Being able to tell the difference between the many Gods and Goddesses of ancient Egypt can be difficult. Many of their traits overlap and, with the progress of time, many of them have changed from the Old Kingdom up to the Grecian occupation. So let’s look at some of the more common Gods and how to identify them.
Osiris
Osiris is quite identifiable. He is a God with green skin (though this trait is shared with several others) and he bears the white crown of Upper Egypt. He is also represented as a mummified man, meaning he is clad in white linen wrappings. He wears a collar, a royal beard, and holds a crook and flail. His name in hieroglyphs is easy to remember as it is only the Eye of Ra, the throne of Egypt, and then the determinative that this is a royal name.
Thoth
Thoth is also a very identifiable God because he is one of the only Gods with an ibis head. However, he is also sometimes portrayed as a full baboon, but rarely as a human with a baboon head. He often carries an ankh with him. Above him, he can sometimes wear the Atef crown—the double crown of lower and upper Egypt—but commonly bears a lunar disk type crown that rests on a crescent moon. His name in hieroglyphs can be quite long but there is, fortunately, a short version which is very easy to identify, as it is made up of an ibis, a loaf of bread, and two slash marks. Like Osiris and all other gods, there is a determinative that shows this is a God’s name.
raised hands of great finesse, kom ombo temple - egypt // holding hands, persepolis - iran // egyptian colossal of ramesses II and the goddess sekhmet // temple of horus at edfu
Used traditionally as an amulet worn, carried, or used as an offering. It is modeled after a plant called wadj, meaning green. Meant to invoke vitality and regeneration.
