Ancient Egyptian architecture is very famous for its temples of legendary gods. The Egyptians then believed that the gods appeared on Earth in the form of certain animals. If they honored and worshiped these animals, they would surely please the gods. Therefore, animals considered to be incarnations of gods are very well cared for and kept near the temple. In the article, GenK would like to introduce readers to some Egyptian gods as well as the animals considered their incarnations.

Egypt is famous for its temples since ancient times.

Baboon: Baboon is considered the representative of both gods, Thoth – god of writing and writing and Khonsu – god of the new moon. God Thoth later retained his position as the moon god in the sky. He is also responsible for recording the court’s decisions when people go to hell. Thus, both of the above gods are related to the moon and are incarnated as baboons. There are also other gods not related to the moon that are still considered to have baboons as representatives such as the god Hapy – one of the four sons of the god of light Horus.

A cat’s bright eyes at night are like moonlight in a dark night.

Cats: The Egyptians especially valued cats. The moon goddess is also depicted as having the head of a cat. For the Egyptians, the bright eyes of cats at night are like moonlight on a dark, misty night. The god of sunset, Bastet, is also represented as a cat. And if there is a fire in the house, cats will be the top priority to be saved. If someone accidentally or intentionally causes a cat to die, they will have to endure extreme punishment. It was this worship of the Egyptians that made cats get used to royal life and forget their role as mouse catchers. This has led to disastrous consequences such as a fierce rat infestation in the area along the banks of the Nile River.

Goddess Isis

Cattle – Cow: Goddess of love and joy Hathor, goddess of mothers Isis is often depicted as having cow ears or cow horns. And Meskhenet – goddess of children, whose symbol is the cow’s womb. Mnevis bull – the sacred bull of Heliopolis. For the ancient Egyptians, the cow was a representative of the gods and it was necessary to perform rituals with these supreme beings. The worshipers raised the cows very carefully and when they were four months old, they brought them to the temples. Here, virgin girls will come to make offerings and voluntarily offer their purity to the cow god.

Cobra: this is a quite familiar symbol when referring to ancient Egyptian queens. According to legend, the goddess Meretseger – the protector of royal tombs, has the symbol of a cobra. This is also the goddess who protects Pharaoh. Another goddess – Wadjiet is also known as the goddess of snakes. This goddess is often represented as a cobra preparing to attack and she is also one of the gods tasked with protecting the Pharaoh.

Crocodile: Ammit is a crocodile-headed monster in the Underworld. If a person lies, when they go to the underworld, their heart will be eaten by Ammit. The Nile god Sobek also has a crocodile’s head, this is the patron god of the Egyptian army that is victorious. In the temple of Sobek, crocodiles were kept in lakes, wore jewelry and were worshiped. When crocodiles die, they are soaked in spices, undergo funeral rituals, and are embalmed in stone coffins.

In ancient times, crocodiles were also mummified in stone coffins. And today…even the skin is stripped off to make bags.

Frog: Heget – Goddess of children and fertility, whose symbol is a frog. Referring to frogs and ancient Egypt, many people still cannot forget God’s punishment for Egypt when its Pharaoh disobeyed God’s command to enslave the Jews. Frogs in the Nile jumped up on both sides of the river. With a river as rich as the Nile, you must know how large the number of these species is. A characteristic of frogs is that if they don’t have water for a day, they will die. And after they die, their decomposed corpses attract a lot of flies, polluting the environment. Not only that, frogs eat mosquitoes, so after they all die, mosquitoes can spread, causing many diseases for Egyptian people and animals.

Sphinx

Lion: Surely everyone has heard of the Sphinx statue in ancient Egyptian mythology, the head of a man and the body of a lion. Sphinxes are often responsible for guarding royal temples or mausoleums. But lions are also related to many other gods, the god of war Maahes has a lion’s head. The goddess of war Sekhmet also had the head of a lion. Tefnut – Goddess of moisture whose main incarnation is a lion. Ancient Egyptians also considered the lion a mascot. Their emperor also had the characteristics of this animal, fierce and brave.

Ancient Egyptians worshiped more than 2000 gods.

This article cannot introduce to readers all the more than 2,000 gods of the ancient Egyptians, but GenK hopes that readers will have more new knowledge about animals and gods in ancient legends.