Ancient Egyptians observation of nature is what drove their religious beliefs and how their gods came to be (Redford 240). In the earliest times, the sun was worshiped first and foremost as the Egyptians saw the path of the sun as a symbol time. The sun rising and setting on a daily basis was akin to life, death, and rebirth which is a huge part of their belief system. Ra or Re is the sun god, having gone through several iterations over time, he is depicted having a man's body with a falcon's head and wearing the sun disk as his crown. Around the fourth dynasty the king was called "the son of Re" thus resulting in the pharaohs being associated with him (Redford 325).
Other prominent gods include Osiris, the god of the underworld and resurrection. He was killed by his brother Seth and brought back to life by his wife and sister Isis (Redford 304). As ruler of the underworld he had the most important role of judging the dead by weighing the person's heart against the weight of a feather which signifies ma'at.
Other prominent gods include Osiris, the god of the underworld and resurrection. He was killed by his brother Seth and brought back to life by his wife and sister Isis (Redford 304). As ruler of the underworld he had the most important role of judging the dead by weighing the person's heart against the weight of a feather which signifies ma'at.
Participating in the judgement is the god Anubis, depicted as a man with the head of a jackal, he is the god of embalming and protector of the necropolis he guides the deceased through the underworld (Redford 21-22). An important figure in myths, it is said that he assisted in the resurrection of Osiris.
This family tree shows the relation of the main gods of Egyptian Religion and how many of their origin and myths are centered around the idea of family.