The Art of Ancient Egypt | Publications for Educators | Explore & Learn

Characteristics of the Gods

The association of divine powers with animals was understandable for the ancient Egyptians, who lived closely with the many animal species that inhabited the Nile Valley and surrounding desert. They must have been keenly aware of faculties animals have that humans lack, such as the ability to fly, to see in the dark, to hear and smell the approach of beings at great distances, and to move with extraordinary speed. To the Egyptians these animal characteristics seemed to have been fueled by supernatural energy and to symbolize the multiple powers of certain deities. The Egyptians, however, did not believe that the gods were actual animals or human-animal combinations. Animal imagery was their way to attempt to portray the characteristics and powers of their gods.

Sakhmet
Perhaps because the lioness is such a renowned hunter, ancient Egyptians associated the lioness with several goddesses who had violent sides to their natures. None could be more violent than Sakhmet, goddess of war, violent storms, pestilence--all forms of chaos.

Cat
The goddesses Bastet and Sakhmet were two aspects of divine power. Sakhmet, the lioness, represented dangerous, potentially destructive forces, whereas Bastet, the feline of the house, incorporated the benevolent aspects of a deity that could be pacified by rituals.

Magical stela (detail)
The falcon by its soaring flights is an ideal symbol for the sun. Here to the left of the large central figure stands the sky god Horus, who wears the sun disk to indicate that he is Re-Harakhty, god of the rising sun. On the right is Thoth, god of writing, portrayed with an ibis head for reasons that the Egyptians understood but we do not.

Book of the Dead
To make matters confusing for us, some animals were shared by more that one god, and some gods had more than one animal attribute. For example, Thoth, who was generally represented as an ibis-headed human, could also be portrayed as a baboon. Baboons were associated with the sun god because at sunrise baboons tend to sit facing the sun to warm themselves. Their pose of upraised arms suggested to the Egyptians that the baboons were worshiping the rebirth of the sun.

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