4 deities prominently worshipped in the Egyptian culture 

For centuries, the ancient Egyptians were renowned for their worship of an extensive pantheon of deities. From powerful sun gods to the beautiful goddesses of love and fertility, the Egyptians have always revered a diverse range of divine figures. Particularly, there were four deities that influenced Egyptian mythology and religious practices: Amun-Ra, Horus, Isis and Osiris. These gods and goddesses played a significant role in shaping the beliefs and cultures of one of the most fascinating civilizations in human history. Let us delve into their stories and significance of these four prominent deities worshipped by the Egyptians. 

Amun-Re 
Amun-Re is a fused Egyptian deity often depicted as the sphinx or a human with the head of a hawk. This figurine has a symbol too: Disc of a sun. The name Amun-Re is made up of two gods, Amun and Re. Amun, the god of air, is often depicted as a man with a beard, wearing a headdress. Re, on the other hand, was the sun god depicted as the falcon-headed man with a solar disc above his head. Amun means ‘the hidden’, whereas Re means ‘the sun.’ Amun and Re fused together to form Amun-Re. So how? 

The story is rooted in the Old Kingdom of Egypt (the Pharaonic rule between 2700 and 2200 BC) in the major city of Egypt called Heliopolis. It was during this time, Re appeared as the form of a sun god. Soon, Re rose to power to become a god with national influence and power.  He had many sun temples constructed throughout the country. During the fourth dynasty of the Old Kingdom, the pharaohs started considering themselves as the manifestations of God Re. During the Middle Kingdom in Egypt (between 2030 to 1650 BC), Amun became a more prominent god than Re.  It was during this period, Re fused with Amun to become Amun-Re, the father and protector of pharaohs!  

Horus  
Meet Horus, the mighty god with a falcon head atop a human body. For the Egyptians, he was the embodiment of war and the sky. The pharaohs of Egypt believed that they were his earthly avatars. So, they shared a deep connection with Horus. He was married to Hathor, an Egyptian princess and was the son of Osiris, the god of the dead and Isis, the goddess of fertility and healing. Horus’s journey was not an easy one. His father was slain in a battle by his uncle Seth, and his mother had to resurrect her husband to bring Horus into this world. Sounds interesting, right? Well, that’s just the tip of the iceberg in Egyptian mythology. Horus and Seth had a fierce rivalry and fought for the throne where the former emerged victorious, though not unscathed. His eye was split into six pieces! Thoth, the god of the moon, worked his magic and restored the Eye of Horus, which now symbolizes the six senses! 

Isis and Osiris 
One of the most captivating stories is that of Osiris, and his wife-sister, Isis. Goddess extraordinaire Isis was a jack-of-all-trades in ancient Egyptian religion, with specialities in motherhood, magic, fertility, death, and healing. She was depicted as a beautiful woman wearing a sheath dress and a solar disk on her head. Osiris was the son of Geb, the Earth god, and Nut, the sky goddess, and was revered between 1600 BC and 1100 BC as the supreme ruler of the Afterlife and the underworld. Osiris is often depicted as green-skinned mummified man wearing a white crown and pharaoh's beard. Isis and Osiris were actually twins! According to myths, Osiris not only controlled Egypt but also taught agriculture and gave people rules and civilization before becoming the lord of the Afterlife. Eventually, Osiris was murdered by his brother Seth who ascended the throne of Egypt with his sister and wife, Nephthys. 

Nephthys felt terrible for her sister Isis, as she was heartbroken about losing her spouse. Isis, who possessed exceptional magical abilities, decided to track down her husband and revive him long enough for the couple to conceive a child. Isis travelled the countryside with Nephthys and gathered the fragments of her husband’s body, putting them back together and securing them with linen wrappings. She then revived him by giving his body the breath of life. Once they were back together, Isis magically conceived Horus, and Osiris entered the underworld to take control of that realm.