacred animals, the falcon and the bull.
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    Min In Egyptian mythology, Min is the god of fertility and harvest, as well as the embodiment of virility and the masculine principle. He was seen as the Lord of the Eastern Desert, and his following was strongest in the cities of Coptos and Akhmīm, where great festivals were held in his honor.

    • Symbols: Min is associated with his sacred plant, lettuce.
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    Nefertem Nefertem is the god of the lotus flower. He was often depicted holding a scimitar (a curved sword or saber) with a falcon’s head and wearing a lotus headdress. As the son of Ptah (god of craftsmen) and Sekhmet (goddess of war), Nefertem was the third member of the Memphite triad, and his center of worship was in the city of Memphis.

    • Symbols: Nefertem is associated with the symbol of the lotus flower.
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    Sobek As the ancient Egyptian god of crocodiles, Sobek is appropriately depicted as a man with a crocodile head. He was also strongly associated with the Nile River, and some even believed he was its creator. He may have begun as a minor god of fertility or death, but he later became a major deity during the Middle Kingdom (c. 1938-1630 BCE).

    • Symbols: Sobek’s animal symbol is the crocodile.
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    Apis Apis is a sacred bull deity who was worshipped in the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis. He was likely a fertility god associated with grain and herds initially, but he was later seen as a manifestation of Ptah, the god of craftsmen and principal deity of Memphis.

    • Symbols: Apis is associated with the sacred bull, and he is often depicted as a bull with a sun disk between his horns.
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Section 2 of 4:

Egyptian Goddesses

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1. 1
   Isis Isis is the goddess of healing, motherhood, and magic. Her name translates to “Queen of the Throne,” which is appropriate, considering that she’s usually depicted wearing a headdress in the shape of the hieroglyph for “throne.” She is the sister and wife of Osiris (god of the underworld), who she healed and brought back to life after his murder at the hands of Seth, as well as the mother of Horus (god of the sky, war, and hunting).

   • Symbols: The symbol most commonly associated with the goddess Isis is her throne headdress (or the hieroglyph for “throne” in general).
2. 2
   Ma’at Ma’at is the Egyptian goddess of truth, balance, justice, and order. She’s most famously associated with the ritual of judging the dead, which involves weighing the deceased’s heart against a feather belonging to Ma’at, explains Gomez. If the person’s heart is balanced with Ma’at’s feather, they get to proceed to the afterlife, but if not, their journey would come to an end.

   • Symbols: Ma’at’s most important symbol is her feather. According to Gomez, the feather itself “symbolizes truth, order, and justice,” and its lightness represents “a life lived in harmony with cosmic law.”
3. 3
   Hathor Hathor is the Egyptian goddess of love, beauty, music, pleasure, motherhood, and fertility, and she was seen as the protector of women. As the deity of beauty, Hathor is associated with cosmetics, and wearing them was even seen as a form of worship to her. She’s often depicted as a cow, or as a woman with the head of a cow or cow’s ears.

   • Symbols: Hathor’s animal symbol is the cow.
4. 4
   Bastet The feline goddess Bastet is often depicted as a lioness, a seated cat, or as a woman with a cat’s head. As the goddess of cats, Bastet was an important deity to ancient Egyptians, who even saw cats themselves as demi-deities. Bastet is the daughter of the sun god Ra, and she was believed to transform into a cat by night to protect him from his biggest enemy, the serpent Apep.

   • Symbols: Bastet’s animal symbol is the cat. She was also often depicted carrying a percussion instrument called a sistrum in her right hand and an aegis or breastplate in her left hand.
5. 5
   Nut Nut is the Egyptian goddess of the sky and the heavens, often depicted as a woman arched over the earth god Geb (also her husband), with her feet placed in the east and her head in the west. Together, Nut and Geb were the parents of 5 other deities, Osiris, Isis, Seth, Nepthys, and Horus the elder.

   • Symbols: Nut is sometimes depicted as a celestial cow.
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   Nephthys Nephthys is the goddess of mourning and wife of Seth (god of chaos), who is famous for murdering and dismembering his brother Osiris. According to the myth, Nephthys mourned Osiris’s death and ended up helping his wife, Isis, put his body back together and bring him back to life. The name Nepthys means “Mistress of the Castle,” so she is also thought to be the personification of Osriris’s residence.

   • Symbols: Nephthys is associated with vultures and hawks.
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   Sekhmet In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet is the goddess of war, and she is also associated with both plagues and healing. As the daughter of the sun god Ra, Sekhmet was created from the fire of his eye when he looked upon earth, and she was meant to be a weapon of destruction toward humans, but she also has the power to protect against pestilence and evil.

   • Symbols: Sekhmet is commonly associated with lions and is often depicted as a lioness or as a woman with a lion’s head.
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   Serqet As the goddess of scorpions, Serqet was believed to have both a good and a bad side. Since she has power over scorpions and snakes, ancient Egyptians believed she could protect them from these animals’ venomous bites. On the flip side, though, Serqet could also send these creatures to bite people she disapproved of as a form of punishment.

   • Symbols: Serqet is associated with the animal symbols of the scorpion and the snake.
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   Nekhbet Nekhbet is the Egyptian goddess of vultures, and she was also seen as the protector of Upper Egypt and its rulers. She was often depicted as a woman with a vulture’s head wearing a white crown.

   • Symbols: Nekhbet is associated with vultures, and she was also often seen carrying the cartouche symbol (an oval with a horizontal line at one end) in her claw.
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    Tefnut Tefnut is the goddess of moisture, and as such, she was associated with life-giving rain. She is also the twin sister and partner of Shu (god of the air), with whom she had two children, Nut (goddess of the sky) and Geb (god of the earth). Tefnut usually appears in the form of a lioness or a woman with the head of a lioness.

    • Symbols: Tefnut wears a sun disk encircled with a ureaus (a rearing cobra) atop her head.
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    Ammit In Egyptian mythology, Ammit is a beast associated with the judgment of the dead. She is usually depicted as a creature with the head of a crocodile, the front legs of a lion, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus. If a deceased person’s heart did not balance against Ma’at’s feather on the scales after death, Anubis would throw it to Ammit, who then devoured it and ended the soul’s existence, rather than letting it journey ahead into the afterlife.

    • Symbols: Due to her part in the judgment ritual, Ammit is often associated with the scales of justice and the feather of Ma’at.
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    Neith Neith is the Egyptian goddess of wisdom, weaving, hunting, and war. As one of the oldest deities in the Egyptian pantheon, Neith was believed to have been present at the time of the world’s creation, and some even believed she was the mother of Ra, the sun god.

    • Symbols: Symbols associated with Neith include her various headdresses, which included the crown of Lower Egypt, the sign for her name, or two crossed arrows. She was also often depicted carrying two arrows and a bow.
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    Wadjet Wadjet is an ancient Egyptian cobra goddess, and she’s usually depicted as a cobra twined around a papyrus stem. Along with Nekhbet, the vulture goddess, Wadjet was seen as the protector of the king, and the two deities were sometimes shown on the king’s diadem, representing his rule over both Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt.

    • Symbols: Wadjet’s animal symbol is the cobra.
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    Tawaret Tawaret is the goddess of fertility and childbirth, and she was seen as a protector of children. Often depicted as a hippopotamus standing upright with the belly of a pregnant woman, Tawaret appeared in shrines and on amulets to protect the household.

    • Symbols: Tawaret’s animal symbol is the hippopotamus.
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Section 3 of 4:

Groups of Deities

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1. 1
   The Ennead The Ennead is the most ancient and well-known grouping of Egyptian deities. The group included 9 gods and goddesses, and it was commonly referenced in myths about the creation of the world. The 9 deities of the Ennead are:

   • Re-Atum (creator of the world)
   • Shu (god of air)
   • Tefnut (goddess of moisture)
   • Geb (god of the earth)
   • Nut (goddess of the sky)
   • Osiris (god of the underworld)
   • Isis (goddess of magic, motherhood, and healing)
   • Seth (god of chaos, violence, and deserts)
   • Nephthys (goddess of mourning)
2. 2
   The Ogdoad The Ogdoad was a group of 8 primordial Egyptian deities (4 pairs of husbands and wives) who represented the chaos of the world before creation. The male-female pairs of the Ogdoad are:

   • Amun & Amunet
   • Heh & Hauhet
   • Kek & Kauket
   • Nun & Naunet
3. 3
   The Four Sons of Horus Horus, god of the sky, war, and hunting, was said to have 4 songs who each played important roles in the process of mummification, specifically when it came to protecting the various organs of the deceased when they were placed in jars. These sons were:

   • Imsety (protected the liver)
   • Duamutef (protected the stomach)
   • Hapi (protected the lungs)
   • Qebehsenuef (protected the intestines)
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Section 4 of 4:

More Mythology to Explore

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1. Can’t get enough mythology? We’ve got you! Here are a few more of our guides on ancient gods and goddesses, and some fun quizzes to check out:

   • Ancient Egyptian Symbols & Their Meanings
   • Egyptian Zodiac Signs & Their Meanings
   • Ancient Moon Gods & Goddesses
   • Ancient Cat Gods & Goddesses
   • Ancient Wind Gods & Goddesses
   • Coolest Mythical Legends from Around the World

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