egyptian crow god egyptian crow god

Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University. Many Egyptian texts mention deities' names without indicating their character or role, while other texts refer to specific deities without even stating their name, so a complete list of them is difficult to assemble. Further, the star Sirius was associated with Sothis and then Isis while Orion represented the god Sah, "Father of the Gods". He was identified by the Greeks with Aesculapius and was invoked in spells for healing. People also asked. She is associated with Hathor and is depicted as closely resembling Hathor with the uraeus on her head holding the solar disk, sometimes with two feathers over the disk. She had no formal cult or temple but was an integral part of the Egyptian's understanding of time: that it was imbued, like everything else, with personality and vitality. Pharaoh, long after the Egyptian people had forgotten God's providence in sending an Israelite named Joseph to them to help their economy thrive, chose disobedience instead. Thus the night sky told the stories of the most meaningful stories of the Egyptian culture and assured the people of an eternity in the gods' presence when they looked up at the stars. This crow goddess is the daughter of Ernmas, one of the Tuatha de Danann, and is one of a trinity of deified sisters. Hathor-Nebet-Hetepet - A Mother Goddess aspect of Hathor worshipped at Heliopolis. The reason? The Vikings are the group that historically made the most references to this animal. She blessed people with success owing to her ability to see both past and future. This rhythmical tongue twister uses a touch of imagery to express its main message. As a result, he is also worshipped as the god of order and kings. Bastet (Bast) - The beautiful goddess of cats, women's secrets, childbirth, fertility, and protector of the hearth and home from evil or misfortune. The Morrigan is an Irish Celtic goddess whos able to shapeshift. Her name means "Foremost of the Fish". Gods is the term used to refer to the playable characters in SMITE. He often grasps serpents in his hands as though crushing them. For the Inuit, when the soul left the shaman's body one could see a crow flying above the igloo. Neb-t tehen and Neb-t heru, god and goddess of the 1st hour of night, The Khnemiu 4 deities wearing red crowns in the eleventh division of, The Renniu 4 bearded gods in the eleventh division of, The Setheniu-Tep 4 deities wearing white crowns in the eleventh division of. She was associated with Nephthys as a friend of the dead. Renpet - A goddess who personified the year. Heh and Hauhet - God and goddess of infinity and eternity. Originally a Nubian deity. Peteese and Pihor - Two human brothers known as "the sons of Kuper" who drowned in the Nile River near Dendur. And so is crow. (98). At Saqqara, the priests began to worship a hybrid god they called Osiris-Apis who was the god in bull form. Four Sons of Horus - Four deities, Duamutef, Hapy, Imset, and Qebehsenuef, who watched over the viscera or the dead in the four canopic jars placed in the tomb. He was rather seen as a necessary balance to gods like Osiris and Horus who represented all things noble and good, fertility, vitality, and eternity. Unut (Wenet or Wenut) - A protective goddess worshipped at Hermopolis and known as "The Swift One". Ennead - The nine gods worshipped at Heliopolis who formed the tribunal in the Osiris Myth: Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, and Set. Mau protected the Tree of Life, which held the secrets of eternal life and divine knowledge, from the evil serprent Apep. Min is depicted as a man holding his erect penis in one hand with the flail of authority in the other. In this regard he came to be linked to Thoth and Khonsu, both associated with the moon, because of moonlight. When they returned, he was so happy he shed tears of joy which became human beings. Iusaaset - A very early Mother Goddess referred to as "Grandmother of the Gods" and linked to Atum at the creation of the world. The definitions of the god's characteristics and the roles they played are synthesized for clarity but it should be noted that not every deity listed was understood in the same way throughout Egypt's long history. Kauket, his feminine balance, was depicted as a woman with the head of a serpent also called "Bringer-in-of-the-Darkness" who presided over the hours of twilight when the sun was setting and guided the sun barge into the underworld. She was consort of the god Montu and was primarily worshipped at Hermonthis (Armant) near Thebes. During the time of the Roman Empire, she was worshipped in every corner of their realm from Britain through Europe to Anatolia. She was worshipped during the period of the Old Kingdom (c. 2613-2181 BCE) as a life-giving spirit who also protected the souls of the dead in the afterlife. The dead were greeted by other deities when they arrived in the afterlife and were then brought to the Hall of Truth for judgment by Kherty. She was worshipped at Abydos in the cult center honoring her and Onuris. Astronomical Ceiling, Temple of Hathor Dendera, Egypt "The vibrant astronomical ceiling of the Hypostyle Hall, Temple of Hathor Dendera, Egypt. i am five an i have 2 raven pets they are super cool and awasome and i love them a lot. She carries the death god Yamas horn, and sometimes wears a garland of severed heads. Isis returns Osiris to life but, because he is incomplete, descends to the underworld as Lord of the Dead. The souls of Pe are depicted as men with falcon heads and those of Nekhen as jackal-headed. Geb is the son of Shu and Tefnut, husband of Nut, the sky. Min - An ancient fertility god from the Predynastic Period (c. 6000-3150 BCE). Nehebkau (Nehebu-Kau) - "He Who Unites the Ka", was a protector god who joined the ka (aspect of the soul) to the body at birth and united the ka with the ba (winged aspect of the soul) after death. The gods knew it then. The origin of the ankh symbol is unknown, but Egyptologist E. A. Wallis Budge claims it may have developed from the tjet, the 'Knot of Isis,' a similar symbol with the arms at its sides associated with the goddess.Female deities were as popular, and seem to be considered more powerful (as in the example of the goddess Neith), in the early history of Egypt, and perhaps the ankh did develop from . R. H. Wilkinson notes that her name represents the sound of spitting and she was often represented "by a pair of lips, spitting, in late texts" (183). Horus, Egyptian Hor, Har, Her, or Heru, in ancient Egyptian religion, a god in the form of a falcon whose right eye was the sun or morning star, representing power and quintessence, and whose left eye was the moon or evening star, representing healing. Heryshaf - A fertility god depicted as a man with the head of a ram. I, too, have some regular crow visitors. Khonshu may not be Egyptian mythology's most famous god, but he's the main god tied to Moon Knight. Sebiumeker is associated with Atum as a creator god and may have been the supreme god of the pantheon in the region which is modern-day Sudan. Related Content Along with Meskhenet, she was also associated with Neith and sometimes portrayed as the mother of Osiris, with Isis as the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, as Atum's wife or consort. This stunning composition notebook is perfect for kids, teens, and young men who love art and the mystery of ancient Egyptian mythology. He was one of the most important gods within Egyptian mythology, so he was highly revered. The Omaha tribe believes that a crow guided an old buffalo bull to water, which was caused by heavy rainfall. Crows are known scavengers on the battlefield, and hence are linked to death gods and goddesses in ancient times. His name was taken by all three rulers of the dynasty in the form of Mentuhotep (Montuhotep) meaning "Montu is Pleased". As a god of pestilence, he is also linked to Set, god of chaos and the arid wastes. In his association with Ra he appeared as a child, symbolizing the morning sun, and as an adult representing later day. She is a goddess of the dead and oversees funerary rites. Another name for it is shmty, meaning "the two powerful ones," or sekhemti. She arose from the totemic symbol of the nome (province) of the region around Mendes, which was a fish. His festival was one of the earliest observed and, merged with the Khoiak Festival of Osiris, continued to be celebrated throughout Egypt's history. Transl. Many depictions show her on a cremation ground looking like death itself (decaying teeth, long fingernails, hag-like appearance). His name means "Lord of the Two Lands". She searches out Baba Yaga to ask for light for her familys cottage. As a mother goddess, she is the mediator of the gods' disputes, most famously as the goddess who settles the question of whether Horus or Set should rule Egypt when the tribunal of the gods cannot decide. The gods evolved from an animistic belief system to one which was highly anthropomorphic and imbued with magic. Hail Odin, The Allfather. Once the soul had made the Negative Confessions (Declaration of Innocence) the Forty-Two Judges advised Osiris on whether the confession should be accepted. The male hippopotamus was very aggressive and considered one of the most dangerous animals in Egypt so he was associated with the god Set resulting in images of Taweret as consort of Set even though the two deities had nothing in common. 3- The Egyptian God, Horus - God of Goodness & Light. Tree Goddesses - A number of well-known Egyptian goddesses were associated with trees, most notably Isis, Hathor, and Nut. She fell asleep and woke as the benevolent goddess who was a friend to all. World History Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. Her name first appears on stone jars at Saqqara which were placed inside the lower chambers of Djoser's Step Pyramid (c. 2670 BCE) and she is thought to be an older goddess from the Predynastic Period of Egypt (c. 6000-3150 BCE). Ishtar - The Mesopotamian goddess of love, sexuality, and war. One of the earliest gods of ancient Egypt depicted on the Narmer Palette (c. 3150 BCE). Lorton, Claude Traunecker. Qudshu (Qadesh) - Syrian goddess of love, consort of the war god Reshep, assimilated into Egyptian worship during the New Kingdom (1570-1069 BCE). He eventually became closely associated with Horus and, as Wepwawet-Ra, with the sun god Ra. Nefertum was born from the bud of the blue lotus flower at the dawn of creation and was originally an aspect of Atum. She said, "I will go. She is the guardian goddess over Duamutef, one of the Four Sons of Horus who watch over the canopic jars in the tombs and is also depicted as a just judge of the dead in the Hall of Truth. In this role, she was the mother of Sopdu and so appealed to as a protective influence. Further, Odin is called the raven-god in the Prose Edda. Other gods were even considered mere aspects of Amun at this time. He was said to separate wives from their husbands at a whim. Her role of providing one's destiny was eventually taken over by the Seven Hathors but she continued to be venerated in homes throughout Egypt's history. In the same way that she could bring the desert winds, she could deflect them, and the same with pestilence; just as she had brought the plague, she could cure it and was known as "Mistress of Life" in this capacity (and so was frequently invoked in healing spells and incantations by ancient doctors). Hedetet - Goddess of scorpions and protectress against their venom, an early version of Serket. (99). Add to Cart. He was later associated with Atum (Ra) and Osiris who absorbed his qualities. His attributes were eventually absorbed by Horus. In the Egyptian Book of the Dead he is mentioned frequently as the just judge in the Hall of Truth who weighs the hearts of the souls of the dead against the white feather of ma'at. His ultimate desire was to rid the world of order and return it to the chaos that reigned before the birth of the other gods. Meretseger - A protector goddess in the form of a cobra venerated at Thebes. Rainbow Crow was the most beautiful bird of all - with feathers that shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow and a song that rang out the sweetest of all birdsong. She is the patroness of libraries, both public and private, and was known as "She Who is Foremost in the House of Books". Sobek - An important protective deity in the form of a crocodile or a man with a crocodile's head, Sobek was a god of water but also associated with medicine and particularly surgery. His image (as Anhur) appeared on the banners of the Egyptian army as he led them to war, protected them in battle, and brought them safely home. The ancient Egyptians searched for a way to immortalize their legacy and were able to come up with the magical characters known as ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs from the heavenly gods to be used as a passage to the other side, the underworld. [4] Another account stated that Khonshu was in fact the adopted son of Amon Ra. A'ah - An early moon god who evolved into Iah (also known as Yah) and, eventually, Khonsu. Moreover, it comes as no surprise that Dhumavatis animal guardian is the crow. She is depicted as a woman with a house on her head. He had his own temple at Heliopolis where he was associated with Osiris in a mummified form symbolizing his protective powers in the afterlife. He is most likely the same god referred to as Khenty-Tjenenet in the period of the Old Kingdom (c. 2613-2181 BCE). Sopdu was associated with Horus and the deified king in his astral form. Ra then had a vat of beer dyed red, to resemble blood, and placed at Dendera which Hathor, in her blood lust, drank. She was the daughter of Ra and closely associated with Hathor. Wenenu - A protective god, aspect of Osiris or sometimes Ra, consort of Unut. She is further identified as the consort of Bes, the dwarf god of childbirth, sexuality, humor, and war. He can never return to the wild because can no longer fly or fend for himself. Hieroglyphs of the large heron in Egypt's later periods represented the Bennu . He is depicted as a mummy holding the crook and flail with a uraeus and moon disc on his head. She is only known from a single stela at Abydos which shows her standing with the ankh in one hand and a staff in the other as a woman and her daughter approach to pay her homage. The ceiling is a symbolic representation of the heavens, featuring the waxing and waning of the moon as it travels across the heavens in the . Hathor, for example, was a goddess of music, dancing, and drunkenness but was also understood as an ancient Mother Goddess, also associated with the Milky Way as a divine reflection of the Nile River, and, in her earlier incarnation as Sekhmet, as a destroyer. Because of her connection to magic, shapeshifting and being a psychopomp (guiding Arthur to the afterlife), she also has an inseparable link to the crow. Lates-Fish - The Nile perch sacred to the goddess Neith, worshipped as a divine entity as Esna. During the Middle Ages it was thought that if a crow circled a rooftop three times it foreshadowed the death of the person inside the dwelling. Onuris (Anhur) - He was a god of war and hunting. He was the protector of kingship and the individual king. She is depicted as a cow or a woman with a cow's head and evolved from the earlier goddess Bat. Ancient Egypt: the Mythology - Nephthys Home :: the Gods :: Nephthys Nephthys (Nebt-het, Nebhet) Symbols: kite, crow, bones and skulls Cult Center: Heliopolis Nephthys was the daughter of Geb and Nut and the sister of Osiris, Isis and Seth . A crow - CC via Pixabay Crows have a complicated relationship with people, as they considered an omen of bad luck. He was the consort of the goddess of sexual pleasure and sacred ecstasy Qudshu (Qadesh) and was worshipped with her in a triad which included the fertility god Min. Haurun - A protector god associated with the Great Sphinx of Giza. Mestjet - A lion-headed goddess worshipped at Abydos as one of the many aspects of the Eye of Ra. The Bennu Bird was closely associated with Atum, Ra, and Osiris. Thoth was the patron of wisdom and learning. He evolved from a god of agriculture and growth to the god of craftsmen and guardian of the Memphis necropolis after Osiris became more popular. 3 Manga "Egyptian God" cards. After the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE, her worship traveled to Greece and then to Rome. Triads are also seen in depictions of the afterlife where ram, lion, and jackal-headed gods are grouped together. Shay (Shai) - The personification of fate. Sekhmet - One of the most significant goddesses of ancient Egypt. Hathor became associated with the sistrum specifically and music generally but, earlier, Merit was the goddess who "conducted" the symphony of order which accompanied creation. Willockx, Sjef. In the afterlife she appeared as the "Lady of Justification" linking her with the goddess Ma'at. DNA. Ancient Egyptian deities were an integral part of ancient Egyptian religion and were worshipped for millennia. Nephthys features prominently in the Osiris myth when she transforms herself into the form of Isis to seduce Osiris, when she betrays the location of Osiris' body to Set, and when she helps her sister revive the dead king. Well, its my meditation which actually dragged me to find this pageI saw a man with crow head standing near a magic future ballhe was just looking at me as I was in his world That was only once I saw him not afterwards but still I sometimes think of that figure.. She was part of the Triad of Heliopolis along with Mnevis and Anubis. Anhur (Han-her) - Also known as Onuris by the Greeks. Linked by the Greeks with the Furies because of his vengeful nature. Bes (Aha or Bisu) - God of childbirth, fertility, sexuality, humor, and war, popularly known as the Dwarf god. In this role he was benevolent but some inscriptions suggest he was an enemy of order who threatened the deceased king on his entrance to the underworld. Gerard Butler and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau star as rival gods Set and Horus, who are locked in a war to rule the universe. Depicted as a child with a sistrum. Her association with measurements eventually made her the patroness of builders, architects, and those who dealt in accounting for cattle, other animals, and captives seized in war. When he comes of age he battles his uncle for the kingdom and wins, restoring order to the land. Her wooden cottage has a chicken foot as its foundation, and Baba Yaga herself flies around in a mortar with a pestle in hand. Contents. Raettawy (Raet or Raet-Tawy) - She was the female aspect of Ra. Ma'at embodied the principle of ma'at (harmony) which was central to the culture of ancient Egypt. translations, translated by Raymond O. Faulkner; with additional; Wasserman, a commentary by Ogden Goelet JR.; with color illustrations from the facsimile volume produced in 1890 under the supervision of E.A. He held power over fire and was strong enough to destroy the gods. Their afterlife was a mirror-image of their lives on earth, assuring them of continued existence if the gods judged them worthy of it. As the soul of Ra (the supreme sun god), the Bennu represented the rising and setting sun. Amunet - The female counterpart of Amun, member of the Ogdoad. His symbols are the Eye of Horus and the hawk. The more famous gods became state deities while others were associated . Her name means "She Who Runs" for the speed with which she dispensed justice. His name means "Opener of the Ways" and this has been interpreted as opening the way for king in battle, opening the way to the afterlife, and opening the way at one's birth. I love watching them. Apis - The Divine Bull worshipped at Memphis as an incarnation of the god Ptah. Many of them ruled over natural and social phenomena, as well as abstract concepts. One of her names is "The Lady of Drunkenness". Ptah - One of the oldest Egyptian gods who appears in the First Dynastic Period (c. 3150-2613 BCE) but most likely dates from the Predynastic Period (c. 6000-3150 BCE). Her name means "Powerful" and is usually interpreted as "The Female Powerful One". She is frequently invoked in healing spells and associated with the goddess Serket. There is a time for every action and aspect of existence within ma'at but all must be recognized and acted upon at appropriate times. Also known as Set, Setekh, Suty and Sutekh. In the modern day, the caduceus is frequently confused with the Rod of Asclepius in iconography related to the medical profession. Ba'alat Gebal - Phoenician goddess of the city of Byblos, a protector deity, incorporated into Egyptian worship through her association with papyrus, which came from Byblos. The work was so brilliant it was considered the work of a god and he was deified after death. He is always shown in a front-facing position of protection watching over his charges. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Their mysterious presence. He was the god of darkness, chaos, and confusion, and is represented as a man with an unknown animal head, often described as a Typhonian by the Greeks who associated him with the god Typhon. I see Ravens all the time here in Arizona. Banebdjedet - A fertility/virility god who appears as a ram or a man with a ram's head, associated with the city of Mendes, eventually another name for Osiris. Peak - Known as "Peak of the West", the personification of the highest peak of the cliffs which overshadowed the Valley of the Kings and worshipped by the workers at Deir el-Medina as a protective power. Ash (As) - God of the Libyan desert, a kindly deity who provided the oasis for travelers. He was later considered his own deity and became associated with sweet-smelling flowers. Ba-Pef - God of terror, specifically spiritual terror. She is associated with the better-known Hippopotamus goddess Taweret and, as a sky goddess and protective force, with Hathor and Nut. He appears in one story as gambling for the five days required for Nut to give birth to the First Five Gods and in others as mediating between the gods and delivering messages. Heret-Kau - A protective goddess whose name means "She Who is Above the Spirits". They consider black cats as evil creatures because devils live and exist in cats' bodies. The Egyptian goddess Nekhbet was the protectress of the king and goddess of heaven. She was also present at the judgment of the soul in the afterlife as a comforter and so was with an individual at birth, through life, and after death. She was the daughter of Ra and, in some stories, wife of Horus the Elder. I feel the pain of the bone driving through my flesh even as Im aware on some deeper level that what shes doing is necessary and good. Rainbow Crow flew up and up, on and on, and up and up for three long days. 'Harakhte' means "Horus of the Horizon". There was also a Little Ennead venerated at Heliopolis of minor deities. The son of Geb and Nut, Osiris was murdered and dismembered by his jealous brother, Seth. After Atum transformed into the monstrous Demogorge and drove off the destructive Elder Gods that threatened Earth, he eventually came to be known as "Ammon Ra" and was . His consorts were Anat and Astarte, both goddesses associated with war and both from foreign countries, as well as Taweret, the benign protective goddess of childbirth and fertility. "GVC09-24: Mystical creatures and gods -Egyptian". One kept returning to my garden and the other disappeared for a while and later returned with a wee one! Baba Yaga: Slavic Crow Goddess Baba Yaga is a popular folkloric figure in Slavic countries who was once venerated in ancient times as a goddess. Male: Egyptian-Amsu: Personification of reproduction. He possibly an aspect of the god Nefertum, also a son of Bastet, and formed a triad with Nefertum and Imhotep at Memphis. Direct by TCGplayer Near Mint 1st Edition $1.20. They painted images of Bastet on their shields and drove animals in front of their army knowing the Egyptians would rather surrender than offend their goddess. Often equated with Aphrodite of Greece, Astarte of Phoenicia, Inanna of Mesopotamia, and Sauska of the Hittites. Wadj-Wer (Uat-Ur) - The personification of the Mediterranean Sea whose name means "The Great Green". His association with the primordial mound linked him with Ptah and, through Ptah, with Atum and Ra, the other names for the creator god/sun god. Like the other leonine deities, she is a fierce protector of her followers and avenges wrongs done to them. He is closely associated with ma'at the concept and Ma'at the goddess who personified harmony in that he served as a just mediator between the gods in their disputes. Iabet - Goddess of fertility and rebirth, known as "She of the East" and sometimes associated with Amenet ("She of the West"). He is known as "The Victorious Herdsman" for a popular spell recited in his name for protection before going hunting. As a protective god, Bes also fended off dark magic, ghosts, spirits, and demons. They still know it now. Blackbirds are finches. He presided over the north, had the form of a baboon, and was watched over by Nephthys. She was associated with the god Wenenu, depicted as a man with a rabbit's head, who was an aspect of Osiris or sometimes Ra. She was known as "Smiter of the Nubians" in this regard but she also brought natural disaster. The crows in popular culture - Norse mythology. They were known as The Great Ennead. Tefnut is the mother of Geb (earth) and Nut (sky) who were born so human beings could have somewhere to live. Many gods and goddesses, such as Set or Serket, transformed through time to take on other roles and responsibilities. Even when the god Amun rose in prominence, Ra's position was undiminished and he merged with Amun to become Amun-Ra, the supreme god. She was also referred to as Uajyt in her aggressive form and was the counter-balance to the more motherly Nekhbet, her sister. And with a very calm purposeful look on her face ( never making eye contact with me) she reaches with her other hand for a skinny bone wand and stabs me with it right at an acupressure point between my shoulder and right breast. Anti - A Hawk god of Upper Egypt sometimes associated with Anat. She was thought to hunt at night and terrify her enemies. Asclepius (Aesculapius) - A god of healing of the Greeks also worshipped in Egypt at Saqqara and identified with the deified Imhotep. His name means "Beautiful Atum". Eventually, she was absorbed by Hathor who took on her characteristics. Each deity had their own area of expertise but were often associated with several spheres of human life. Amun (also known as Amun-Ra) was the most powerful god in ancient Egypt. He was probably an early fertility god and is associated with the moringa tree which, in an early myth, he liked to rest beneath. Serapis was a complete blend of Egyptian and Greek ideals who suited the kind of society Ptolemy I encouraged. He had a major temple in western Thebes and a healing center at Deir el-Bahri. When I checked him over he had a broken wing which had healed but he could no longer fly as a result he was close to starving to death. Osiris was the god of life and fertility in the world, before his brother, the god "Set", the evil god, killed him to become the god of the dead and the reckoning in the underworld. Khentekhtai (Khente-Khtai) - He was a crocodile god worshipped in the Fourth Dynasty (c. 2613-2498 BCE) at the city of Athribis. He was eventually absorbed by Wepwawet or it could be that Wepwawet (whose name means "Opener of the Ways") was simply one of Sed's epithets which became more popular. Ra had a vat of beer dyed red to attract Sekhmet's blood lust and left it at Dendera where she drank it and fell into a deep sleep; when she woke she was the benevolent Hathor. 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. She was closely associated with other leonine deities such as Bastet and Pakhet and was thought to be the aggressive, violent aspect of the goddess Mut. Created By Olivia Brown. The king was thought to be the living incarnation of Horus and, through him, the god gave all good things to his people. The scholar Wilkinson cites a text known as Instructions of Amenemopet which states, "None can ignore Shay" (128). Tayet (Tait) - Goddess of weaving who provided the clothes for the king. Early African tribes worshiped these birdlike gods and honored their feathers as a means of sacred ritual. He presided over the Sed Festival (also known as the Heb-Sed Festival) which was held every thirty years of a king's rule to rejuvenate him. Isis - The most powerful and popular goddess in Egyptian history. She is typically depicted as an old hag who lives in a hut in the woods. Tatenen - An earth god who personified the primordial mound at creation and symbolized the land of Egypt. He is depicted as a serpent and, like Heka, has always existed. Historian Margaret Bunson writes: The numerous gods of Egypt were the focal points of the nation's cultic rites and personal religious practices. The reasoning, Tobin explained, is because the gods are "mysterious and indefinable" therefore humanity cannot know . She symbolized the vengeful aspect of the Eye of Ra. The two are referred to as "The Two Ladies". Conversely, he is also depicted as protecting the king. He presided over the west, had the form of a hawk, and was watched over by Serket. Osiris was originally a fertility god who grew in popularity and influence through the Osiris Myth in which he is killed by his brother, Set, brought back to life by his wife Isis, fathers sky god Horus, and descends to the underworld as Judge of the Dead.