Egyptian religion

[david bill]

what was teh name for teh egyptian religion? and is anyone here in the Egyptian religion?

[LV426]

what was teh name for teh egyptian religion? and is anyone here in the Egyptian religion?
How is it that you can spell "Egyptian" but you can't spell "the"?

Anyway, onto the original question. The religion of the Egyptians did not have a name like christianity or catholicism but was based on a pantheon of gods and goddesses. All gods and goddesses were recognized but usually a person picked one that they were dedicated to. There were priests and priesteses that belonged to each god and goddess and they lead ceremonies to the parishioners that chose that god or goddess. The general populace believed in all but would go to the temples of various gods to make sacrifices or to pay homage when they were in need and were asking favor from the gods or goddess.

Egyptian gods were originally animals: hawk, cat, crocodile, ibis, hippos, and others. Various animals were considered sacred in different areas. Eventually they came to be conceived of as having human bodies with the appropriate heads. The "same" god could appear in different guises in various nomes, and eventually these different, seemingly incompatible versions would all be considered "true" at the same time. The process by which different conceptions of a divinity are melded together in the person of one god is called "syncretism."

Syncretism is the closest that one can come to naming the egyptian religion.

[DarkWolf]

My favourite was Bastet: Goddess of Fertility and Music and represented with the head of cat. Due to this cats were considered sacred creatures and to kill one was a crime punishable by death.

Festivals in celebration of Bastet would also be nice: they involved a group of people dancing, singing and making love (orgy).

Egyptian mythology rocks :buttrock:

[MidnightPsi]

I'm reading this book called Egyptian Divinities: The all who are the one. This guy claims that the Egyptians really only believed in one God, and that the word NETERU was falsly translated into the words God/Goddess. According to him the neteru are basically the forces of nature that the one god works through. :confused:

[david bill]

my fav god was ANUBIS, GOD of mumification, and enrty to teh afterlife.the weiging of teh heart ceremony, was teh part taht interested me the most.

[DarkWolf]

I'm reading this book called Egyptian Divinities: The all who are the one. This guy claims that the Egyptians really only believed in one God, and that the word NETERU was falsly translated into the words God/Goddess. According to him the neteru are basically the forces of nature that the one god works through. :confused:
I've never heard of that, and I've read books. cds, and sites and fact files (those binders you can buy).

The God they did eventually believe most in was Amen Ra. But truth be told the only deity I paid any attention to was Bastet: the cat Goddess, and that's because I am cat mad.

They did worship bastet, a lot, enough so to make laws that affected all of Egypt based on her: the whole don't kill cats thing. ^_^

Aside from the cats aspect and some mild memories of a few things, I don't know much else about the beliefs, but "neteru" I assure you was not part of anything I have looked through that I can remember. Not saying it is false, just that it seems suspicious.

[MidnightPsi]

I think it might be an Egyptian word, he mentions it quiet a lot in this book, that and there supossedly anouther cat/godess named Sakhmet / Petesachmis who's supose to be the wilder version of Bastet.

Anubis is my favorite too, but I also kinda like Ra.

[LV426]

Perhaps because she is such a renowned hunter, ancient Egyptians associated the lioness with several goddesses who had violent sides to their natures. The most prominent of these was Sakhmet (SOCK-met), goddess of war, violent storms, and pestilence. Her name means "the powerful one."

This lifesize figure depicts Sakhmet seated on a throne. Her body is that of a young woman wearing anklets, bracelets, a collar necklace, and a formfitting dress. Because she was the daughter of the sun god, Sakhmet wears a sun disk on her headdress, in front of which rears the uraeus. In her right hand is an ankh, the symbol of life, held almost exclusively by gods. The potentially awkward transition from human body to animal head is skillfully covered by the long wig. The stylized lion's mane, an attribute of the male lion, was a symbol of power used regardless of gender.

Even the most violent Egyptian deities had a gentle side. The serenity, beauty, and majesty of these statues suggest that Sakhmet's awesome powers have been appeased and turned from devastation to protection. That is precisely the function of such figures.

http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/newegypt/images/large/sakhmet.jpg

From what I have gathered Sakmet is the opposite side of Bastet.

http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/wam/exhibitions/online/egypt/assets/images/G1i3_030.JPG

Bastet was the goddess of joy, love, and music.

Cult Center: Bubastis in the Delta.


Attributes: As a sun goddess she represents the warm, life giving power of the sun. Her cult appears as early as the Second Dynasty. Like a cat, she was admired for her agility and strength. Bast defended Ra against the serpent Apep.


Representation: A woman with the head of a domesticated cat, sometimes holding a sistrum.


Relations: Daughter and wife of Ra, mother of Khensu and Maahes.


Bastet was depicted with the head of a domestic cat while Sakmet was portrayed with the head of lion or other large wild cat. The two were even considered two sides of the same goddess. Bastet being one face and Sakmet being another.

[Ankesanmun]

LycanthropicHowl - I will have you know that the Ancient Egyptians had a name for their belief. it is called Kemet (Kem - Black) this is derifed from the black soil of the nile. The Gods that you refer to is called Nejetru (plural)

Sakhmet - was not attributed to war as people would think, the reason for this is she was the protector of the Pharaoh (Hebrew Bastardiztion) Pera'a (Kemetic name for ruler) during a war where she would spit fire at the enemies of the Pera'a.

Anubis is the Greek corruption of the Kemetic faith the name is Anpu.

I would also like to point out that I am a Practioner of the Kemetic Faith my patron deity is Sekhmet/Sakhmet.

[Nightwolf902]

INTERESTING ENOUGH I'VE HEARD MANY VARIED TERMS USE FOR eGYPTIAN rEGILION ANKESAMUN'S IS THE BEST DEFINED OF THEM ALL AND i AGREE WITH LYANCTROPICHOWLS POST TOO.I'M SURETHERE ARE MANY GOOD BOOKS ON THIS SUBJECT ANDALOT OF OPIONS LOVE TO HEAR THEM NIGHTWOLF902

[Wolffy13]

Well, I had a 6 month period where I was working with Selket. She's the daughter of Ra and is usually depicted either as a woman with a scorpion on her head or a scorpion with a woman's head. She's kind of like the guardian of the doorway between life and death, she also (as legend has it) was present at the birth of every pharoah and is one of the four guardians in the tomb. Actually, it's kind of been a while since I have worked with her, but that's what I remember.

[Ves]

and that the word NETERU was falsly translated into the words God/Goddess.
The Egyptian word for "God" is Ntr. Transliterated, this becomes Neter.
In Hieroglyphics, a plural is denoted by appending a quail chick (W/U) and either 3 lines, or a couple of slashes depending on the type of word. Hence you get Neteru - Gods.

I believe it's also Sekhmet, not Sakhmet, but I may well be wrong there, I do the language, not the Mythology. Those statues in the picture are in the British Museum, there are four of them, I have some really badly taken pictures. I've got a few piccies of Bast and Sekhmet if anyone wants to see, PM or mail me and I'll send em over.

[anubisgod2002]

Anpu or Anubis in greek is my favorite god. And the funny thing is my parents named my after him and sometimes my call me Anpu which is in egyptian.

[wendigo]

Set and anubis both where cool

Set:god of the dessert,evil
Anubis:god of judgment

both were Jackels

[adom]

undefined
This is a really interesting post. I've been an Anubis fan for awhile (sorry. been calling him by his Greek nickname for about 20 years. Just sounds right to me. I do the same thing to my cousin Anthony, who now prefers Tony) I think it was the Jackel head. Whether the Egyptians considered these gods or forces of nature many of the ancient religions had one main deity in charge and others who carried on specific tasks. Catholics teach about the one true God, but then get into Saints and Angels who have specific duties or areas they are concerned with. I guess we all just have a need to visualize everything as a big cosmic office where everybody has a job to do.

[DarkWolf]

Anubis, in Egyptian mythology, was the god of the dead. He was considered the inventor of embalming, the guardian of tombs, and a judge of the dead. The Egyptians believed that at the judgement of souls he weighed the heart of the dead against the feather of truth. In Egyptian art he is represented as jackal-headed. Anubis was sometimes identified with Hermes in Greek mythology.

[adom]

The Egyptians believed that at the judgement of souls he weighed the heart of the dead against the feather of truth.

So he'd be either from Human Resources or Accounting then.

[The Prophet]

I use to know a lot about the different Egyptian gods and goddesses. They were my favorite ones to study. My favorite was Anubis because it was a male and had an animal head. The only thing about the whole thing was that there was a lot of different meanings for each and there were a lot of stories for them.

[Ves]

Anubis was sometimes identified with Hermes in Greek mythology.
Erm.. I have a funny feeling that was Thoth, not Anpu.

[DarkWolf]

Erm.. I have a funny feeling that was Thoth, not Anpu.
Just going by what I read, Ves. :shrug:

[Ves]

Just going by what I read, Ves. :shrug:
Interesting, where did you read that out of interest?

[Claudandus]

My guess is that ves is right. With the whole "death and afterlife" aspect that Anpu represents, he would be more associated with Hades ( Pluto , I think, is his Roman name ), and Hermes with Thoth ( called Djeheuti by the egyptians, if I remember correctly ).

Just my humble contribution to the topic.

[DarkWolf]

Interesting, where did you read that out of interest?
MSN Encarta

[Ves]

MSN Encarta
Wow Microsoft got something wrong.. that doesn't happen very often </sarcasm>

[anubisgod2002]

Dark Wolf is right because hermes and Anpu/ Anubis are alike Because they both find and guide the lost souls to the underworld.

[Ves]

Dark Wolf is right because hermes and Anpu/ Anubis are alike Because they both find and guide the lost souls to the underworld.
The two gods do indeed share aspects, but generally, the comparison is drawn between Hermes and Thoth as they are gods of communication. If memory serves this is in the Hermetica. I would be a little more specific, except it's 3:45am as I write and my brain is shutting down.

[Ves]

source (http://www.occultopedia.com/t/thoth.htm) Well I am in the Egyptian religion
And the god I am most close to in Anubis or Anpu.
and he is my favourite because I have had close death experience and cancer to top it off.
Er not wishing to sound unfeeling after what must have been a traumatic experience, but what's that got to do with this discussion?
I'm glad you were able to find something positive from that testing time btw.

Added later:
This from the Occultopedia (source (http://www.occultopedia.com/t/thoth.htm))
Thoth:
The Greek name for the Egyptian god of learning, wisdom, and magic. In late Egyptian mythology he was the creator and orderer of the universe and the inventor of writing, arithmetic, and astronomy.

Thoth was depicted as an ibis-headed man carrying a pen and an ink holder or as a dog-headed baboon. In the Hellenistic period he was identified with the Greek god Hermes and in later European lore with Hermes Trismegistus, patron of magicians (see Hermetica). 'The Book of Thoth' is a traditional name for tarot cards.

[Cuttail]

I agree,but as long as some one wants to know all they need is to look harder.

[Louve]

My favourite was Bastet: Goddess of Fertility and Music and represented with the head of cat. Due to this cats were considered sacred creatures and to kill one was a crime punishable by death.

Festivals in celebration of Bastet would also be nice: they involved a group of people dancing, singing and making love (orgy).

Egyptian mythology rocks :buttrock:

And not to forget Sehkmet's wrath as oppossed to her sister's gentility but both were goddesses of vengeance in their origins. The "Eyes of Ra" one to burn and one to heal but both could ravage.

[Cuttail]

Back to the fist question,the name of the Egyptian religon all depends on who you ask. I have found that many call it Tamera Khem(Beloved Land of the Black Sand).As a Wiccan I have many books on the religion,both past and modern.