Chapter VII

EGYPTIAN RELIGION. EARLY BELIEF IN SPIRITS, FETISHES, COMPANIES OF GODS. THE WORD FOR GOD AND “GOD.” LIST OF GODS. POLYTHEISM. ONENESS OF GOD. LEGENDS OF THE GODS. OSIRIS AND THE RESURRECTION. THE JUDGMENT. THE OTHER WORLD. DOCTRINE OF RETRIBUTION. AMULETS.

=Predynastic Religion.=—From the evidence derived from a number of Predynastic graves it is perfectly clear that the Predynastic Egyptians believed in a future life; for otherwise they never would have buried with the dead food and flint weapons, etc., for the chase in the Other World. Whether they believed that the future life would be eternal cannot be said; but they certainly hoped that it would resemble the life on this earth.

=Dynastic.=—The religion of the ancient Egyptians was of African origin, and in the earliest times had much in common with that of many of the peoples and tribes who live in Equatorial Africa at the present day. Earth, air, sea and sky were believed to be filled with spirits, some of whom were occupied in carrying on the works of nature, and others in aiding or injuring man upon earth. Every object, both animate and inanimate, was inhabited by a spirit, which could assume any form it pleased, and occupy the body of any man, woman, quadruped, bird, fish, insect, reptile, tree, etc. The incarnations of certain of these spirits became gods at a very early period, _e.g._, the hippopotamus,[19] crocodile, lion, bull, ram, dog-headed ape, dog, wolf, jackal, ichneumon, hawk, vulture, ibis, swallow, dove, and heron, certain kinds of snakes, uraeus, frog, beetle, grasshopper, mantis, and several kinds of fish. All the above were regarded as powers of good from the earliest to the latest times. On the other hand, certain animals, _e.g._, gazelle, the animal which is the symbol of Set, 𓃩, or 𓃫, the hyaena, the lynx, the scorpion, the turtle, were incarnations of powers of evil. The heavenly bodies were regarded as powers of good, probably, in the earliest times; but the scorching heat of the sun, lightning, hurricanes, storms, flood, darkness, mist and fog were regarded as manifestations of spirits hostile to man.

In addition, the primitive Egyptians fashioned symbols of spirits, much in the same way as the native of Central Africa makes “fetishes.”[20] All these they worshipped because they admired some quality or attribute in them, or because they feared them; and the religion of the earliest period consisted of the performance of rites and ceremonies which had for their object the propitiation of them. Men gave gifts to the incarnations of the spirits to persuade them to withhold the evils which they might inflict upon them, and to protect them from every calamity; moreover, they appealed to them as possessing the same feelings and passions as human beings. The dead were assumed to enjoy a renewed existence in the Other World, probably with benevolent spirits; it is quite certain that this belief was current among the primitive Egyptians, at least among those who lived during the latter half of the Neolithic Period. Every district and every large city or town had its own spirit or object of worship, and most of the gods of Egypt of the Dynastic Period were selected from them; often, no doubt, their names were changed, and their attributes added to.

At a very early period an attempt was made to group the gods into families containing husband, wife, and son; these are usually called =triads=, examples of which are: Ȧmen-Rā, Mut and Khensu at Thebes; Ba-neb-Ṭeṭ, Ḥāt-meḥit and Ḥeru-pa-kharṭ at Mendes; Ptaḥ, Sekhet and I-em-ḥetep at Memphis. Another attempt to group the gods resulted in the =Ennead= or =Company= of nine or more gods.

Ȧsȧr-Ḥāp (Serapis). Ȧtmu. Bennu. Bes. Ḥāpi (Nile-god).

Ḥāpi. Horus. Ḥeru-pa-kharṭ (Harpokrates). Kheperȧ. Khnemu. Khensu.

Menthu-Rā. Nefer-Tem. Ptaḥ. Ptaḥ-Seker. Qebḥsennuf.

Rā-Ḥeru-Khu (Rā-Harmakhis). Reshpu. Reshpu. Seb (Ḳeb). Sebek.

Seker. Set. Ṭeṭ. Teḥuti (Thoth). Ṭuamutef.

Ȧnit. Ānthȧt. Ānqet. Ȧst (Isis). Ḥet-Ḥeru (Hathor).

Ḥet-Ḥeru (Hathor). Ḥet-Ḥeru (Hathor). Qeṭesh. Maāt. Menḥet.

Mert. Mut. Nebt-ḥet (Nephthys). Nebt-ḥet (Nephthys). Nekhebit.

Net (Neith). Nut. Renenet. Satet. Sesheta (Sefekh-ābui).

Sekhet. Serqet. Taurt (Thoueris). Uatchit. Urt-Ḥekau.]

At Heliopolis, the On of the Bible, the priests proclaimed the existence of three Companies of the gods. The first Company was called the “Great” 𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓉻𓐰𓏏, the second the “Little” 𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓅪𓐰𓏏, and the third had no special title; these Companies represented the gods of heaven, earth, and the Other World respectively. When all three companies were invoked they were represented thus: 𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹𓊹. The gods of the Great Company were: Temu, Shu, Tefnut, Seb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys; Khenti-Ȧmenti, Rā, Horus, and Uatchit were sometimes added. The gods of the Little Company were: Rā, Ȧm-Ȧnnu, Ȧm-Āntchet, Ȧm-Ḥet-Serqet, Ȧm-neter-ḥet, Ȧm-ḥetch-paār, Ȧm-Saḥ, Ȧm-Ṭep, Ȧm-Ḥet-ur-Rā, Ȧm-Unnu-resu, and Ȧm-Unnu-meḥt.

The common Egyptian word for God and god is NETER 𓈖𓐰𓏏𓐰𓂋, which is symbolized by the sign 𓊹; goddess is NETERT 𓈖𓐰𓏏𓐰𓂋𓏏𓐰𓆇; the plurals are NETERU 𓊹𓊹𓊹 or 𓈖𓐰𓏏𓐰𓂋𓅱𓀭𓏪 “gods,” and NETERIT 𓈖𓐰𓏏𓐰𓂋𓇌𓏏𓆗𓏪 “goddesses.” The original meaning of the word NETER is unknown, but in the Dynastic Period it probably meant “high, exalted, sublime, divine, godlike,” etc.

The following are some of the principal gods and goddesses, and the visitor will find an unrivalled series of figures of most of them in bronze, wood, stone, etc., exhibited in Wall-cases 119-132 in the Third Egyptian Room. Full descriptions will be found in the _Guide to the Third and Fourth Egyptian Rooms_, pp. 116-168:—

ȦSȦR, Osiris, 𓁹𓐰𓊨𓐱𓀭, the man-god who rose from the dead, was
deified, and became the king of the Other World and judge of
the Dead.

ȦST, Isis, 𓊨𓏏𓐰𓆇𓛖, the sister-wife of Osiris.

SET 𓋴𓏏𓐰𓈜𓁣, the principle of Evil, and opponent of Osiris.

NEBT-ḤET, Nephthys, 𓽠𓏏𓐰𓆇𓁐, the wife of Set.

ȦNPU, Anubis, 𓇋𓈖𓐰𓊪𓅱𓝱, the Dog-god, or Jackal-god, son of Set.

ȦP-UAT 𓄋𓐰𓊪𓐱𓏴𓈐𓐰𓏏𓐱𓏦, the Wolf-god, a friend and companion of
Osiris.

ḤERU, Horus, 𓅃𓐴𓏤𓀭, existed in several forms, _e.g._, Horus
the Elder (Arouëris), Horus the Blind, Horus the Child
(Harpokrates), Horus, son of Osiris, Horus, son of Isis, etc.

NU 𓏍𓐰𓇯𓀭, god of the primeval watery mass out of which the world
was made.

ḤĀPI 𓎛𓂝𓐰𓊪𓐱𓏭𓈘𓐰𓈗𓀭, the Nile-god.

KHEPERȦ 𓐍𓐰𓊪𓆣𓂋𓇋𓀭, the creator of the universe whose dwelling was
Nu.

TEḤUTI, Thoth, 𓅝𓐰𓏏𓐱𓏭𓀭, who created the world and all things
in it by a word.

KHNEMU 𓎸𓅓𓅱𓀭, who assisted in carrying out the work of creation.

PTAḤ 𓊪𓐰𓏏𓎛𓀭, who assisted Khnemu in the work of creation.

RĀ 𓂋𓐰𓂝𓇳𓐰𓏤𓀭, the Sun-god.

SEB (ḲEB) 𓅬𓃀, the Earth-god.

SHU 𓆄𓅱𓀭, the god of the air.

ḤET-ḤERU, Hathor, 𓉡, a sky-goddess, who existed in seven forms.

NUT 𓏌𓐱𓏏𓐰𓇯𓁐, a sky-goddess.

TEFNUT 𓏏𓐰𓆑𓐰𓏌𓐱𓏏𓁐, a rain-goddess.

NEKHEBIT 𓇑𓏌𓐰𓏏𓁐, the great goddess of the South.

UATCHIT 𓇅𓇌𓏏𓐰𓆇𓁐, the great goddess of the North.

NET, Neith, 𓋋𓐰𓏏𓐱𓆇𓁐, the self-created goddess of Saïs, who
existed in four forms.

BAST 𓎰𓏏𓐰𓆇𓁐, the great goddess of Bubastis.

MENU, or ȦMSU 𓋉𓐰𓊾𓀭, god of virility and generation.

BES 𓃀𓋴𓁲, ⎫
ĀNQET 𓂝𓐰𓈖𓐰𓈎𓏏𓐰𓆇𓆗, ⎪
SATIT 𓄝𓐰𓏏𓐱𓏭𓆗, ⎪ gods of the Sûdân.
ṬEṬUN 𓂧𓐰𓂧𓃹𓐰𓈖𓀭, ⎪
MERUL 𓌻𓅱𓏩𓃭, or MENRUIL 𓈘𓐰𓈖𓐰𓂋𓏲𓐰𓏭𓬖𓊹. ⎭

TEMU 𓏏𓐰𓍃𓅓𓅱, the Man-god, who always appears in human form.

ḤĀP 𓎛𓐑𓐰𓊪𓀭, ⎫ The divine sons of Horus, son of Osiris,
MESTHȦ 𓐝𓐰𓊃𓍘𓇋𓀭, ⎪ who assisted their father in performing
QEBḤSENNUF 𓏁𓌣𓏪𓆑𓀭, ⎪ the ceremonies connected with the
ṬUAMUTEF 𓇼𓄿𓅐𓏏𓐰𓆑𓀭, ⎭ mummifying and burial of Osiris.

ȦMEN 𓇋𓏠𓐰𓈖𓀭, or ȦMEN-RĀ 𓇋𓏠𓐰𓈖𓂋𓐰𓂝𓐰𓇳𓐱𓏤𓀭, the great god of Thebes.

MUT 𓅐𓏏𓐰𓆇𓁐, the female counterpart of Ȧmen-Rā.

KHENSU 𓐍𓐰𓈖𓇓𓅱𓀭, the son of Ȧmen and Mut. Like Horus he had seven
forms.

IUSĀASET 𓂻𓐰𓏲𓊃𓐰𓂝𓄿𓋴𓏏𓐰𓆇𓁐, a goddess of Heliopolis.

I-EM-ḤETEP (Imouthis) 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓐰𓏏𓐱𓊪𓀭, a deified physician of Memphis.

SEKER 𓊃𓐰𓎡𓐰𓂋𓀭, god of the dead of Memphis.

NEFER-TEM 𓄤𓆑𓐰𓂋𓏏𓐰𓍃𓅓𓀭, a god of Memphis. The lotus was his symbol.

MAĀT 𓌷𓐰𓂝𓏏𓐰𓆇𓁦, goddess of wisdom, right, truth, law, order, etc.

SESHETA 𓋇𓏏𓐰𓆇𓁐, goddess of literature.

MESKHENIT 𓄠𓋴𓐍𓐰𓈖𓏏𓐰𓈜𓁐, goddess of birth.

RENENIT 𓂋𓐰𓈖𓐰𓈖𓏏𓐰𓆇𓁐, goddess of fertility, the harvest, etc.

MEḤ-URIT 𓎖𓎛𓅨𓐰𓂋𓐰𓏏, a very ancient sky-goddess.

SEKHET 𓋴𓐍𓐰𓏏𓌂𓁐, a fire-goddess, the female counterpart of Ptaḥ.

TA-TENEN 𓇾𓐰𓏤𓐱𓏏𓐱𓈇𓇑𓇑𓈖𓐰𓈖𓡞, a very ancient earth-god.

MENTHU 𓏠𓐰𓈖𓍿𓅱𓀭, an ancient war-god.

ȦTEN 𓇋𓏏𓐰𓈖𓐰𓇳, the god of the solar disk.

FOREIGN GODS AND GODDESSES.

ĀNTHȦT 𓂝𓐰𓈖𓍘𓇋𓏏𓐰𓆇𓆗, a goddess of Syrian origin.

ĀNTHRETHȦ 𓂝𓐰𓈖𓐰𓍿𓂋𓐰𓏤𓍘𓇋𓆗, goddess of the Kheta.

ĀSTHȦRETHIT 𓂝𓐰𓊃𓐰𓍿𓇋𓂋𓐰𓍿𓏏𓐰𓆇𓆗, =Ashtoreth=, a goddess of Syrian
origin.

QEṬESH 𓊧𓂧𓐰𓈚𓆗, goddess of Syrian origin.

KENT 𓎡𓐰𓈖𓐰𓏏𓐱𓆇𓆗, a goddess of Syrian origin.

ĀASITH 𓉻𓐰𓂝𓐰𓏛𓋴𓏭𓍘𓆗, a goddess of the Eastern Desert.

BĀIRTHȦ 𓃀𓂝𓐰𓏭𓐰𓂋𓏤𓍘𓇋𓝱, _i.e._, Beltis, counterpart of Ba’al Sephôn.

BĀR 𓃀𓂝𓐰𓂋𓃩, _i.e._, “=Baal=,” a Syrian war-god.

RESHPU 𓂋𓐰𓈚𓊪𓅱𓀭, god of the lightning and thunderbolt.

SUTEKH 𓇓𓅱𓏏𓐰𓐍𓝱, one of the chief gods of the Kheta and Syrians.

ANIMAL-GODS AND GODDESSES, ETC.

ḤĀP 𓐑𓐰𓊪𓃒, the =Apis Bull=.

MER-UR 𓅨𓐰𓂋𓉕𓃒, the =Mnevis Bull=.

BAKHA 𓃀𓄡𓭉, the =Bachis Bull=.

BA 𓃝, the Ram-god.

SEBEK 𓋴𓃀𓎡𓆋, the Crocodile god.

TA-URT 𓏏𓄿𓅨𓐰𓂋𓐰𓏏𓆗 ⎫
RERIT 𓂋𓐰𓂋𓏏𓐰𓏲𓄛 ⎪ The Hippopotamus-goddesses.
ȦPIT 𓇋𓊪𓐰𓏏𓄛 ⎪
SHEPUIT 𓈚𓐰𓊪𓐱𓏲𓏏𓐰𓆇 ⎭

MA-ḤES 𓌳𓎛𓎿𓋴𓁻, the Lion-god; lion-goddesses were numerous,
_e.g._, Sekhet, Pekhth, Tefnut, etc.

MAFṬET 𓌳𓄿𓆑𓐰𓂧𓐰𓏏𓪢, the Lynx-goddess.

BAST 𓎯𓏏𓐰𓆇𓣃, the Cat-goddess; the word for “cat” was _Mȧu_
𓏇𓇋𓅱𓃠.

ȦNPU 𓇋𓈖𓐰𓊪𓐱𓅱𓝱, the Dog, or Jackal-god.

APUAT 𓄋𓐰𓈐𓝱, the Wolf-god.

KHATRU 𓆼𓄿𓏏𓐰𓂋𓅱, the Ichneumon-god.

The following =birds= were sacred: The phoenix, _Bennu_ 𓃀𓈖𓐰𓏌𓐱𓅱𓅣; the vulture, _Nerȧu_ 𓈖𓐰𓂋𓇋𓅱𓅐; the hawk, _Bȧk_ 𓃀𓇋𓎡𓅄; the hawk of gold, _Bȧk en nub_ 𓃀𓇋𓎡𓅄𓈖𓋞𓐰𓈒𓐱𓏦; the divine hawk, _Bȧk netri_, 𓃀𓇋𓎡𓅄𓊹𓏏𓐰𓂋𓐰𓏭𓏜; the ibis, _Habû_ 𓉔𓄿𓃀𓅱𓅝; the swallow, _Ment_ 𓏠𓐰𓈖𓐰𓏏𓅨; the goose, 𓅬, of which there were several kinds; etc.

The following =reptiles= and =insects= were sacred: the turtle, _Āpesh_ 𓂝𓐰𓊪𓐰𓈚𓆉, or _Sheta_ 𓈚𓐰𓏏𓄿𓆉; the snake, _Sa-ta_ 𓅭𓇾𓐰𓏤𓐱𓈇; the scorpion, _Serk_ 𓋴𓂋𓐰𓎡𓷲; the _Āpshait_ beetle, 𓂝𓐰𓊪𓆷𓄿𓇌𓆤; the “praying mantis”, _Ābit_ 𓍋𓃀𓇋𓇋𓏏𓅬; the grasshopper, _Saneḥemu_, 𓅭𓈖𓐰𓈞𓅓𓅱𓆧; _Kheprerȧ_ the beetle, _Scarabaeus sacer_, 𓆣𓂋𓐰𓂋𓇋𓅬.

The following =fish= were sacred: The _Ȧbṭu_ 𓋁𓃀𓂧𓅱𓆟; the _Ȧnt_ 𓇋𓆛𓐰𓈖𓐰𓏏𓆟, which announced the rise of the Nile; the _Āḥa_ 𓂚𓄿𓆟; the _Āṭ_ 𓂝𓐰𓂧𓆟; the _Utu_ 𓎘𓅱𓆟; the _Meḥit_ 𓎖𓎛𓇌𓏏𓐰𓆟; the _Nār_ 𓈖𓐰𓂝𓐰𓂋𓆟; etc. Classical writers mention the Oxyrhynchus, the Phagrus, the Latus, the Lepidotus, the Silurus, the Maeotes, etc., but authorities differ in their identifications.

=Number of the gods.=—As every district, city, town, and village possessed a god, with a female counterpart and a son, and also a being of evil, or devil, to say nothing of the creatures who, in modern times, would be called vaguely “spirits,” or “fairies,” it follows that the “gods” of the Egyptians must have been very numerous. The names of a great many have been lost, but about 200 gods are mentioned in the Pyramid Texts, about 480 in the Theban Recension of the Book of the Dead, and about 1,200 in the various works which deal with the Other World; a total of about 2,200 names has been noted. The Egyptians tried to reduce the large number of their gods by declaring that their gods were merely _forms_ of the great Sun-god Rā, who was said to have “created the names of his members, which became the gods who are in the following of Rā” (Book of the Dead, xvii, 11). The Egyptian system of =Polytheism= (not Pantheism) appears to have been well suited to the early conditions of the country, but several facts make it certain that attempts were made by the priests to give their religion a distinctly monotheistic character. The results of their endeavours in this respect find expression in many texts. Under the Ancient Empire we read in the Pyramid Texts of a God who was the lord of heaven, who gave life to the dead, and who was entirely different in every way from the “gods.” In Moral Precepts we have such phrases as: “The things which God doeth cannot be known.” “The eating of bread is according to the plan of God,” _i.e._, a man’s food comes to him through the Providence of God. “Labour in the field which God hath given thee.” “God loveth obedience and hateth disobedience.” “Verily a good son is the gift of God.” “God is the righteous judge.”[21] “Wrong not thy mother lest she lift up her hands to God, and He hear her complaints (and punish thee).” “The multiplying of words is an abomination to the sanctuary of God.” And the official Paḥeri says in his Biography (line 42): “I never told lies to another man, for I knew that God dwelt among men, and I recognised Him”:—

𓂜𓆓𓐳𓂧𓇋𓎼𓐰𓂋𓍅𓅪𓐰𓏥𓂋𓎡𓐰𓇌𓀀𓂋𓐰𓐍𓐰𓏛𓎡𓐰𓅱𓀀𓊹𓐳𓏤𓇋𓏶𓰮𓏭𓂋𓐰𓍿𓀀𓁐𓏪𓋷𓄿𓀁𓇋𓇓𓅱

In funerary texts the god referred to may possibly be Osiris, god and judge of the dead, but in the Moral Precepts quoted above this is impossible, and it follows that the Egyptians believed in a God Who was wholly apart from the “Companies of Gods,” and in His wise, inscrutable, and kindly Providence.

The doctrine of =Oneness=, or =Unity=, we find in connection with the great God who created the universe and all that is in it, by whatsoever name he be called, Rā, or Tem, or Kheperȧ, or Ptaḥ, or Khnemu, or Ȧten. Thus Rā is the “Lord of heaven, lord of earth, maker of beings celestial, and of beings terrestrial, the One God, who came into being in primeval time, maker of the world, creator of men, maker of the sky, creator of the Nile, fashioner of whatsoever is in the waters, and creator of their life, maker of mountains, creator of men, and women, and beasts, and cattle, and the heavens and the earth” (Book of the Dead,