Blair wascom: Ancient Egyptian art of gods and goddesses.

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This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.

In this exhibition there are four goddesses and one god that will give you an idea of what Egyptian's believed in. Ancient Egypt had over 2,000 names of gods. Egyptians would worship more then one god. Villages would chose gods to represent and many individuals would chose a god depending on their profession. God's were characters in myths that described and explained the ancient Egyptian belief of the universe. Egyptian's would see their gods through human, animal and hybrid forms. Animals were chosen to represent the powers of the gods as well as crowns and headdress for symbol of power and status. God's were assumed to be present throughout the world capable of influencing natural events, and the course of human lives. Egyptians prayed for help, used rituals to compel gods to act and called upon them for advise. Human relations with their gods were a fundamental part of Egyptian society (www.wikipedia.org). Temples were built in honor of their god or goddesses and daily rituals took place in the temples where the gods were cared for by a priest. Festivals were a time where everyone could worship all the different gods and goddesses.

Goddess Bastet, Unknown, -0700/-0300, From the collection of: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden

Artist: Unknown Title: Goddess Bastes Date: 700-300 BC Size: 18.5cm Country: Unknown -Protective goddess. -Daughter of son god, Ra. -Goddess of good fortune, music, dance, sunrise, fire, fertility and family. - Woman with the head of a cat. Holds a rattle and bag over left shoulder. -Become protector of lower Egypt. The goddess Bastet was usually represented as a woman with the head of a cat until 1000 BC she was viewed as a lioness. When she was a cat, she was connected with the moon. When she was a lioness she was associated with sunlight. Bastet was the goddess of fire, cats, of the home and pregnant women. She had two personalities docile and aggressive. Her docile side was shown in her duties as a protector of the home and pregnant women. Her aggressive side were shown in battles where she slaughtered her victims.

Upper Part of Figurine of the Goddess Isis, Unknown, 305-30 B.C.E., From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum

Artist: Unknown Title: Upper Part of Figurine of Goddess Isis Date: 305-300 BCE Country: Egypt Size: 7x4.5x3.5cm -Woman with headdress in shape of a throne. -Used powerful magic spells to help people in need. -Wife of Osiris and mother of Horus. -Associated with thrones because her lap was the first throne Horus sat on. -Wore a pair of cowhorns with a sun disk.(not in picture). Isis is a woman wearing a vulture head-dress and solar disk between a pair of horns. Isis as a woman wears an ordinary head-dress of a woman with the uraeus over her forehead. When Isis husband, Osiris, it is said that she went looking for his body to bury but through magic she brought him back to life so he could impregnate her with their son Horus. Isis was a great magician and famous for her magical skills. She had to protect Horus at his childhood from his Uncle Seth who wanted to kill him.

Figurine of god Anubis, unknown, -700/-332, From the collection of: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden

Artist: Unknown Title: Figurine of god Anubis Date: 700-332 BC Country: Unknown Size: 14,9cm -Original god of the dead. -Jackal life animal with black head representing death. -Patron of lost souls and the funeral rites. -Son of Osiris and Nephthys. -Anubis had many rolls as the god of the afterlife. The jackal god of mummification, helped with the rites of when a dead man was sent to the underworld. Anubis is viewed as a man with the head of a jackal holding the sceptre that is carried by kings and gods. His symbol was a black and white ox hide splattered with blood and hung from a pole. Anubis monitored the Scales of Truth to protect the dead from deception and eternal death and also helped with the embalming of bodies.

Statuette of the Goddess Mut, Unknown, ca. 664-525 B.C.E., From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum

Artist: Unknown Title: Statuette of the Goddess Mut Date: 664-525 B.C.E. Country: Egypt Size: 16.2x3.8x4.8cm -Queen of goddesses and lady of heaven. -Mut was bisexual. -Wears the double crown of Egypt. -Married to Amun. -Mother of all living things. Mut is viewed as a woman wearing the united crowns of the North and the South. In her hands she holds the papyrus sceptre and the emblem of life. Some think of Mut having the heads of a man, a woman, a vulture and a lioness. Mut is a goddesses who was self-created.

Statuette of Hathor, Unknown, ca. 664-30 B.C.E. or later, From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum

Artist: Unknown Title: Statuette of Hathor Dates:664-30 B.C.E Country: Memphis, Egypt Size: 19x3.7x7.3cm -Goddess of beauty and cosmetic arts. -Known as Lady of stars. -Protective goddess and goddess of love. -Woman with ears of cow. -Wife of Horus and mother of Pharaoh. The horned cow-goddess of love,happiness, dance and music and a protector of women. She is thought of as a cow, a woman with the head of a cow, or as a woman who wears cow-horns. It was said that when a child was born seven Hathors came to the bedside to announce their fate. The seven Hathors knew the future and moment of death for every Egyptian.

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This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.

Brooklyn Museum

Rijksmuseum van Oudheden