20 Fabulous Illustrations Of Magnificent Egyptian Gods and Goddesses That You Shouldn't Miss
From the rising of the Sun to the summer flooding of the Nile River, the ancient Egyptians have started to believe that powerful gods and goddesses ruled over every aspect of their daily lives. Due to that, gods and goddesses have become an artistic inspiration for many people, no matter where they are, what their religions are. Moreover, there are many illustrated myths of incredible Egyptian gods and goddesses. Since then, they become famous to more people.
Yliade is a skillful French illustrator, who has been creating art from a very young age. She has found the inspiration in this Egyptian culture. So she really enjoys working on the design of each god while trying to respect their attributes and symbolism. And the final result we can see is her series on some Old Egyptian gods. There are also explanations of the author for you to follow easily and broaden your knowledge. Check them out in the gallery below!
#1 Khepri
Source: deviantart.com
"Khepri represents the morning sun, creation, and the renewal of life. He is here in his scarab form which frequently appears on ancient jewelry and amulets."
#2 Maat- Goddess of justice, truth, balance, morality, and harmony
Source: deviantart.com
#3 Bennu, the soul of Râ and the guide of the gods
Source: deviantart.com
"He symbolizes the sun, creation, and rebirth. It may have been the inspiration for the phoenix in Greek mythology."
#4 Khnum- the god of the inundation of the Nile
Source: deviantart.com
"Khnum is the great potter who creates children and their ka (soul) from the clay of the Nile. He is also the guardian of Hapi's caverns."
#5 Hathor, Goddess of love, beauty, music, dance, motherhood and joy
Source: deviantart.com
#6 Wadjet, the lady of the papyrus, one of Egypt's oldest goddesses
Source: deviantart.com
"She was the serpent mother who protected Lower Egypt. Every new kings had to claim the throne from her at their coronation. The cobra was the symbol of Lower Egypt and she was sometimes seen with her Upper Egyptian counterpart, her sister the vulture goddess Nekhbet, the pair thus represented the two united states."
#7 Apophis, the increated, represents the forces of chaos, evil, darkness and destruction
Source: deviantart.com
"He is the enemy of the sun itself. Every night, he attempts to overcome the solar barge during its travel through the underworld to the horizon. According to one myth, Apophis would use his gaze to hypnotize the sun god Ra and all of his followers, except Set who would repel the giant snake by piercing his side with a great spear."
#8 Nephthys, goddess of the darkness and the transition of death
Source: deviantart.com
"She is the protector of the mummies and canopic jars and comforting the families of the deceased."
#9 Ammit was the personification of divine retribution
Source: deviantart.com
"She sat beside the scales of Ma’at ready to devour the souls of those deemed unworthy. Those unfortunate enough to fail the test would suffer the feared second death and have no chance of the blissful life of the field of reeds instead roaming restlessly for eternity."
#10 Osiris, God of the afterlife, the underworld and rebirth
Source: deviantart.com
#11 Meretseger was the goddess of the necropolis
Source: deviantart.com
"She watched over the deceased in their tombs. Her name means “She Who Loves Silence”. She was believed to live on the mountian which dominates the skyline at Ouaset (Thebes) and rises above the valley of the Kings."
#12 Meret was a Goddess associated with rejoicing, singing, and dancing. Her name means "beloved"
Source: deviantart.com
"She was the wife of Hapy, the god of the Nile. She was credited for having helped to establish cosmic order through her music, song, and the gestures of musical direction. She appears sometimes in double form as Meret of Upper and of Lower Egypt."
#13 Wepwawet, Opener of the ways.
Source: deviantart.com
"He’s a hunting God and a magician as well as a solar deity. He leads the deceased through the underworld and open the path for armies to travel.
#14 Amun - Amun means "the Hidden One"
Source: deviantart.com
"Amun means "the Hidden One", no one knows his true appearance; he was often represented as Pharaoh, a man with a ram-head or a ram… He was the patron of the city of Thebes. By the time of the New Kingdom he was considered the most powerful god in Egypt. His priesthood was the most powerful in Egypt and the position of God's Wife of Amun, given to royal women, almost on par with that of the pharaoh. Amun was also the father of the pharaoh."
#15 Sopdet - The goddess Sopdet (or Sothis) personified the "dog star" Sirius
Source: deviantart.com
"This star was the most important of the stars to the ancient Egyptians, and the heliacal rising of this star came at the time of inundation and the start of the Egyptian New Year. As a goddess of the inundation, she was a goddess of fertility. She also was linked to the pharaoh and his journey in the afterlife."
#16 Mut - the great mother goddess of Egypt
Source: deviantart.com
"She is said to be the consort of Amun, and their son is the moon-god Khonsu. She is a protecting goddess when she is dressed as a vulture and dangerous when she is represented with a lioness head. (The word "mother" "mwt" in ancient Egyptian also meant vulture)."
#17 Shu - a personification of wind and dry air and the god of the space and light between the sky and the earth
Source: deviantart.com
"He is the twin brother and the husband of Tefnut, the goddess of moisture. He is sometimes represented with a lion head. As Lord of the Atmosphere, it was Shu's duty to seperate his children: the sky (the goddess Nut) and the earth (Nut's husband, Geb). His eternal occupation was holding Nut up above Geb. It was said that if he ever was removed from his place, Chaos would come to the Universe. The Greeks associated Shu with Atlas, the primordial Titan who held up the celestial spheres, as they are both depicted holding the sky."
#18 Seshat - the goddess of writing, astronomy, astrology, architecture and mathematics.
Source: deviantart.com
"She's associated with the god Thoth as his wife or his feminine aspect. The symbol over her head represents the source of all creative ideas."
#19 Mafdet - the caracal (or cheetah, leopard) Goddess of Judgment, Justice and Execution.
Source: deviantart.com
#20 Anput - the Goddess of funerals and mummification.
Source: deviantart.com
"She is the wife of Anubis and shares many of his functions. The center of her cult was in Cynopolis ("City of the Dog")."