Egyptian Collectables: The Deities Of The Ennead
Atum
Atum is perhaps the most important deity in Egyptian mythology and the creator of the Ennead of Heliopolis. His name is thought to come from the word ‘tem’ which means to complete or finish. As founder he was seen as the substance of the world, with the other deities and all things being made of his flesh.
Atum is also known as both a creator and father to the king. He is usually portrayed as a man wearing either the royal head-cloth or the white and red crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. Often he is shown as a serpent and also occasionally as a mongoose, lion, bull, lizard, or ape.
Atum was considered to be the first god, having created himself, sitting on a mound from the primordial waters. Early myths state that Atum created the god Shu and the goddess Tefnut from his spit.
Shu
According to ancient Egyptian text Shu was one of the primordial gods and was depicted as air. He was created by Atum, his father and Iusaaset, his mother in the city of Heliopolis. He mated with his sister Tefnut, depicted as moisture and fathered Nut and Geb. His daughter Nut was the sky goddess whom he held over the Earth, depicted as his son Geb.
Tefnut
Tefnut is a goddess of water and fertility. She was created by Atum from his mucus or spit. The Memphite version of the myth records that Atum sneezed once and Tefnut’s brother Shu was born, and when he coughed to clear his throat Tefnut was born. She was the mother of Geb and Nut, fathered by her brother Shu.
Nut
Nut was the goddess of the sky and was thought to be one of the oldest deities. While the translation of her name means night, she was originally the goddess of the nighttime sky, but eventually became known simply as the sky goddess. Mainly shown in human form, Nut was also occasionally depicted in the form of a cow, a sycamore tree, or as a giant sow, suckling many piglets, which represented the stars.
Geb
Geb was the god of the Earth and brother of Nut. The original spelling was “Gebeb”/”Kebeb”, meaning perhaps ‘weak one’ or perhaps ‘lame one’. As a vegetation-god he was shown with green patches or plants on his body. As the Earth, he is often seen lying beneath the sky goddess Nut, leaning on one elbow, with a knee bent toward the sky. This represents the mountains and valleys of the Earth. Geb is usually shown as a man wearing either a white crown or a goose. The Goose was his sacred animal and symbol. As the God of Earth, the Earth formed his body and was called the “House of Geb,” just as the air was called the “House of Shu,” and the heaven the “house of Ra,” Because of this, he was also often portrayed lying on his side on the Earth, and was sometimes even painted green, with plants springing from his body. Earthquakes were believed to be the laughter of Geb.
Osiris
Osiris was considered the oldest son of the Earth god Geb, and the goddess of the sky, Nut as well as being brother and husband of Isis. Being ruler of the dead, Osiris was also called “king of the living”, since the Ancient Egyptians considered the blessed dead as “the living ones”. Osiris was a merciful judge of the dead in the afterlife and granted all life, including vegetation and the fertile flooding of the Nile River. The Kings of Egypt were associated with Osiris in death for as Osiris rose from the dead if they were in union with him they would inherit eternal life.
Isis
Isis was a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and the worship of her spread through the Greco-Roman world. She was believed to be the ideal mother and wife, as well as the patron of nature and magic. She was the friend of the oppressed and downtrodden, as well as wealthy aristocrats and rulers. Isis is the Goddess of motherhood, magic and fertility.
Isis was the first daughter of Geb and Nut, and sister to Osiris, who became her husband and she then was said to have conceived Horus. Isis was responsible for the resurrection of Osiris when he was murdered by Seth. Her magical skills restored his body to life after she gathered the body parts that had been strewn about the earth by Seth. In later accounts, the Ancient Egyptians believed that the Nile River flooded every year because of her tears of sorrow for her dead husband, Osiris. This occurrence of his death and rebirth was relived each year through rituals.
Seth
Seth was called the Red God, god of the desert and responsible for thunderstorms and violence. While represented as an animal, he appears to be a compilation of several creatures.
He is often shown with the graceful body of a greyhound, but with a long, stiff forked tail and square-topped ears unlike any of the canine family. He can also be represented as a pig, donkey, and hippopotamus.
Seth was both the brother and the murderer of Osiris, and was the constant rival of Horus, who was the son of Osiris. Egyptians feared him for his ability to do harm, while admiring his strength and ferocity.
Nephthys
Nephthys was the daughter of Nut and Geb, and sibling to Osiris, Isis and Seth. Nephthys was typically depicted with her sister Isis in funerary rites because of their combined role as protectors of the mummy of the god Osiris. Nephthys is occasionally regarded as the mother of the funerary-deity Anubis.
Nephthys was called the “Useful Goddess” or the “Excellent Goddess”. As the primary “nursing mother” of the god Horus, Nephthys was also considered to be the nurse of the reigning Pharaoh himself. Though other goddesses could assume this role, Nephthys was most usually portrayed in this function. In contrast to this nurturing depiction, she is sometimes shown as a ferocious and dangerous deity, capable of incinerating the enemies of the Pharaoh with her fiery breath.
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