Image of Egyptian gods. What did the gods of Ancient Egypt grow out of? Schools of Religious Thought

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The list of the gods of ancient Egypt and their description will help to reveal an integral part Everyday life people of early civilization. Such information will be useful for students in grade 5 studying ancient history, as well as for all those interested.

There were over 2,000 deities in the Egyptian pantheon. The more famous gods became state deities, while others were associated with a specific region or, in some cases, ritual.

Well-known pictures with ancient deities are widely known to modern society.

The history of the ancient world was shaped by these deities and the important role they played in the immortal journey of every human being.

Features of the gods of ancient Egypt

The main value of Egyptian culture is Maat - harmony and balance, represented by the eponymous goddess Maat with a white feather.

Egyptian deities were fictitious personalities, had their own names and individual characteristics, wore different types clothes, occupied different posts, led, individually reacted to the events.

The Egyptians had no problem with multiple gods. Characteristics and roles were put together to reconcile different religious beliefs, practices, or ideals. For example, for political and religious reasons, the god Amun, who was considered the most powerful deity of the New Kingdom, was combined with Ra, whose cult was associated with the older period of Egypt.

Why did the Egyptians revere Amun-Ra? The sun god is the embodiment of the solar disk, which brought the harvest to the Egyptians. The entire civilization of ancient Egypt was largely dependent on the sun's rays.

From this point of view, it was the deity of the Sun that became the main among the ideas of the population. In addition, the presence of a single cult of a deity was an excellent lever for strengthening power in the role of the patron of the Pharaoh.

Major gods of ancient Egypt

Amat- a goddess with the head of a crocodile, the torso of a leopard, the back of a hippopotamus.

It was located under the rocks of justice in the Hall of Truth in the afterlife and absorbed the souls of those who failed to justify themselves before Osiris.

Amon (Amon-Ra)- deity of the sun, air, king of the gods of Egypt. One of the most powerful and popular gods, the patron of the city of Thebes. Amon was revered as part of the Theban triad - Amon, his wife Mut and their son Khonsu.

By the time of the New Kingdom, Amun was considered the king of the gods in Egypt, and his worship was limited to monotheism. Other gods were considered different aspects of Amun. His priesthood was the most powerful and the position of the wife of Amun, bestowed on royal women, was almost on a par with that of the pharaoh.

Anubis- the god of death, the dead and embalming, the patron of the pharaoh. Son of Nephthys and Osiris, father of Cebet. Anubis was portrayed as a man with the head of a jackal. He guided the souls of the dead in the Hall of Truth, was part of the Weighing of the Heart of the Soul ritual in the afterlife.

He was probably the first god of the dead before this role was given to Osiris. He acted as the patron of the ruling pharaoh in Egypt.

Apis- divine from Memphis, playing the role of the incarnation of the god Ptah. One of the early gods of ancient Egypt, depicted on the Narmer palette (ca. 3150 BC).

The cult of Apis was one of the most important and long-lasting in the history of Egyptian culture.

Apop (Apophis) the serpent that attacks Ra's solar boat every day as it travels through the underworld towards dawn.

A ritual known as the overthrow of Apophis was performed at the temples to help the gods and departed souls protect the boat and ensure the dawn of the day.

Aton- the solar disk, originally the deity of the Sun, which was elevated by Pharaoh Akhenaten (1353-1336 BC) to the position of the only god, the creator of the universe.

Atum or Atum (Ra)- the deity of the sun, the supreme ruler of the gods, the first lord of the Ennead (the tribunal of the nine gods), the creator of the universe and people.

It is the first divine being that stands on a primordial hill in the midst of chaos and relies on Heki's magical powers to create all the other gods.

Bastet (Bast)- the beautiful goddess of cats, the mistress of women's secrets, childbirth, fertility and protection of the house from evil or misfortune. She was the daughter of Ra and is closely related to Hathor.

Bastet was one of the most popular deities of ancient Egypt. The Persians used Egyptian devotion to the goddess of cats to their advantage by winning the Battle of Pelusium. They painted images of Bastet on their shields, knowing that the Egyptians would rather surrender than insult their goddess.

Bes (Besu, Beza)- the keeper of childbirth, fertility, sexuality, humor and war. He is one of the most popular gods in Egyptian history who protected women and children and fought for divine order and justice.

Geb- deity of the earth, growing plants.

Gore An early bird god who became one of the most important deities in ancient Egypt. Associated with the sun, sky, power. Horus acted as the patron of the pharaoh of Egypt already in the First Dynasty (approximately 3150-2890 BC). When Horus came of age, he fought with his uncle for the kingdom and won, restoring order to the land.

The pharaohs of Egypt, with few exceptions, associated themselves with Horus in life and with Osiris after death. The king was considered the living embodiment of Horus.

Imhotep- one of the few people deified by the Egyptians. He was the court architect of Amonhotep III (1386-1353 BC).

He was considered so wise that after his death, several centuries later, Imhotep became a living god. He had a large temple at Thebes with a healing center at Deir el-Bahri.

Isis- the most powerful goddess in Egyptian history. She was associated with almost all aspects of human life and eventually rose to the position of the supreme deity "Mother of the Deities", who cared for her fellows.

She is the ancestor of the First Five Gods.

Maat- the goddess of truth, justice, harmony, one of the most important deities in the Egyptian pantheon. She created the stars in the sky, she created the seasons.

Maat embodies the principle of maat (harmony), which was central to the culture of ancient Egypt. She is depicted as a woman wearing an ostrich feather crown.

Mafdet- the goddess of truth and justice, who pronounced condemnation and quickly executed the execution. Her name means "She Who Runs" and is given to her for the speed with which she delivered justice.

Mafdet protected people from poisonous bites, especially from scorpions.

Mertseger (Meritseger)- the goddess of the ancient Egyptian religion, responsible for the protection and protection of the huge Theban necropolis, located on the west bank of the Nile.

Meskhenet- the goddess of childbirth. Meskhenet is present at the birth of a person, creates a “ka” (an aspect of the soul) and breathes into the body.

She is also present at the judgment of the soul during the afterlife as a comforter.

Min — ancient god fertility, the deity of the eastern deserts, who watched over the travelers. Ming has also been associated with the black fertile mud of the Egyptian delta.

Mnevis- the bull-god, the embodiment of the sun, the son of the sun, the god of the city of Heliopolis, the son of Hesat (Heavenly cow).

Montu- the god of the falcon, who took a prominent place in the 11th dynasty in Thebes (circa 2060-1991 BC). All three dynasties of pharaohs took his name.

He eventually became associated with Ra as a composite version of the sun god Amon-Ra.

Mut- an early mother goddess, who most likely played a minor role in the period 6000-3150 BC. BC e.

In the late period, Mut became a prominent wife of Amun and mother of Khonsu, part of the Theban Triad.

Nate- one of the oldest deities of ancient Egypt, who was worshiped from the early period (approximately 6000-3150 BC) until the Ptolemaic dynasty (323-30 BC). Neith was the goddess of war, motherhood, funeral ritual.

She was the most important goddess of Lower Egypt in early history. In early depictions, she is holding a bow and arrows.

Nepri- controlled the grain, the god of the harvest. Nepri is often depicted as a man who is completely covered with ripe ears of cereals. The hieroglyphs that write his name also include grain symbols.

Nephthys- Goddess of burial ritual. Her name means "Mistress of the Temple" or "Mistress of the House", referring to the heavenly home or temple.

She is depicted as a woman with a house on her head.

Nehebkau- a protective god who joins the "ka" (aspect of the soul) to the body at birth and combines "ka" with "ba" (the winged aspect of the soul) after death.

He is depicted as a serpent that swam in the primordial waters at the dawn of creation, before Atum rose from chaos to create order.

chickpeas- in the ancient Egyptian religion, the goddess of the sky, the daughter of Shu and Tefnut, the wife of Geb.

Ogdoada- eight gods representing the original elements of creation: Nu, Naunet (water); Heh, Howet (infinity); Keck, Kauket (darkness); Amun and Amonet (secrecy, obscurity).

Osiris- judge of the dead. His name means "Mighty". He was originally a god of fertility who rose in popularity through the myths of Osiris, in which he was killed by his brother, Set.

In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, he is often referred to as a just judge.

Ptah (Ptah)- one of the oldest Egyptian gods, which appears in the first dynastic period (approximately 3150-2613 BC).

Ptah was the great god of Memphis, the creator of the world, the lord of truth. He was the patron god of sculptors and artisans, as well as monument builders.

Ra- the great sun god of Heliopolis, whose cult spread throughout Egypt, becoming the most popular for the Fifth Dynasty (2498-2345 BC).

He is the supreme lord and creator of the god who rules over the earth. He drives his boat of the sun across the heavens by day, revealing another aspect of himself with each advance of the disk across the sky, and then dives into the underworld in the evening when the boat is threatened by the serpent Apophis (Apophis).

Renenutet- a goddess depicted as a cobra or a cobra with a woman's head. Her name means "Snake that feeds". Renetutet was in charge of education and childcare.

She was believed to protect the clothes worn by the pharaoh in the afterlife. In this capacity, she appeared as a fiery cobra that drove away the enemies of the pharaoh.

Sebek- An important deity of protection in the form of a crocodile or a man with the head of a crocodile. Sebek was the god of water, but also associated with medicine, in particular with surgery.

His name means "crocodile". Sebek was the lord of the swamps, any other wet regions of Egypt.

Serket (Selket)- the goddess of burial, first mentioned during (from 6000-3150 BC) the first dynasty of Egypt (approximately 3150-2890 BC).

She is known from a golden statue found in Tutankhamun's tomb. Serket was a scorpion goddess, depicted as a woman with scorpions on her head.

Seth (Seth)- the god of the desert, storm, disorders, violence, as well as foreigners in the ancient Egyptian religion.

Sekhmet- one of the most significant representatives of the pantheon of ancient Egypt. Sekhmet was a lion deity, usually depicted as a woman with the head of a lion.

Her name means "Powerful" and is usually interpreted as "The Mighty Feminine". She was the goddess of destruction, healing, desert winds, cool breezes.

Seshat- was the goddess of written words, precise measurements.

Sopdu- the protective Lord of the eastern border of Egypt, guarding the outposts, a soldier on the border. He is depicted as a falcon with a ring over his right wing, or as a bearded man with a crown with two feathers.

Tatenen- the earthly lord, personifying the primary mound during creation, symbolized the land of Egypt.

Tawart- is a protective ancient Egyptian goddess of childbirth, fertility.

Tefnut- the creator of moisture, sister Shu, daughter of Atum (Ra) at the creation of the world. Shu and Tefnut were the first two daughters of Atum, created by mating with his shadow. Tefnut is the goddess of the atmosphere of the lower world, the earth.

That- the Egyptian Lord of writing, magic, the god of wisdom and the god of the moon. The patron of all scientists, officials, libraries, the keeper of the state and world order.

He was one of the most important deities ancient egypt, who alternately said that he was created by himself or born from the seed of Horus from the forehead of Set.

Wadget- is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, royalty and good health.

Upout- the oldest image of the jackal god, which preceded Anubis, with which he is often confused.

Phoenix- a bird deity, better known as the Bennu bird, the divine bird of creation. The Bennu bird was closely associated with Atum, Ra, Osiris.

Hapi- deity of fertility, patron of crops. He gets on the drawings as a man with large breasts, as well as a stomach, which means fertility, success.

Hathor- one of the most famous, most popular deities of Ancient Egypt, the goddess of love.

A very ancient goddess, a heavenly cow who gave birth to the sun. She was endowed with the most diverse abilities.

Hekat- patron of magic, medicine. He was present during the act of creation.

Khepri- the solar god, depicted with the form of a scarab beetle.

Hershef (Herishef)- the main god of the city of Heracleopolis, where he was worshiped as the creator of the world.

Khnum- one of the earliest known Egyptian deities, originally the god of the sources of the Nile, was depicted with a ram's head.

Khonsu- the god of the moon, measurements and time. Son of Amon and Mut or Sebek and Hathor. Khonsu's task is to observe the passage of time.

choir- the national guardian of the ancient Egyptians, the god of the sky and the sun, having the appearance of a falcon.

Usually he was depicted as a man with a falcon's head, wearing a red and white crown, as a symbol of kingship over the entire kingdom of Egypt.

Chenenet (Rattawi) Goddess-wife of the god Montu. It was associated with the cult of the sun.

Shai Shai- was the deification of the concept of fate.

Shu- one of the original Egyptian gods, the personification of dry air.

Ennead- the nine main gods in Ancient Egypt, which originally arose in the city of Heliopolis. Includes the first nine gods of this city: Nephthys, Atum, Shu, Geb, Nut, Tefnut, Set, Osiris, Isis.

Thus the Egyptian pantheon was clearly divided into numerous roles. Often different deities merged and changed their meaning.

The ancient Slavic pantheon is very complex in structure and numerous in composition. Most of the gods were identified with various forces of nature, although there were exceptions, the most striking example of which is Rod, the creator god. Due to the similarity of the functions and properties of some gods, it is difficult to determine for sure which names are just variations on the names of the same god, and which belong to different gods.

The entire pantheon can be divided into two large circles: the elder gods who ruled all three worlds in the primordial stage, and the second circle - the young gods who took the reins of government in the new stage. At the same time, some older gods are present in the new stage, while others disappear (more precisely, there are no descriptions of their activities or interference in anything, but the memory that they were, remains).

In the Slavic pantheon, there was no clear hierarchy of power, which was replaced by a tribal hierarchy, where sons obeyed their father, but brothers were equal among themselves. The Slavs did not have pronounced evil gods and good gods. Some deities gave life, others took it away, but all were revered equally, since the Slavs believed that the existence of one without the other is impossible. At the same time, the gods, good in their functions, could punish and cause harm, while the evil ones, on the contrary, help and save people. Thus, the gods of the ancient Slavs were very similar to people, not only outwardly, but also in character, since they simultaneously carried both good and evil.

Outwardly, the gods were similar to people, while most of them could turn into animals, in the form of which they usually appeared before people. From ordinary creatures, the gods were distinguished by superpowers that allowed the deities to change the world. Each of the gods had power over one of the parts of this world. The impact on other parts beyond the control of the deities was limited and temporary.

The most ancient supreme male deity among the Slavs was Rod. Already in Christian teachings against paganism of the XII-XIII centuries. they write about Rod as a god worshiped by all peoples.

Rod was the god of the sky, thunderstorms, fertility. They said about him that he rides on a cloud, throws rain on the ground, and from this children are born. He was the ruler of the earth and all living things, he was a pagan creator god.

In Slavic languages, the root "genus" means kinship, birth, water (spring), profit (harvest), such concepts as people and homeland, in addition, it means red and lightning, especially ball, called "rhodium". This variety of cognate words undoubtedly proves the greatness of the pagan god.

Rod is a creator god, together with his sons Belbog and Chernobog, he created this world. Alone, Rod created Rule, Yav and Nav in the sea of ​​chaos, and together with his sons he created the earth.

The sun then went out of His face. A bright moon - from His chest. Frequent stars - from His eyes. Clear dawns - from His eyebrows. Dark nights - yes from His thoughts. Violent winds - from the breath ...

"The Book of Carols"

The Slavs had no idea about appearance Rhoda, because he never appeared directly in front of people.

Temples in honor of the deity were arranged on hills or simply large open areas of land. His idol was phallic in shape or simply made in the form of a pillar painted red. Sometimes the role of an idol was performed by an ordinary tree growing on a hill, especially if it was old enough. In general, the Slavs believed that Rod is in everything and therefore you can worship it anywhere. There were no sacrifices in honor of Rod. Instead of them, holidays and feasts are arranged, which are held directly near the idol.

The companions of the Sort were Rozhanitsy - female deities of fertility in Slavic mythology, the patroness of the clan, family, home.

Belbog

Son of Rod, god of light, goodness and justice. In Slavic mythology, he is the creator of the world along with Rod and Chernobog. Outwardly, Belbog appeared as a gray-haired old man dressed as a sorcerer.

Belobog in the mythology of our ancestors never acted as an independent individual character. As any object in the world of Reveal has a shadow, so Belobog has its integral antipode - Chernobog. A similar analogy can be found in ancient Chinese philosophy (yin and yang), in Icelandic Ynglism (rune yudzh) and in many other cultural and religious systems. Belobog, thus, becomes the embodiment of bright human ideals: goodness, honor and justice.

A sanctuary in honor of Belbog was built on the hills, turning the idol to the east, towards the sunrise. However, Belbog was revered not only in the sanctuary of the deity, but also at feasts, always making a toast in his honor.

Veles

One of the greatest gods of the ancient world, son of Rod, brother of Svarog. His main act was that Veles set the world created by Rod and Svarog in motion. Veles - "cattle god" - the owner wildlife, the owner of Navi, a powerful wizard and werewolf, interpreter of laws, teacher of arts, patron of travelers and merchants, god of luck. True, some sources point to him as the god of death ...

At the moment, among various pagan and native faith directions, a fairly popular text is the Book of Veles, which became known to the general public in the 1950s of the last century thanks to the researcher and writer Yuri Mirolyubov. The Veles book actually consists of 35 birch planks, covered with symbols, which linguists (in particular, A. Kur and S. Lesnoy) call Slavic pre-Cyrillic writing. It is curious that the original text does not really resemble either Cyrillic or Glagolitic, but the features of the Slavic runic are also indirectly presented in it.

Despite the great distribution and mass veneration of this god, Veles was always separated from other gods, his idols were never placed in common temples ( sacred places, in which images of the main gods of this territory were installed).

Two animals are associated with the image of Veles: a bull and a bear; in the temples dedicated to the deity, the magi often kept a bear, which played a key role in the rituals.

Dazhdbog

God of the Sun, giver of heat and light, god of fertility and life-giving power. The solar disk was originally considered the symbol of Dazhdbog. Its color is gold, which speaks of the nobility of this god and his unshakable strength. In general, our ancestors had three main solar deities - Khors, Yarila and Dazhdbog. But Khors was the winter sun, Yarilo was the spring sun, and Dazhdbog was the summer sun. Of course, it was Dazhdbog who deserved special respect, since a lot depended on the summer position of the sun in the firmament for the ancient Slavs, the people of the tillers. At the same time, Dazhdbog never had a sharp temper, and if a drought suddenly attacked, then our ancestors never blamed this god.

The temples of Dazhdbog were arranged on the hills. The idol was made of wood and placed facing east or southeast. Feathers of ducks, swans and geese, as well as honey, nuts and apples were brought as a gift to the deity.

Devana

Devana is the goddess of hunting, the wife of the forest god Svyatobor and the daughter of Perun. The Slavs represented the goddess in the form of a beautiful girl dressed in an elegant marten fur coat trimmed with a squirrel. Over the fur coat, the beauty put on a bearskin, and the head of the beast served as her hat. With her, Perun's daughter carried an excellent bow with arrows, a sharp knife and a horn, with which they go to a bear.

The beautiful goddess not only hunted forest animals: she herself taught them how to avoid dangers and endure harsh winters.

Dewana was primarily revered by hunters and trappers, they prayed to the goddess to grant good luck in hunting, and in gratitude they brought part of their prey to her sanctuary. It was believed that it was she who helped to find in dense forest secret paths of animals, avoid skirmishes with wolves and bears, but if the meeting did take place, the person will emerge victorious from it.

Share and Nedolya

Share - a kind goddess, Mokosh's assistant, weaves a happy fate.

It appears in the guise of a sweet young man or red-haired girl with golden curls and a cheerful smile. He cannot stand still, he walks around the world - there are no barriers: a swamp, a river, a forest, mountains - The share will overcome in an instant.

He does not like lazy and negligent, drunkards and all sorts of bad people. Although at first he makes friends with everyone - then he will figure it out and leave the bad, evil person.

NEDOLYA (Nuzha, Need) - the goddess, Mokosh's assistant, weaves an unhappy fate.

Share and Nedolya are not just personifications of abstract concepts that do not have objective existence, but, on the contrary, they are living faces, identical to the maidens of fate.

They act according to their own calculations, regardless of the will and intentions of a person: the happy one does not work at all and lives in contentment, because the Share works for him. On the contrary, Nedolya's activities are constantly directed to the detriment of man. While she is awake, misfortune follows misfortune, and only then does it become easier for the unfortunate when Nedolya falls asleep: “If Likho is sleeping, don’t wake him up.”

Dogoda

Dogoda (Weather) - the god of fine weather and a gentle, pleasant breeze. Young, ruddy, blond-haired, in a cornflower blue wreath with blue, gilded butterfly wings around the edges, in silvery bluish clothes, holding a thorn in his hand and smiling at the flowers.

Kolyada

Kolyada - the baby sun, in Slavic mythology - the embodiment of the New Year cycle, as well as a holiday character similar to Avsen.

“Once upon a time, Kolyada was perceived not as a mummer. Kolyada was a deity, and one of the most influential. They called the carol, called. New Year's Eve was dedicated to Kolyada, games were arranged in her honor, which were subsequently performed at Christmas time. The last patriarchal ban on worshiping Kolyada was issued on December 24, 1684. It is believed that Kolyada was recognized by the Slavs as the deity of fun, which is why they called him, called on New Year's festivities by cheerful gangs of youth ”(A. Strizhev.“ People’s Calendar ”).

Rooftop

The son of the Almighty and the goddess Maya, was a brother to the very first creator of the world Rod, although he was much younger than him. He returned fire to people, fought on the shores of the Arctic Ocean with Chernobog and defeated him.

KUPALO

Kupala (Kupaila) is the fruitful deity of summer, the summer incarnation of the sun god.

“Kupalo, as I think, was the god of abundance, as with the Hellenes Ceres, who is insane for the abundance of thanksgiving at that time, when the harvest is imminent.”

His holiday is dedicated to the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The night was also sacred, on the eve of this day - the Night on the eve of Kupalo. All that night, feasting, games and mass bathing in reservoirs continued.

They sacrificed to him before the collection of bread, on June 23, on the day of St. Agrippina, which was popularly nicknamed the Swimsuit. Young people decorated themselves with wreaths, laid out a fire, danced around it and sang Kupala. The games went on all night. In some places, on June 23, bathhouses were heated, grass bathing suit (buttercup) was laid in them, and then they swam in the river.

On the very Nativity of John the Baptist, weaving wreaths, they hung them on the roofs of houses and on stables in order to remove evil spirits from the dwelling.

Lada

LADA (Freya, Preya, Siv or Zif) - the goddess of youth and spring, beauty and fertility, the all-generous mother, the patroness of love and marriages.

In folk songs, “lado” still means a dearly beloved friend, lover, groom, husband.

Freya's outfit shines with the dazzling brilliance of the sun's rays, her beauty is charming, and the drops of morning dew are called her tears; on the other hand, she acts as a militant heroine, rushing through the heavenly spaces in storms and thunderstorms and driving rain clouds. In addition, she is a goddess, in whose retinue the shadows of the dead march into the afterlife. The cloudy fabric is precisely that veil on which the soul, after the death of a person, ascends to the kingdom of the blessed.

According to the testimony of folk verses, angels, appearing for a righteous soul, take it in a shroud and carry it to heaven. The cult of Freya-Siva explains the superstitious respect that Russian commoners have for Friday, as a day dedicated to this goddess. Whoever starts a business on Friday, he, according to the proverb, will back away.

Among the ancient Slavs, the birch, personifying the goddess Lada, was considered a sacred tree.

Ice

Ice - the Slavs prayed to this deity for success in battles, he was revered as the ruler of military actions and bloodshed. This ferocious deity was portrayed as a terrible warrior, armed in Slavic armor, or all-weapon. At the hip, a sword, a spear and a shield in his hand.

He had his own temples. Going on a campaign against the enemies, the Slavs prayed to him, asking for help and promising plentiful sacrifices in case of success in military operations.

Lel

Lel - in the mythology of the ancient Slavs, the god of love passion, the son of the goddess of beauty and love Lada. About Lele - this cheerful, frivolous god of passion - the word “cherish”, that is, undead, love, still reminds. He is the son of the goddess of beauty and love, Lada, and beauty naturally gives rise to passion. This feeling flared up especially brightly in the spring and on the Kupala night. Lel was portrayed as a golden-haired, like a mother, winged baby: after all, love is free and elusive. Lel threw sparks from his hands: after all, passion is fiery, hot love! In Slavic mythology, Lel is the same god as the Greek Eros or the Roman Cupid. Only ancient gods strike the hearts of people with arrows, and Lel kindled them with his fierce flame.

The stork (heron) was considered his sacred bird. Another name for this bird in some Slavic languages ​​is leleka. In connection with Lel, both cranes and larks, symbols of spring, were revered.

Makosh

One of the main goddesses of the Eastern Slavs, the wife of the Thunderer Perun.

Her name is made up of two parts: "ma" - mother and "kosh" - purse, basket, koshara. Makosh is the mother of full cats, the mother of a good harvest.

This is not the goddess of fertility, but the goddess of the results of the economic year, the goddess of the harvest, the giver of blessings. The harvest every year determines the lot, fate, so she was also revered as the goddess of fate. Required attribute at her image - a cornucopia.

This goddess connected the abstract concept of fate with the concrete concept of abundance, patronized the household, sheared sheep, spun, punished the negligent. The specific concept of “spinning” was associated with a metaphorical one: “spinning fate”.

Makosh patronized marriage and family happiness. It was presented as a woman with a big head and long arms, spinning at night in a hut: beliefs forbid leaving a tow, "otherwise Makosha will spin."

Moraine

Morena (Marana, Morana, Mara, Maruha, Marmara) is the goddess of death, winter and night.

Mara is the goddess of death, the daughter of Lada. Outwardly, Mara looks like a tall beautiful girl with black hair in red clothes. Maru can not be called either an evil or a good goddess. On the one hand, it bestows death, but at the same time it also bestows life.

One of Mary's favorite activities is needlework: she loves to spin and weave. At the same time, like the Greek Moiram, he uses the threads of the fate of living beings for needlework, leading them to turning points in life, and, in the end, cutting the thread of existence.

Mara sends her messengers all over the world, who appear to people in the guise of a woman with long black hair or in the guise of doubles of people who are meant to be warned, and portend an imminent death.

In part of Mary, no permanent places of worship were erected; honors could be paid to her anywhere. For this, an image of the goddess, carved from wood or made from straw, was installed on the ground, stones were laid around the place. Directly in front of the idol, a larger stone or wooden plank was installed, which served as an altar. After the ceremony, all this was sorted out, and the image of Mary was burned or thrown into the river.

Mara was revered on February 15, and flowers, straw and various fruits were brought as a gift to the goddess of death. Sometimes, during the years of severe epidemics, animals were sacrificed, bleeding them directly at the altar.

Meeting spring solemn holiday, the Slavs performed the rite of expelling Death or Winter and plunged an effigy of Morana into the water. As a representative of winter, Morana is defeated by the spring Perun, who smashes her with his blacksmith's hammer and everything summer time casts her into an underground dungeon.

According to the identification of Death with thunder spirits, ancient belief forced these latter to fulfill its sad duty. But since the thunderer and his companions were also the organizers of the heavenly kingdom, the concept of Death was bifurcated, and fantasy portrayed it either as an evil creature, dragging souls into the underworld, or as a messenger of the supreme deity, accompanying the souls of the deceased heroes to his heavenly chamber.

Diseases were considered by our ancestors as companions and helpers of Death.

Perun

The God of Thunder, a victorious, punishing deity, whose appearance excites fear and awe. Perun, in Slavic mythology, the most famous of the Svarozhich brothers. He is the god of thunderclouds, thunder and lightning.

He is represented as stately, tall, with black hair and a long golden beard. Sitting on a flaming chariot, he rides through the sky, armed with a bow and arrows, and strikes the wicked.

According to Nestor, the wooden idol of Perun, placed in Kyiv, had a golden mustache on its silver head. Over time, Perun became the patron of the prince and his squad.

Temples in honor of Perun were always arranged on hills, and the highest place in the district was chosen. Idols were made mainly of oak - this mighty tree was the symbol of Perun. Sometimes there were places of worship to Perun, arranged around an oak tree growing on a hill, it was believed that Perun himself designates the best place. In such places, no additional idols were placed, and the oak, located on a hill, was revered as an idol.

Radegast

Radegast (Redigost, Radigast) is a lightning god, a killer and a devourer of clouds, and at the same time a radiant guest who appears with the return of spring. The earthly fire was recognized as the son of Heaven, brought down to the bottom, as a gift to mortals, a fleeting lightning, and therefore the idea of ​​​​an honorary divine guest, an alien from heaven to earth, was also connected with it.

The Russian settlers honored him with the name of a guest. At the same time, he received the character of a saving god of any foreigner (guest), who appeared in a strange house and surrendered himself under the protection of local penates (i.e. hearth), the patron god of merchants who came from distant countries and trade in general.

The Slavic Radigost was depicted with the head of a buffalo on his chest.

Svarog

Svarog is the creator god of earth and heaven. Svarog is the source of fire and its master. He creates not with a word, not with magic, unlike Veles, but with his hands, he creates the material world. He gave people the Sun-Ra and fire. Svarog threw a plow and a yoke from heaven to earth to cultivate the land; a battle ax to protect this land from enemies, and a bowl for preparing a sacred drink in it.

Like Rod, Svarog is the creator god, he continued the formation of this world, changing its original state, improving and expanding. However, blacksmithing is Svarog's favorite pastime.

Temples in honor of Svarog were arranged on hills overgrown with trees or shrubs. The center of the hill was cleared to the ground and a fire was made in this place; no additional idols were installed in the temple.

Svyatobor

Svyatobor is the god of the forest. Outwardly, he looks like an aged hero, representing an old man of strong build, with a thick beard and dressed in animal skins.

Svyatobor fiercely guards the forests and mercilessly punishes those who harm them, in some cases even death or eternal imprisonment in the forest in the form of a beast or a tree can become a punishment.

Svyatobor is married to the goddess of hunting Devan.

Temples in honor of Svyatobor were not arranged, their role was played by groves, pine forests and forests, which were recognized as sacred and in which neither deforestation nor hunting was carried out.

Semargl

One of the Svarozhichs was the god of fire - Semargl, who is sometimes mistakenly considered only heavenly dog, the guardian of seeds for sowing. This (storage of seeds) was constantly engaged in a much smaller deity - Pereplut.

The ancient books of the Slavs tell how Semargl was born. Svarog hit the Alatyr stone with a magic hammer, carved divine sparks from it, which flared up, and the fiery god Semargl became visible in their flame. He sat on a golden-maned horse of a silver suit. Thick smoke became his banner. Where Semargl passed, there was a scorched trail. Such was his strength, but more often he looked quiet and peaceful.

Semargl, God of fire and moon, fire sacrifices, home and hearth, keeps seeds and crops. Can turn into a sacred winged dog.

The name of the God of Fire is not known for certain, most likely, his name is so holy. Still, because this God does not live somewhere in the seventh heaven, but directly among people! They try to say his name out loud less often, replacing it with allegories. The Slavs associate the emergence of people with Fire. According to some legends, the Gods created a Man and a Woman from two sticks, between which a Fire flared up - the very first flame of love. Semargl does not let evil into the world. At night, he stands guard with a fiery sword, and only one day a year does Semargl leave his post, responding to the call of the Bather, who calls him to love games on the day of the Autumn Equinox. And on the day of the Summer Solstice, after 9 months, children are born at Semargl and Bathing - Kostroma and Kupalo.

Stribog

In East Slavic mythology, the god of the wind. He can summon and tame a storm and can transform into his assistant, the mythical bird Stratim. In general, the wind was usually represented in the form of a gray-haired old man living at the end of the world, in a deep forest or on an island in the middle of the sea-ocean.

The temples of Stribog were arranged on the banks of rivers or seas, they are especially often found at the mouths of rivers. The temples in his honor were not enclosed in any way from the surrounding territory and were designated only by an idol made of wood, which was installed facing north. A large stone was also erected in front of the idol, which served as an altar.

Triglav

In ancient Slavic mythology, this is the unity of the three main essences-hypostases of the gods: Svarog (creation), Perun (the law of Rule) and Svyatovit (light)

According to various mythological traditions, different gods were included in Triglav. In Novgorod of the 9th century, the Great Triglav consisted of Svarog, Perun and Sventovit, and earlier (before the Western Slavs moved to the Novgorod lands) - from Svarog, Perun and Veles. In Kyiv, apparently - from Perun, Dazhbog and Stribog.

Small Triglavs were made up of gods, standing lower on the hierarchical ladder.

Horse

Khors (Korsha, Kore, Korsh) - the ancient Russian deity of the sun and the solar disk. It is best known among the southeastern Slavs, where the sun simply reigns over the rest of the world. Khors, in Slavic mythology, the god of the Sun, the keeper of the luminary, the son of Rod, the brother of Veles. Not all the gods of the Slavs and Rus were common. For example, before the Russ came to the banks of the Dnieper, Khors was not known here. Only Prince Vladimir installed his image next to Perun. But he was known among other Aryan peoples: among the Iranians, Persians, Zoroastrians, where they worshiped the god of the rising sun - Horset. This word also had a wider meaning - “radiance”, “brilliance”, as well as “glory”, “greatness”, sometimes “royal dignity” and even “hvarna” - a special mark of the gods, chosenness.

Temples in honor of Khors were arranged on small hills in the middle of meadows or small groves. The idol was made of wood and placed on the eastern slope of the hill. And as an offering, a special pie "horoshul" or "kurnik" was used, which crumbled around the idol. But to a greater extent, dances (round dances) and songs were used to pay tribute to Khors.

Chernobog

God of cold, destruction, death, evil; the god of madness and the embodiment of everything bad and black. It is believed that Chernobog is the prototype of Kashchei the immortal from fairy tales. Kashchei is a cult character of Slavic mythology, whose folklore image is extremely far from the original. Kashchei Chernobogvich was the youngest son of Chernobog, the great Serpent of Darkness. His older brothers - Goryn and Viy - feared and respected Kashchei for his great wisdom and equally great hatred for his father's enemies - the Iry gods. Kashchei owned the deepest and darkest kingdom of Navi - the Koshcheev kingdom,

Chernobog is the ruler of Navi, the god of time, the son of Rod. In Slavic mythology, he is the creator of the world along with Rod and Belbog. Outwardly, he appeared in two guises: in the first, he looked like a hunched, thin old man with long beard, a silver mustache and a crooked stick in his hands; in the second, he was depicted as a middle-aged man of thin build, dressed in black clothes, but, again, with a silver mustache.

Chernobog is armed with a sword, which he masterfully wields. Although he is able to instantly appear at any point in Navi, he prefers to travel on horseback on a fiery stallion.

After the creation of the world, Chernobog under the patronage went to Nav - the world of the dead, in which he is both a ruler and a prisoner, since, despite all his strength, he is not able to leave its limits. The deity does not release the souls of people who got there for sins from Navi, however, its sphere of influence is not limited to one Navi. Chernobog managed to bypass the restrictions imposed on him and created Koshchei, who is the embodiment of the ruler of Navi in ​​Yavi, while the power of God in another world is much less real, but still allowed him to extend his influence to Yav, and only in the Rule Chernobog never appears.

The temples in honor of Chernobog were made of dark rocks, the wooden idol was completely upholstered with iron, except for the head, on which only the mustache was trimmed with metal.

Yarilo

Yarilo is the god of spring and sunlight. Outwardly, Yarilo looks like a young man with red hair, dressed in white clothes with a flower wreath on his head. This god moves around the world riding a white horse.

Temples in honor of Yarila were arranged on top of hills overgrown with trees. The tops of the hills were cleared of vegetation and an idol was erected in this place, in front of which a large White stone, which sometimes could be located at the foot of the hill. Unlike most other gods, there were no sacrifices in honor of the god of spring. Usually the deity was revered with songs and dances at the temple. At the same time, one of the participants in the action was certainly dressed up as Yarila, after which he became the center of the whole festival. Sometimes special figurines were made in the form of people, they were brought to the temple, and then smashed against a white stone installed there, it is believed that this brings the blessing of Yarila, from which the harvest will be greater and sexual energy higher.

A little about the world order of the Slavs

The center of the world for the ancient Slavs was the World Tree (World Tree, World Tree). It is the central axis of the entire universe, including the Earth, and connects the World of people with the World of Gods and the Underworld. Accordingly, the crown of the tree reaches the World of the Gods in heaven - Iriy or Svarga, the roots of the tree go underground and connect the World of the Gods and the World of people with the underworld or the world of the Dead, ruled by Chernobog, Marena and other "dark" Gods. Somewhere in the sky, behind the clouds (heavenly abysses; over the seventh sky), the crown of a sprawling tree forms an island, here is Iriy (Slavic paradise), where not only the Gods and ancestors of people live, but also the progenitors of all birds and animals. Thus, the Tree of the World was fundamental in the worldview of the Slavs, its main component. At the same time, it is also a staircase, a road through which you can get to any of the worlds. In Slavic folklore, the Tree of the World is called differently. It can be oak, and sycamore, willow, linden, viburnum, cherry, apple tree or pine.

In the views of the ancient Slavs, the World Tree is located on Buyan Island on Alatyr-stone, which is also the center of the universe (the center of the Earth). Judging by some legends, light gods live on its branches, and dark gods live in its roots. The image of this tree has come down to us, both in the form of various fairy tales, legends, epics, incantations, songs, riddles, and in the form of ritual embroidery on clothes, patterns, ceramic decorations, painting dishes, chests, etc. Here is an example of how the Tree of the World is described in one of the Slavic folk tales that existed in Russia and tells about the extraction of a horse by a hero-hero: forehead red sun ... ". This horse is a mythological symbol of the entire universe

Of course, in one post it is not possible to cover all the gods that our ancestors worshiped. Different branches of the Slavs had the same gods called differently, and had their own "local" deities.

- the god - the patron of the dead, the creator of funeral rites, the son of the god of vegetation Osiris and Nephthys, the sister of Isis. Anubis was depicted as a man with the head of a jackal or a black wild dog Sab.

Apis is the god of fertility in the form of a bull with a solar disk. Apis is considered the Ba (soul) of the god Ptah, the patron saint of Memphis, as well as the sun god Ra. The living embodiment of the god was a black bull with special white marks.

Aten - god - the personification of the solar disk. Aton was depicted as a solar disk with rays that ended in hands holding the sign of life ankh, a symbol of the fact that life was given to people, animals and plants by Aton.

Baal - in West Semitic mythology, the god of storms, thunder, lightning, rain, associated with fertility. In Egyptian mythology, Baal corresponds to Set.

Geb is the god of the earth, the son of the god of air Shu and the goddess of moisture Tefnut. The children of Geb were Osiris, Seth, Isis, Nephthys. The soul (Ba) of Hebe was embodied in Khnum, the god of fertility.

Horus is the god of the sky and the sun in the form of a falcon, a man with the head of a falcon or a winged sun, the son of the fertility goddess Isis and Osiris, the god of productive forces. Its symbol is a solar disk with outstretched wings.

Ming - the god of fertility, the "producer of crops", who was depicted with a standing phallus and with a whip in right hand, as well as in a crown with two long feathers.

Nun is the embodiment of the water element, which existed at the dawn of time and contained the life force. Nun and his wife Naunet, personifying the sky, were the first pair of gods, all other Egyptian gods descended from them.

Osiris is the god of the productive forces of nature, the lord of the underworld, the judge in the realm of the dead. He taught the Egyptians agriculture, viticulture and winemaking, mining and processing of ore, healing, building cities, and established the cult of the gods.

Ptah is the creator god, patron of arts and crafts. Ptah created the first eight gods, the world and everything that exists in it - animals, plants, people, temples, etc.

Ra is the god of the sun, embodied in the form of a falcon, a huge cat or a man with a falcon head crowned with a solar disk. Ra, god of the sun, was the father of Wajit, the cobra of the North, which protected the pharaoh from the scorching rays of the sun.

Sebek is the god of water and the flood of the Nile, whose sacred animal was the crocodile. He was depicted as a crocodile or as a man with the head of a crocodile.

Seth is the god of the desert, that is, "foreign countries", the personification of the evil inclination, the brother and murderer of Osiris, one of the four children of the earth god Geb and Nut, the goddess of the sky.

Thoth is the god of the moon, wisdom, counting and writing, the patron of sciences, scribes, sacred books, the creator of the calendar. The sacred animal of Thoth was the ibis, and therefore the god was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis. Thoth's wife was the goddess of truth, Maat.

Khonsu is the god of the moon, the god of time and its measurement, the son of Amun and the sky goddess Mut. Khonsu was also revered as the god of travel.

Khnum is the god of fertility, the creator who created the world from clay on his potter's wheel. He is often depicted as a man with a ram's head, sitting in front of a potter's wheel, on which stands a figurine of a creature he has just created.

Shu is the god of air, separating heaven and earth, the son of the solar god Ra-Atum, the husband and brother of the goddess of moisture, Tefnut. He was most often depicted as a man standing on one knee with his hands raised, with which he supports the sky above the earth.

Any religion or just belief appears when a person cannot explain many life events or natural phenomena that he does not understand. Today, science can interpret, if not everything, then a lot. AT Ancient Egypt for clarification, people turned to the gods through their servants on earth - the priests. The latter stood guard over the power of the kings. But it is not worth condemning the ancient Egyptians for this - their faith was subject to the realities of life.

What did the gods of Ancient Egypt grow out of?

Religion has been inherent in the social life of society since primitive times. Prehistoric people were just beginning to live in communities, but even then the first beliefs arose, called by some scientists proto-religion. It existed in the form of animism (the soul is an impersonal principle), totemism (the mystical connection of man with animals), fetishism (an object becomes a mystical power) or magic (all three of the above).

AT different time these beliefs were also inherent in the peoples of Ancient Egypt. From totemism later came the so-called local deities. They existed for millennia and disappeared with the development of the Egyptian religion - a system of beliefs and rituals.

The very first deities in these Egyptian lands of northeast Africa, in the representation of the Egyptians, looked like birds and animals. They believed in them, because then the main occupation was hunting. When the importance of hunting decreased and they began to intensively engage in agriculture and fishing in the Nile, the heads of some representatives of the fauna that were found there were still “attached” to the human body of the gods.

"Quid prodest" - who benefits from it?

The deities were fruitful for a reason. Who needed the ancient Egyptian pyramids, for the construction of which artisans and farmers, as well as slaves, broke away from their businesses and families for many years? Pharaohs! As evidence of the power of royal power, that is, the structure that dominates class society. The people eked out a miserable existence and worshiped unknown idols.

And this power needed to be constantly maintained not only by brute force, but also “spiritually”. The people were constantly convinced that the power was created by the gods forever. And they need to obey both the pharaohs and the common people. This was done by the priests-loafers. Therefore, the Egyptians silently waited for improvements from the gods - from pharaoh to pharaoh. From kingdom to kingdom.

Ancient pantheon of northeast Africa

Consider what the gods of Ancient Egypt were, their pictures and names, which of them are the main ones, and who are simpler. Their pantheon is very extensive. There were about one hundred and twenty deities. Of these, local (separate cities, relatively small territories), according to various estimates, twenty-five. Some of the local gods in different eras of the development of the ancient Egyptian kingdom passed into the rank of national gods, for example, goddesses Amaunet, Amentet, Maat, god Beh (Buhis). There were also in general the so-called secondary gods. For example, Duamutef is an astral deity.

In the above list there is also such a category of gods and goddesses when there is no image of them, or at least short description. For example, the god or goddess Anejdti, Bata, Bennu, Mafdet, Nebej and others. They are waiting for their explorers.

There were other transitions of the gods from category to category. Belief in the famous god Amun originated in the Old Kingdom, when the centralization of the ancient Egyptian state took place. In the Middle Kingdom, he turns into a local deity, in the New he becomes a national god (18th century BC). At the beginning of our era, he was demoted in his “position” by the gods, who by that time had become common Egyptian: “husband” and “wife” Osiris and Isis.

Using the example of the god Amon, we will show how not only preferences for deities changed, but also their appearance on stone and in papyri. They meet in largest quantities on rock paintings, on the sarcophagi of the tombs of many pharaohs and priests. At first, Amon was depicted on them as a man with the head of a frog; in two other kingdoms, the disk of the Sun already flaunted on his head.

How the gods competed

The same natural phenomena were personified by different gods of Ancient Egypt, their pictures and names differed, and what they mean. Consider the example of the sun gods.

The main in the hypostasis of the solar gods (mythologization of the luminary) in ancient Egypt were named Amon, Ra and Aten. Between them, or other deities, there was, as they say now, fierce competition for the minds of the Egyptians. It was developed, of course, by people, not mythological creatures.

The Aton was portrayed in a non-traditional religious way at the time - not as a man with someone's head or an animal with a human head. This was the only ancient artistic exception in depictions of the divine pantheon. Aten is a drawing of the solar disk with rays, as modern kids like to depict it. He flourished during the reign of the pharaoh Akhenaten. The pharaoh in Ancient Egypt was considered the conductor of the idea of ​​God on earth. Therefore, the name of God was added to the names of such kings.

Akhenaten recognized the role of only one god Aten, under him the cult of dozens of famous gods was stopped. When Akhenaten was replaced in his post by the boy-pharaoh Tutankh, he immediately returned polytheism. In protest, Akhenaten added Amon to his name. Now the whole modern world knows this pharaoh named Tutankhamen.

He paid for the fact that the solar disk was also depicted on the falcon head of this deity. God accompanied any ruling dynasty of pharaoh-kings in Thebes.

Displaced from the pantheon by the god Aten.

The solar deity was Atum. He also had a complex "relationship" with the god Ra from the solar pantheon. Atum moved from local gods to common Egyptian ones. But soon (at that time) Ra supplanted him. All the solar gods of Ancient Egypt went the same way. But it was not the gods who competed with each other, but the people in power, as it is said about Akhenaten, and the religious figures (priests) helped the ascent of the gods and their fall.

At this time, the sun god Ra became the main one, whom the ancient Egyptians endowed with the ability to create the earth, people, animals and birds, plants. Does Ra close her eyes? So it's dark and night.

Special gods

Let's name the gods that can be translated into separate groups of the pantheon. For example, the Nile River, which is just right to be called the god of fertility and a well-fed life of the Egyptians. The sun has become a god! The Nile is the nurse and drinker of the Egyptians. If today the question arose of recognizing the Nile as a god, then a prefix would be added to it - “honorable” and would be extolled as a god.

Probably, this opinion would be supported by the believers of another ten countries of the African continent, through which an uncontrolled river flows from south to north.

In ancient Egypt, the Nile flooded the earth with fertile silt. This turned the sands in the valleys closest to the river into fertile fields. But often in July, the Nile flooded and flooded the crops, dooming the people to starvation. Therefore, for the river, the ancient Egyptians invented a god - Hapi to help them. Hapi is depicted as a man with a female bust, which symbolized fertility.

Strengthen it and other gods: Sebek- the god of rivers and lakes, as well as the god of vegetation Osiris. The first was depicted in the guise of a crocodile or a man with the head of this aquatic animal.

But the cruel god demanded abundant and regular sacrifices. The god Hapi failed to tame the Nile until his disappearance from the firmament with the introduction of Christianity.

Sebek - God of rivers and lakes.

Osiris also leads a group of twelve gods in the so-called funerary cult of the ancient Egyptians. Five of them are his companions in the underworld. What is this god? In mythology, he is killed by an envious relative. The goddess Isis, almost like an experienced surgeon, collects Osiris in parts scattered throughout Egypt and buries. In the afterlife, he resurrected and became a judge there. Other gods of the cult include Aker, Amentet, Geb and others.

pharaoh plus god

Over time, the priests formed and spread in society the postulate that the pharaohs are descended from the gods. After all, the mythical deities had the same fictional families, relatives. And it’s not for nothing that they did it in advance. Already in the Early Kingdom, the pharaoh was perceived as the incarnation of the god Horus, and the human image and its properties were transferred to the deities. Remember Russian folk tale about Baba Yaga. She is as anthropomorphic as the ancient Egyptian gods. The pharaohs allegedly received magical abilities, and the commoner could not approach him.