The Egyptians worshipped hundreds of gods and goddesses. Many of the gods were represented by animals.
The main Egyptian god was Amun-Re, the sun-god. He was king of the gods and protector of the pharaoh. The Egyptians believed the sun god was responsible for all creation: people, animals, the fertility of the soil, the pharaoh’s journey to the underworld.
Thoth was the moon-god, and he was represented by a bird because the curved beak looked like a crescent moon. He gave the Egyptians knowledge of writing, medicine, and mathematics. He was the patron of the scribes.
Osiris was god of the underworld and the afterlife.
Anubis had the head of a jackal and guarded the land of the dead. He was also the god of embalming.
Bastet was the daughter of the sun-god Amun-Re. She is known as the cat goddess because she is represented by cats. She represented the power of the sun to ripen crops.
The Egyptian pharaoh was said to embody the god Horus. Horus had a hawk’s head. The name Horus means “he who is far above.”