Egyptian model coffin of an ichneumon which is a type of mongoose 332-30 BC
Egyptian Animal God Challenge
RAMM has an amazing natural history collection from all over the world including mammals, insects and birds. There are also many objects on display with a link to an animal in some way. This might be because it is made from part of the animal or decorated with an image of an animal.
Animals were very important to the Ancient Egyptians, whether as royal pets, beasts of burden, symbols of fertility, objects of fear or as animal gods.
They believed a god would adopt the skills, strengths and behaviours of a particular animal which would help them in their godly work.
Did you know the Ancient Egyptians may have worshipped between 800 and 2000 gods? Many were linked to an animal and would often be depicted with that animal’s head.
The Gods
- Khepri – He rolls the sun across the sky every day where it sets at night and rises in the morning
- Serqet – She was the goddess of fertility, nature, animals, magic and healing venomous stings and bites
- Horus – He was the god of the sky and the son of Isis and Osiris. After killing his uncle Set, who had killed his father, Horus became Pharaoh. He lost an eye during the fight and the Eye of Horus became one of the most important symbols in ancient Egypt
- Thoth – He was the god of wisdom and writing. He was the patron of the educated scribes who were responsible for the administration of Egypt
- Sekhmet – She was a warrior goddess of war and the destroyer of the enemies of the sun god Re. She was also a goddess of healing
- Apophis – He was a demon of the underworld who tried to stop Re on his nightly journey across the sky in his solar barge
- Anubis – He was the god of death and the mummification. He would make the decision of letting the person into the afterlife to be reborn, depending on whether they had been a good person in life, or not
- Sobek – He was fierce and violent and was considered god of the army.
The Animals (click on each image to find out more)
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- Grass Snake
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- Glossy Ibis
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- Lion amulet
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- Crocodile
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- Scorpion
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- Heart Scarab Beetle
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- Jackal figurine
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- Falcon