THE GREEK & ROMAN GODS/GODDESSES

A quick overview by Thomas Palmer

APOLLO – Also called Phoebus, the bright one. Identified with the sun. Said to be the most powerful of the Gods. Son of Zeus and Leto. Born on Delos, taken North and raised by the hyperboreans, he went to Delphi and killed the dragon Python, guardian of the oracle of Themis, but a ravager of the countryside.

Tall, handsome, outstanding in word and deed, he was the god of ever-renewed youth, archetype of virile beauty and masculine virtue. He was also known as a seducer & extremely arrogant. Talented in music, inventor of the lyre, he was the inspiration of poets and soothsayers. His oracles were expressed in verse.

He could cure illness and banish evil. He was a doctor who knew the purification rites and was invoked against plague. His image was set at dangerous places for protection (Lighting the ways) Nothing escaped his vision (light of day).

ARIES (MARS) – Son of Hera, born without male assistance. He was a supreme fighter, loved battle and cared little about issues, switching sides without scruple. He delighted in massacres.

He was god of war, not victory, and was thoughtless about winning, only fighting. Was on occasion disarmed by Athena, Goddess of restraint and forethought, to keep him from interfering in battles that did not concern him.

He was prolific in love, but also a rapist. He was run by his passions.

CRONOS (SATURN) – Son of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaea (Earth). Gaea, worn out by numerous pregnancies, requested to be free of this burden, so Cronos (Saturn) took up a sickle and cut off his father’s testicles.

His wife was Rhea, and he fathered Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus. Was eventually deposed by Zeus.

His festivals, the Saturnalia, were a time of liberation and freedom for all and got pretty wild. They were celebrated from Dec. 17th until the new year. Saturn is the archetype for “father time”.

DIONYSUS – Son of Zeus and Semele. His escort was satyrs and marginally sane gods. He did not respect laws or customs, loved disguises, wild screaming, licentious dances and wild places. He was a drunken god with no home, living in the wild and eating raw meat. He encouraged excesses of all kinds.

Hera hated Dionysus because of Zeus’s infidelity and hounded him. She caused him to be killed by the Titans, but he was resurrected through the efforts of Athena, Zeus, Apollo, and Rhea. She drove him mad, but through Cybele he gained mastery of it. He drove many people mad for various reasons.

EROS (CUPID) – A primordial god, contemporary of Chaos, who existed before Cronos (Saturn) and Zeus. He came out of an egg that formed the earth and sky when it broke in two. He precipitated the embraces of Gaea (the Earth) and Uranus (the heavens), which resulted in the birth of Oceanus, Tethys, Coeus, and Cronos (Saturn). The Earth and heavens were so tightly embraced that none of the children could rise towards the light until Cronos (Saturn) castrated his father.

Cupid was associated with Aphrodite, who moderated his power. Where he was desire, instinct and violent sex, she was grace, tenderness and sweet pleasure.

Cupid made people lose their reason and paralyzed their wills, even inspiring Zeus to capricious sexual desires. As Eros he is said to be the child of Porus (Expedience) and Penia (Poverty). Like Penia, he was said to always be in search of something, and like Porus, he always found a means of attaining his aims.

FAUNUS – A Roman God, Son of Circe and Jupiter. Protector of the Roman peoples, he lived on Palatine Hill in Rome. His oracle was given in nightmares. Lupercalia was his festival, during which his priests ran through the streets with leather straps and struck any women they met with them to bestow health and fertility. The women were said to strip themselves to be better targets. He reproduced himself in the satyrs.

HADES (PLUTO) – Son of Cronos (Saturn), brother of Zeus and Poseidon. When the world was divided between the three brothers, the underworld and hell fell to Hades, while Zeus took the heavens and Poseidon the seas. He had a helmet that made him invisible. He ruled the dead, and forbade his subjects to leave his domain. He desired Persephone, but Zeus forbade the marriage. He then kidnapped her.

HEPHAESTUS (VULCAN) – Son of Zeus and Hera. He was lame, either because his mother, startled by his ugliness, dropped him, or because Zeus, angry that he took his mother’s side in a dispute, threw him from Olympos. He dwelled among mortals and became the god of black smithing and artistic metal work. He made a golden throne that imprisoned any who sat in it, and gave it to Hera to avenge himself for his fall from Olympos.

HERMES (MERCURY) – Son of Zeus and the nymph Maia. He stole some of Apollo’s cattle shortly after his birth and concealed them, sacrificing two to the Olympian Gods. This theft won him recognition as a God himself. When Apollo discovered the theft and Hermes was tried, his defense was so skillful and spirited that Zeus laughed and ruled that there should be a friendly settlement between the brothers.

Hermes was God of the spoken word and oratory and was the intermediary between
the Gods and men. Also the God of commerce and contracts, where language must be
precise to convey the correct meaning.

JANUS- ROMAN – The Two faced God. He was God of beginnings and presided over new
undertakings, gateways and initiations. He was revered as the first king of Rome and made order reign. His temple was left open in wartime so the God could act, but was closed in peace.

THE LARES – Roman – Twin children of Mercury by the rape of Lara. They protected
the land. Were symbolized by two boys and a dog.

PAN – Half man, half goat, with horns on his brow and lust in his eyes. Son of Hermes and a daughter of the Dryops, he was the God of pastoral regions and wilderness. Special friend of shepherds, he guided and protected them from afar. Protector of all wild things and places. His pipes had an aphrodisiac effect on those who heard them and induced mating.

Pan was a lecher and a drunk who constantly pursued nymphs who would flee in terror. Caves rang with their cries when he caught them. He was famous for his rages, where he attacked anyone who got in his way. His irrational behavior led people to flee him in “panic.” He was dangerous when he took possession of a being. The possessed, or panoleptic, took on his bearing and would wander in the wild, laugh madly, or throw themselves on others for sex without respect to gender, or have epileptic fits.

POSEIDON (NEPTUNE) – Son of Cronos (Saturn) and Rhea, he is represented wielding a trident and being pulled by monsters in a chariot. After Zeus’s victory over Cronos (Saturn), the young gods, who preferred life on earth, divided the various domains of earth. Poseidon chose the seas. He represented the hidden forces of germination and death. Together with his wife Amphitrite, he had powerful ties with Gaea, the Earth, mother of the Titans. As subterranean Gods, they shook the world from inside.

Poseidon caused earthquakes when he made love to his wife. The mystery isle of Atlanta belonged to Poseidon. Poseidon could provoke storms, set fire to rocks on shore and create springs of water. He had many children, most wicked and violent, like the Cyclops of the Oddessy.

PRIAPUS – A small god with a penis of immense size. Son of Zeus and Aphrodite, he was deformed by Hera in revenge. Aphrodite abandoned him in fear that she would be ridiculed for her ugly child. He began as a symbol of fertility, but of no significance. Although he was oversized, he was impotent. He seemed to fail at everything he tried. He was compared to an ass and ridiculed. He lent his name to the disease priapism, an incurable illness where the penis remains painfully erect but incapable of ejaculation. Ended up as an obscure gnome.

QUIRINUS – A Roman warrior god originally, he became a god who watched over the well being of the community, opposite to his former nature. Called an apparition of Romulus the founder of Rome.

ZEUS (JUPITER) – Son of Cronos (Saturn) and Rhea. He defeated Cronos (Saturn) in a ten year battle and then divided the realms with his brothers by lot, getting the heavens for his own. He was ruler and judge, the arbiter of disputes among Gods and men. His decisions were just and well balanced, showing no favoritism. He had several wives and many lovers, earning the title “all father” or “father god”. His infidelity caused much strife on Olympos and in the world through he raging of his wife, Hera.

GODDESSES

APHRODITE (VENUS) – Daughter of Zeus and Dione according to Homer. ‘The Woman Born Of The Waves’ according to Hesiod, born of the foam impregnated by the sexual organs of Uranus, which Cronos (Saturn) had severed and thrown into the sea. Plato identifies these as two separate Aphrodites. One Urania, the daughter of Uranus was goddess of pure love. The other, called Pandemos, (Root of pandemonium?) was the Goddess of ‘common’ love. She married Hephaestus, but was unfaithful with Aries.

Aries was caught and humiliated. Aphrodite fled in shame to Cyprus, and there took Thrace as lover, resulting in the birth of Eros (Love), Anteros (Love in return), Deimos and Phobos (Terror and Fear). She also was a lover of Adonis, a human shepherd named Anchises who fathered Aneas, of Hermes and of Dionysus who fathered Priapus. She was known for jealousy. She made Eos (Dawn) fall in love with Orion in spite for her seduction of Aries. She punished all who did not succumb to her. A beauty competition between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite was proposed by Eris (Discord) with the prize being a golden apple. It was judged by the human Paris. All the Goddesses offered him bribes to win.Aphrodite offered Helen, most beautiful of all Humans. She won and thus caused the Trojan War. Eros was the primordial god of instinct. When Aphrodite appeared he adapted himself and joined forces with her. At this time the sexes became distinct. Aphrodite’s kingdom was the place of desire. Young girls were said to pass from the place of Artemis (chastity and games) to the place of Aphrodite, where they become women. Considered by some to be an affliction or madness that women must bear. She represents female lust and passion, and demonstrates its potential for destructive effect. Young girls gave their virginity to the Goddess by living in her temples and offering themselves to passing strangers.

ARTEMIS (DIANA) – Daughter of Zeus and Leto. The huntress, she is seen as the forever young goddess. She is proud of her shapeliness and keeps her virginity to protect it. She was a warrior, joining Apollo to kill Python and other exploits. Anyone who offended her or tried to win her virginity paid dearly. They were killed, transformed, or mutilated. She defended modesty and punished illicit love and excesses. She avenged rape. She also took out her anger on those virgins who gave in to love. She did not mind marriage, but when a virgin married she was to give up all the things of childhood, toys and dolls, locks of hair, etc., leaving them on her altar.

ATHENA (MINERVA) – Daughter of Zeus and Metis. Metis was swallowed by Zeus, and when it was time for Diana’s birth, he had Hephaestus crack open his skull and she came forth in full armor shouting a war cry. Also a virgin Goddess, she lived among men without fear due to her warrior’s skills. She was the protectress of Odysseus and other men. She was a warrior who used strategy, ambush, cunning, and magic rather than brute force. Her shield bore the head of a gorgon and she paralyzed her adversaries and made her companions invincible. She was against excess, both in war and every day life. She taught men to control their savagery and to tame nature. Was the initiator of all skills. Taught Pandora to weave, trained horses and invented the chariot. She was the
patroness of blacksmiths and carpenters. She built the first ship and the boat of the Argonauts.

CYBELE – Was born as Agditis, a hermaphrodite monster, from a stone fertilized by Zeus. The Gods decided to mutilate him (?) and made the Goddess Cybele from him. Her love for Attis, a human shepherd, drove him insane and he castrated himself for her. Her priests were eunuchs dressed as women. It is from the temple of Cybele that the reference in the Wiccan Charge of the Goddess to “At mine Altars, the youths of Lacedæmon in Sparta made due sacrifice.”, comes.

DEMETER (CERES) – Daughter of Cronos (Saturn) and Rhea, the Goddess of corn and grain. Demeter bore Persephone. She renounced her duties as goddess and began a fast and went into exile from Olympos when her daughter was abducted into the under-world until her daughter should be returned to her. She caused the spread of the know-ledge of the cultivation of corn.

During her exile the earth became barren until Zeus demanded that Hades return Persephone. She had eaten from a pomegranate, however, and was forever bound to the underworld. As a compromise, she was allowed to rise up into the world with the first growth of spring and return to the underworld at seed sowing in fall. And so the Earth is barren in the winter, while Demeter mourns, and becomes fruitful again when Persephone is released. Demeter made herself known to the children of Eleusis, who raised her a temple and instituted the Eleusinian mysteries. In Sept.-Oct., the candid-ates for initiation purified themselves in the sea, then processed down the sacred path from Athens to Eleusis. The rites remain secret, but involve a search for a mill for grind-ing corn, and a spiritual experience. During the rites, men women and slaves were all treated as equal.

ERINYES, THE – Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaara. They were born from drops of blood that fell from Uranus’s severed Penis, and did not recognize the authority of the gods of Olympos. They hounded and tortured their victims, driving them mad. Also called the Eumenides, The Good Ones, to divert their wrath. Assimilated by the Romans as the uries. They were implacable and demanded punishment for every murder. To them murder was a stain. The murderer had to be banished and driven mad before purifica-tion could occur. They were blind and carried out their punishments indefinitely.

HARPIES – Greek genii/spirits- Daughters of Thaumes and Electra: Nicotho or swift-footed, Ocypete or swift of flight, and Celaeno, the dark one. Were either women with wings or birds with the heads of women. Called the ‘hounds of Zeus’ and seized children and souls. Skillful at torture, they could pester a victim into madness.

HERA (JUNO) – Daughter of Cronos (Saturn) and Rhea brought up by Oceanus and Tethys. Married Zeus. It was claimed that each year Hera regained her virginity by bathing in the spring of Canathus. According to some traditions Hephaestus, Aries, and Hebe (Youth) were conceived by her alone without male assistance. As Zeus’ legitim-ate wife, her fury at his infidelities was boundless, and she took vengeance on his lovers and any progeny of the affair without distinction. Zeus was often reduced to hiding or disguising his children to protect them.

HESTIA/VESTA – Daughter of Cronos (Saturn) and Rhea. Goddess of the hearth, she had the privilege of retaining her virginity forever. Her symbol was the fire, which was never allowed to go out. The young bride and newborn child were presented to her and she was invoked before each meal. Her temple in Rome was served by the young vestal virgins.

MOERAE (PARCAE) – The Three Fates. Atropos, Clotho, Lachesis, daughters of Zeus and Themis. The first spins a thread symbolizing birth. The second unravels it, symbolizing life’s processes, and the third cuts it, symbolizing death. They too were blind and ruled destiny. They were also symbols of a limit which could not be overstepped. Were connected to their sisters, the furies, who punished crime.

MUSES – Nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (Memory). Calliope ruled epic poetry, Clio ruled history, Polyhymnia mime, Euterpe the flute, Terpsichore dance, Erarto lyric art, Melpomene tragedy, Thalia comedy and Urania astronomy. They delighted the Gods and inspired poets. The Muses created what they sang about. By praising the gods, they completed their glory, by boasting of valiant warriors, they wrote their names in history. They were celebrated by the Pythagoreans as the keepers of the knowledge of harmony.NEMESIS – Daughter and Night. Ruled over the distribution of wealth, looked after balance, took revenge on arrogance and punished excess, including excessive happiness, riches and power. Moderation in all things was her creed.

NYMPHS – Daughter of Zeus and usually part of a greater god(esses) entourage. Not immortal, though long lived. Mostly lived in caves. Were dark powers whose beauty alone could lead to madness. Were seducers of many of the gods. Were considered secondary deities.

THETIS – Daughter of the old man of the sea. Very beautiful. Mother of Achilles. Saved Zeus from a plot to overthrow him and was an ally of Hera. Saved the Argonauts as they passed between the clashing rocks.

EGYPTIAN GODS and GODDESSES

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Amen

(Amon, Amun, Ammon, Amoun)

Amen’s name means “The Hidden One.” Amen was the patron deity of the city of
Thebes from earliest times, and was viewed (along with his consort Amenet) as a
primordial creation-deity by the priests of Hermopolis. His sacred animals were
the goose and the ram.

Up to the Middle Kingdom Amen was merely a local god in Thebes; but when the
Thebans had established their sovereignty in Egypt, Amen became a prominent
deity, and by Dynasty XVIII was termed the King of the Gods. His famous temple,
Karnak, is the largest religious structure ever built by man. According to
Budge, Amen by Dynasty XIX-XX was thought of as “an invisible creative power
which was the source of all life in heaven, and on the earth, and in the great
deep, and in the Underworld, and which made itself manifest under the form of
Ra.” Addition-lly, Amen appears to have been the protector of any pious devotee
in need.

Amen was self-created, according to later traditions; according to the older
Theban traditions, Amen was created by Thoth as one of the eight primordial
deities of creation (Amen, Amenet, Heq, Heqet, Nun, Naunet, Kau, Kauket).

During the New Kingdom, Amen’s consort was Mut, “Mother,” who seems to have
been the Egyptian equivalent of the “Great Mother” archetype. The two thus
formed a pair reminiscent of the God and Goddess of other traditions such as
Wicca. Their child was the moon god Khons.

See also Amen-Ra, Khons, Mut, Thoth.
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Amen-Ra

(Amon-Re)

A composite deity, devised by the priests of Amen as an attempt to link New
King- dom (Dyn. XVIII-XXI) worship of Amen with the older solar cult of the god
Ra. In a union of this sort, the deities are said to indwell one another – so
we have the power represented by Amen manifesting through the person of Ra (or
vice versa). This sort of relationship is common among Egyptian gods,
particularly among cosmic or national deities. It is an example of how the
Egyptian gods are viewed, as Morenz puts it, of having “personality but not
individuality.”

See also Amen, Ra.
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Amset

(Imsety, Mestha; Golden Dawn, Ameshet)

One of the Four Sons of Horus, Amset was represented as a mummified man. He
was the protector of the liver of the deceased, and was protected by the goddess
Isis.

See also Four Sons of Horus, Isis.
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Anubis

(Anpu; Golden Dawn, Ano-Oobist)

Anubis (Greek, from Egyptian Anpu) was the son of Nephthys: by some traditions,
the father was Set; by others, Osiris. (And by still other traditions his
mother was Isis.) Anubis was depicted as a jackal, or as a jackal-headed man;
in primitive times he was probably simply the jackal god.

Owing perhaps to the jackal’s tendency to prowl around tombs, he became assoc-
iated with the dead, and by the Old Kingdom, Anubis was worshipped as the
inventor of embalming, who had embalmed the dead Osiris, thus helping preserve
him in order to live again. His task became to glorify and preserve all the
dead.

Anubis was also worshipped under the form Upuaut (“Opener of the Ways”),
sometimes with a rabbit’s head, who conducted the souls of the dead to their
judgement, and who monitored the Scales of Truth to protect the dead from the
second death in the underworld.

See also Nephthys, Osiris, Set.
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Anuket

In Upper Egypt, around Elephantine, Anuket was worshipped as the companion
(generally the daughter) of Khnum and Sati. Her sacred animal was the gazelle.
She was believed to be the dispenser of cool water, and wore a feathered crown
on her human head.

See also Khnum, Sati.
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Apis

An early deity, probably the best known Egyptian deity represented only as an
animal, and never as a human with an animal’s head. Apis was most closely
linked with Ptah, and his cult center was Memphis. He was primarily a deity of
fertility. He was represented as a bull crowned with the solar disk and uraeus-
serpent. A sacred Apis bull was kept in Memphis, and there is a great mass
burial of Apis bulls, the Serapeum, located there.

See also Ptah.
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Aten

(Aton)

The sun itself, recognized first in the Middle Kingdom, and later becoming an
aspect of the sun god. In the reign of Amenhotep IV during Dynasty XVIII, Aten
was depicted as a disk with rays, each ray terminating in a human hand and
bestowing symbols of “life” upon those below. Aten was declared the only true
deity during this period, but the worship of Amen and the other deities was
restored by Amenhotep IV’s successor Tutankhamen. Morenz believes the name
“Aten” was pronounced something like “Yati” during the height of its cult.

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Atum

A primordial creator god, worshipped as the head of the Heliopolitan family of
gods. Father of Shu and Tefnut, and in later times believed to be one with the
sun god Ra.

See also Ra.
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Bast

(Bastet)

A cat-goddess, worshiped in the Delta city of Bubastis. A protectress of cats
and those who cared for cats. As a result, an important deity in the home
(since cats were prized pets) and also important in the iconography (since the
serpents which attack the sun god were usually represented in papyri as being
killed by cats).

She was viewed as the beneficent side of the lioness-goddess Sekhmet. See also
Sekhmet.
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Bes

A deity of either African or Semitic origin; came to Egypt by Dynasty XII.
Depicted as a bearded, savage-looking yet comical dwarf, shown full-face in
images (highly unusual by Egyptian artistic conventions). Revered as a deity of
household pleasures such as music, good food, and relaxation. Also a protector
and entertainer of children.

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Duamutef

(Tuamutef; Golden Dawn, Thmoomathph)

One of the Four Sons of Horus, Duamutef was represented as a mummified man with
the head of a jackal. He was the protector of the stomach of the deceased, and
was protected by the goddess Neith.

See also Four Sons of Horus, Neith.
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Edjo

A serpent goddess of the Delta, a symbol and protrectress of Lower Egypt, the
counterpart of Nekhbet in Upper Egypt, worn as part of the king’s crown.

See also Nekhbet.
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Four Sons of Horus

The four sons of Horus were the protectors of the parts of the body of Osiris,
and from this, became the protectors of the body of the deceased. They were:
Amset, Hapi, Duamutef, and Qebhsenuef. They were protected in turn by the
goddesses Isis, Nephthys, Neith, and Selket. See also Amset, Duamutef, Hapi,
Qebehsenuf.
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Geb

(Seb)

The god of the earth, son of Shu and Tefnut, brother and husband of Nut, and
father of Osiris, Set, Isis, and Nephthys. Sacred animal and symbol was the
goose. He is generally represented as a man with green or black skin – the
color of living things, and the color of the fertile Nile mud, respectively. It
was said that Geb would hold imprisoned the souls of the wicked, that they might
not ascend to heaven. Note Geb is masculine, contrasting with many other
traditions of Earth being female.

See also Nut.
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Hadit

See Horus of Behedet.
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Hapi

(Golden Dawn, Ahephi)

One of the Four Sons of Horus, Hapi was represented as a mummified man with the
head of a baboon. He was the protector of the lungs of the deceased, and was
protected by the goddess Nephthys.

The name Hapi, spelled with different hieroglyphs, in most but not all cases, is
also the name of the god who was the personification of the River Nile, depicted
as a corpulent man (fat signifying abundance) with a crown of lilies (Upper
Nile) or papyrus plants (Lower Nile).

See also Four Sons of Horus, Nephthys.
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Hathor

(Het-heru, Het-Hert)

A very old goddess of Egypt, worshiped as a cow-deity from earliest times. The
name “Hathor” is the Greek corruption of the variants Het-Hert (“the House
Above”) and Het-Heru (“the House of Horus”). Both terms refer to her as a sky
goddess. She was frequently equated with Isis. She was worshipped at Edfu as
the consort of Horus. At Thebes, she was considered the goddess of the dead.
She was also the patron of love, dance, alcohol, and foreign lands.

See also Isis.
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Harpocrates

(Hor-pa-kraat; Golden Dawn, Hoor-par-kraat)

“Horus the Child”, the son of Isis and Osiris as a little suckling child,
distinguished from Horus the Elder, who was the patron deity of Upper Egypt.
Represented as a young boy with a child’s sidelock of hair, sucking his finger.
The Golden Dawn attributed Silence to him, presumably because the sucking of
the finger is suggestive of the common “shhh” gesture. See also Horus.
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Heqet

A primordial goddess with the head of a frog, worshipped as one of the Eight
Gods at Hermopolis, and seen as the consort of Khnum at Antinoe.

See also Khnum.
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Heru-ra-ha

A composite deity in Crowley’s quasi-Egyptian mythology; composed of Ra-Hoor-
Khuit and Hoor-par-kraat. The name, translated into Egyptian, means something
approximating “Horus and Ra be Praised!” Of course, this could simply be
another corruption due to the inferior Victorian understanding of the Egyptian
language, and it is possible Crowley had something entirely different in mind
for the translation of the name.

See also Ra-Horakhty, Harpocrates.
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Horus

(Hor)

One of the most important deities of Egypt. As the Child, Horus is the son of
Osiris and Isis, who, upon reaching adulthood, avenges his father’s death, by
defeating and castrating his evil uncle Set. He then became the divine
prototype of the Pharaoh.

As Heru-Ur, “Horus the Elder”, he was the patron deity of Upper (Southern) Egypt
from the earliest times; initially, viewed as the twin brother of Set (the
patron of Lower Egypt), but he became the conqueror of Set c. 3100 B.C.E. when
Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt and formed the unified kingdom of Egypt.

See also Isis, Osiris, Set.
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Horus of Behedet

(Hadit)

A form of Horus worshipped in the city of Behdet, shown in the well-known form
of a solar disk with a great pair of wings, usually seen hovering above
important scenes in Egyptian religious art. Made popular by Aleister Crowley
under the poorly transliterated name “Hadit”, the god appears to have been a way
of depicting the omnipresence of Horus. As Crowley says in Magick in Theory and
Practice, “the infinitely small and atomic yet omnipresent point is called
HADIT.”

See also Horus.
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Imhotep

(Imouthis)

Imhotep was the architect, physician, scribe, and grand vizier of the IIIrd
Dynasty pharaoh Zoser. It was Imhotep who conceived and built the Step Pyramid
at Sakkara. In the Late Period, Imhotep was worshipped as the son of Ptah and a
god of medicine, as well as the patron (with Thoth) of scribes. The Greeks
considered him to be Asklepios.

See also Ptah, Thoth.
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Isis

(Auset)

Perhaps the most important goddess of all Egyptian mythology, Isis assumed,
during the course of Egyptian history, the attributes and functions of virtually
every other important goddess in the land. Her most important functions,
however, were those of motherhood, marital devotion, healing the sick, and the
working of magical spells and charms. She was believed to be the most powerful
magician in the universe, owing to the fact that she had learned the Secret Name
of Ra from the god himself. She was the sister and wife of Osiris, sister of
Set, and twin sister of Nephthys. She was the mother of Horus the Child
(Harpocrates), and was the protective goddess of Horus’s son Amset, protector of
the liver of the deceased.

Isis was responsible for protecting Horus from Set during his infancy; for
helping Osiris to return to life; and for assisting her husband to rule in the
land of the Dead.

Her cult seems to have originally centered, like her husband’s, at Abydos near
the Delta in the North (Lower Egypt); she was adopted into the family of Ra
early in Egyptian history by the priests of Heliopolis, but from the New Kingdom
onwards (c. 1500 BC) her worship no longer had any particular identifiable
center, and she became more or less universally worshiped, as her husband was.

See also Horus, Osiris.
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Khepri

(Keper)

The creator-god, according to early Heliopolitan cosmology; assimilated with
Atum and Ra. The Egyptian root “kheper” signifies several things, according to
context, most notably the verb “to create” or “to transform”, and also the word
for “scarab beetle”. The scarab, or dung beetle, was considered symbolic of the
sun since it rolled a ball of dung in which it laid its eggs around with it –
this was considered symbolic of the sun god propelling the sphere of the sun
through the sky.

See also Ra.
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Khnum

Appearing as a ram-headed human, Khnum was worshipped most at Antinoe and
Elephantine. He was another creator-god, represented as fashioning human beings
on his pottery wheel. His consort was variously Heqet, Neith, or Sati.

See also Sati.
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Khons

(Chons)

The third member (with his parents Amen and Mut) of the great triad of Thebes.
Khons was the god of the moon. The best-known story about him tells of him
playing the ancient game senet (“passage”) against Thoth, and wagering a portion
of his light. Thoth won, and because of losing some of his light, Khons cannot
show his whole glory for the entire month, but must wax and wane. The main
temple in the enclosure at Karnak is dedicated to him.

See also Amen, Mut, Thoth.
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Maat

Considered the wife of Thoth and the daughter of Ra by various traditions,
Maat’s name implies “truth” and “justice” and even “cosmic order”, but there is
no clear English equivalent. She is an anthropomorphic personification of the
concept Maat and as such has little mythology. Maat was represented as a tall
woman with an ostrich feather (the glyph for her name) in her hair. She was
present at the judgement of the dead; her feather was balanced against the heart
of the deceased to determine whether he had led a pure and honest life.

See also Thoth.
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Min

(Menu, Amsu)

A form of Amen depicted holding a flail (thought to represent a thunderbolt in
Egyptian art) and with an erect penis; his full name was often given as Menu-ka-
mut-f (“Min, Bull of his Mother”). Min was worshiped as the god of virility;
lettuces were offered as sacrifice to him and then eaten in hopes of procuring
manhood; and he was worshiped as the husband of the goddess Qetesh, goddess of
love and femininity.

See also Amen, Qetesh.
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Month

(Mentu, Men Thu)

The principal god of Thebes before the rise of the Amen cult; appeared as a
falcon-headed man and often united with Horus. Primarily a war god.

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Mut

(Golden Dawn, Auramooth)

The wife of Amen in Theban tradition; the word mut in Egyptian means “mother”,
and she was the mother of Khonsu, the moon god.

See also Amen, Khons.
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Nefertum

The youthful son of Ptah and Sekhmet, connected with the rising sun; depicted as
a youth crowned with or seated upon a lotus blossom.

See also Ptah.
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Neith

(Net, Neit; Golden Dawn, Thoum-aesh-neith)

A very ancient goddess of war, worshiped in the Delta; revered as a goddess of
wisdom, identified with Athena by the Greeks; in later traditions, the sister of
Isis, Nephthys, and Selket, and protectress of Duamutef, the god of the stomach
of the deceased. Mother of the crocodile god Sobek.

See also Sobek.
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Nekhbet

Upper Egyptian patron goddess, represented as a vulture in iconography, and
often part of the crown of the pharaoh, along with her Lower Egyptian
counterpart Edjo.

See also Edjo.
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Nephthys

(Nebt-het)

The youngest child of Geb and Nut. The sister and wife of Set, and sister of
Isis and Osiris; also the mother (variantly by Set or by Osiris) of Anubis. She
abandoned Set when he killed Osiris, and assisted Isis in the care of Horus and
the resurrection of Osiris. She was, along with her sister, considered the
special protectress of the dead, and she was the guardian of Hapi, the protector
of the lungs of the deceased. See also Isis, Osiris, Set.
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Nut

(Nuit)

The goddess of the sky, daughter of Shu and Tefnut, sister and wife of Geb,
mother of Osiris, Set, Isis, and Nephthys. Described by Crowley in his Magick
in Theory and Practice thus: “Infinite space is called the goddess NUIT.”

Nut was generally depicted as a woman with blue skin, and her body covered with
stars, standing on all fours, leaning over her husband, representing the sky
arched over the earth.

Her relationship to Hadit is an invention of Crowley’s with no basis in
Egyptology, save only that Hadit was often depicted underneath Nut – one finds
Nut forming the upper frame of a scene, and the winged disk Hadit floating
beneath, silently as always. This is an artistic convention, and there was no
marriage between the two in Egyptian myth.

See also Geb, Shu.
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Osiris

(Ausar)

The god of the dead, and the god of the resurrection into eternal life; ruler,
protector, and judge of the deceased, and his prototype (the deceased was in
historical times usually referred to as “the Osiris”). His cult originated in
Abydos, where his actual tomb was said to be located.

Osiris was the first child of Nut and Geb, thus the brother of Set, Nephthys,
and Isis, who was also his wife. By Isis he fathered Horus, and according to
some stories, Nephthys assumed the form of Isis, seduced him thus, and from
their union was born Anubis.

Osiris ruled the world of men in the beginning, after Ra had abandoned the world
to rule the skies, but he was murdered by his brother Set. Through the magic of
Isis, he was made to live again. Being the first living thing to die, he
subsequently became lord of the dead. His death was avenged by his son Horus,
who defeated Set and cast him out into the desert to the West of Egypt (the
Sahara).

Prayers and spells were addressed to Osiris throughout Egyptian history, in
hopes of securing his blessing and entering the afterlife which he ruled; but
his popularity steadily increased through the Middle Kingdom. By Dynasty XVIII
he was probably the most widely worshipped god in Egypt. His popularity endured
until the latest phases of Egyptian history; relief’s still exist of Roman
emperors, conquerors of Egypt, dressed in the traditional garb of the Pharaohs,
making offerings to him in the temples.

See also Anubis, Horus, Isis, Nephthys, Set.
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Pharaoh

(deified kings)

From earliest times in Egypt the pharaohs were worshipped as gods: the son of
Ra, the son of Horus, the son of Amen, etc. depending upon what period of
Egyptian history and what part of the country is being considered. It should be
noted that prayers, sacrifices, etc. to the pharaohs were extremely rare, if
they occurred at all – there seems to be little or no evidence to support an
actual cult of the pharaoh. The pharaoh was looked upon as being chosen by and
favored by the gods, his fathers.

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Ptah

Worshipped in Memphis from the earliest dynastic times (c.3100 BC), Ptah was
seen as the creator of the universe in the Memphite cosmology. He fashioned the
bodies in which dwelt the souls of men in the afterlife. Other versions of the
myths state that he worked under Thoth’s orders, creating the heavens and the
earth according to Thoth’s specifications.

Ptah is depicted as a bearded man wearing a skullcap, shrouded much like a
mummy, with his hands emerging from the wrappings in front and holding the Uas
(phoenix-headed) scepter, an Ankh, and a Djed (sign of stability). He was often
worshipped in conjunction with the gods Seker and Osiris, and worshipped under
the name Ptah-seker-ausar.

He was said to be the husband of Sekhmet and the father of Nefertum (and later
Imhotep).

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Qebehsenuf

(Kabexnuf, Qebsneuef)

One of the Four Sons of Horus, Qebhsenuef was represented as a mummified man
with the head of a falcon. He was the protector of the intestines of the
deceased, and was protected by the goddess Selket.

See also Four Sons of Horus, Selket.
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Qetesh

Originally believed to be a Syrian deity, Qetesh was a goddess of love and
beauty. Qetesh was depicted as a beautiful nude woman, standing or riding upon
a lion, holding flowers, a mirror, or serpents. She is generally shown full-
face (unusual in Egyptian artistic convention). She was also considered the
consort of the god Min, the god of virility.

See also Min.
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Ra

Ra was the god of the sun during dynastic Egypt; the name is thought to have
meant “creative power”, and as a proper name “Creator”, similar to English
Christian usage of the term “Creator” to signify the “almighty God.” Very early
in Egyptian history Ra was identified with Horus, who as a hawk or falcon-god
represented the loftiness of the skies. Ra is represented either as a hawk-
headed man or as a hawk. In order to travel through the waters of Heaven and
the Underworld, Ra was depicted as traveling in a boat.

During dynastic Egypt Ra’s cult center was Annu (Hebrew “On”, Greek
“Heliopolis”, modern-day “Cairo”). In Dynasty V, the first king, Userkaf, was
also Ra’s high priest, and he added the term Sa-Ra (“Son of Ra”) to the titulary
of the pharaohs.

Ra was father of Shu and Tefnut, grandfather of Nut and Geb, great-grandfather
of Osiris, Set, Isis, and Nephthys, and great-great-grandfather to Horus. In
later periods (about Dynasty 18 on) Osiris and Isis superseded him in
popularity, but he remained Ra netjer-aa neb-pet (“Ra, the great God, Lord of
Heaven”) whether worshiped in his own right or, in later times, as one aspect of
the Lord of the Universe, Amen-Ra.

See also Amen-Ra, Horus.
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Ra-Horakhty

(Ra-Hoor-Khuit)

“Ra, who is Horus of the Horizons.” An appellation of Ra, identifying him with
Horus, showing the two as manifestations of the singular Solar Force. The
spelling “Ra-Hoor-Khuit” was popularized by Aleister Crowley, first in the Book
of the Law (Liber AL vel Legis).

See also Horus, Ra.
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Sati

The goddess of Elephantine, and the consort of Khnum. Together with their
companion Anuket, dispenser of cool water. Represented with human head, the
crown of Upper Egypt, and the horns of gazelles.

See also Anuket, Khnum.
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Seker

A god of light, protector of the spirits of the dead passing through the
Underworld en route to the afterlife. Seker was worshiped in Memphis as a form
of Ptah or as part of the compound deities Ptah-seker or Ptah-seker-ausar. Seker
was usually depicted as having the head of a hawk, and shrouded as a mummy,
similar to Ptah.

See also Ptah.
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Sekhmet

A lioness-goddess, worshiped in Memphis as the wife of Ptah; created by Ra from
the fire of his eyes as a creature of vengeance to punish mankind for his sins;
later, became a peaceful protectress of the righteous, closely linked with the
benevolent Bast.

See also Bast, Ptah.
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Selket

(Serqet, Serket)

A scorpion-goddess, shown as a beautiful woman with a scorpion poised on her
head; her creature struck death to the wicked, but she was also petitioned to
save the lives of innocent people stung by scorpions; she was also viewed as a
helper of women in childbirth. She is depicted as binding up demons that would
otherwise threaten Ra, and she sent seven of her scorpions to protect Isis from
Set.

She was the protectress of Qebehsenuf, the son of Horus who guarded the
intestines of the deceased. She was made famous by her statue from
Tutankhamen’s tomb, which was part of the collection which toured America in the
1970’s.

See also Isis.
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Serapis

A Ptolemaic period god, devised by the Greeks from Osiris and Apis. Supposedly
the consort of Isis, god of the afterlife and fertility. Also physician and
helper of distressed worshippers. Never obtained much following from the native
Egyptian population. His cult center was Alexandria.

See also Apis, Osiris.
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Set

(Seth)

In earliest times, Set was the patron deity of Lower (Northern) Egypt, and
represented the fierce storms of the desert whom the Lower Egyptians sought to
appease. However, when Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt and ushered in the
First Dynasty, Set became known as the evil enemy of Horus (Upper Egypt’s
dynastic god).

Set was the brother of Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys, and husband of the latter;
according to some versions of the myths he is also father of Anubis.

Set is best known for murdering his brother and attempting to kill his nephew
Horus; Horus, however, managed to survive and grew up to avenge his father’s
death by establishing his rule over all Egypt, castrating Set, and casting him
out into the lonely desert for all time.

In the 19th Dynasty there began a resurgence of respect for Set, and he was seen
as a great god once more, the god who benevolently restrained the forces of the
desert and protected Egypt from foreigners.

See also Anubis, Horus, Isis, Nephthys, Osiris.
——————————————————————————–
Shu

The god of the atmosphere and of dry winds, son of Ra, brother and husband of
Tefnut, father of Geb and Nut. Represented in hieroglyphs by an ostrich feather
(similar to Maat’s), which he is usually shown wearing on his head. He is
generally shown standing on the recumbent Geb, holding aloft his daughter Nut,
separating the two.

The name “Shu” is probably related to the root shu meaning “dry, empty.” Shu
also seems to be a personification of the sun’s light. Shu and Tefnut were also
said to be but two halves of one soul, perhaps the earliest recorded example of
“soulmates.”

See also Tefnut.
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Sobek

The crocodile-god, worshipped at the city of Arsinoe, called Crocodilopolis by
the Greeks. Sobek was worshipped to appease him and his animals. According to
some evidence, Sobek was considered a fourfold deity who represented the four
elemental gods (Ra of fire, Shu of air, Geb of earth, and Osiris of water). In
the Book of the Dead, Sobek assists in the birth of Horus; he fetches Isis and
Nephthys to protect the deceased; and he aids in the destruction of Set.

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Sothis

Feminine Egyptian name for the star Sirius, which very early meshed with Isis
(being the consort of Sahu-Osiris, which was Orion). Also associated with
Hathor.

See also Hathor, Isis.
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Tefnut

The goddess of moisture and clouds, daughter of Ra, sister and wife of Shu,
mother of Geb and Nut. Depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, which
was her sacred animal. The name “Tefnut” probably derives from the root teftef,
signifying “to spit, to moisten” and the root nu meaning “waters, sky.”

See also Shu.
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Thoth

(Tahuti)

The god of wisdom, Thoth was said to be self-created at the beginning of time,
along with his consort Maat (truth), or perhaps created by Ra. At Hermopolis it
was said that from Thoth were produced eight children, of which the most
important was Amen, “the hidden one”, who was worshiped in Thebes as the Lord of
the Universe. The name “Thoth” is the Greek corruption of the original Egyptian
Tahuti. Thoth was depicted as a man with the head of an ibis bird, and carried a
pen and scrolls upon which he recorded all things. He was shown as attendant in
almost all major scenes involving the gods, but especially at the judgement of
the deceased. He served as the messenger of the gods, and was thus equated by
the Greeks with Hermes.

Thoth served in Osirian myths as the vizier (chief advisor and minister) of
Osiris. He, like Khons, is a god of the moon, and is also the god of time,
magic, and writing. He was considered the inventor of the hieroglyphs.

See also Amen, Maat.
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Thoueris

(Ta-urt)

A hippopotamus goddess, responsible for fertility and protecting women in
childbirth. Partner of Bes.

See also Bes.

BEING CALLED TO A PARTICULAR DEITY

Some people have the feeling of being called to a given deity, and they want to know this was for real, and how to go about making it Signed and Official and all that . . . I thought I’d give out with few (yeah, right) words as to my own experiences this way.

I’m pretty much a believer in the notion that a person is best served by following their natural inclinations on some ways. I found my own Craft name this way — I just sort of waited until I found the “right” name. I waited until I got a handle on what I was like at that time (it may change in the future) and at that point, saw the name as the proper noun that described what I was, the word for my inner nature.

It’s not a name in any but the most basic sense — a description of what I *am*. It’s no more a “chosen” name that an apple “chooses” to be called an apple. It’s simply the name we have for the thing.

Finding a deity figure is similar, and the one that fits you is often different from time to time. Don’t look for one that you like and say, “I want to dedicate myself to that one.” Look inside yourself and see what’s there — and don’t lie or hide anything. Honesty is needed here. Know yourself, and then see if you can find a deity match up for what you see. This is what I mean by seeing what your own natural inclinations are and then going with them. Oftentimes, the deity will just sort of fall into place with no effort, like a dewdrop rolling off a leaf. It just finds the proper time and bango — it happens. Very zen, actually. This is similar — if you relax and just know yourself, the deity will fall into place with no effort. Well, enough effort to read books and research so that you’ll be able to know him or her when you see them. But research isn’t effort — it’s fun!

My own deities are a bit odd — the moirae from the Mycenean/Greek pantheon are good, as is the Minoan god Kouros. (Never let it be said that your deity has to be the same gender!)

Anyway, the only advice I can give you is to know yourself and then when you see
your deity you’ll recognize him or her as the right one. Choosing one that isn’t
a good fit is a bad idea.

Website: Wicca Chat