As you know, primitive people did not yet have faith in the gods. They believed in a totem - a sacred animal, which was the ancestor and patron of the tribe. The birthplace of the first gods was one of the earliest and most advanced civilizations of antiquity - Ancient Egypt. The echoes of the Egyptians still have echoes of totemism, so their gods are bestial: most of them have human bodies and the heads of various animals.
The pantheon of Egyptian gods is very large and diverse. One of the few gods portrayed in human form, in it is the god of fertility and the patron saint of the underworld Osiris, who was once the pharaoh of Egypt.
Hunting deities
The leading place in the life and economic activity of the Egyptians was cattle breeding. Therefore, already in ancient times, a bull, a cow and a ram began to be deified. Bull Apis, like Osiris, was considered the god of fertility. It must have been black with two bright marks: in the shape of a triangle on the forehead, in the form of a flying scarab or a kite on the back.
In the form of a cow or a woman with cow horns and ears, the goddess of heaven and the patroness of nature, Hathor, were worshiped. Under the guise of a cow, the goddess Isis was also revered. She was considered the wisest of goddesses, possessing secret knowledge and spells.
Ram in different places was considered the embodiment of different gods. For example, the ram-headed god Khnum was revered as the creator of the world.
The patron saint of the living pharaohs was the son of Osiris and Isis Gore, the sun god, portrayed in the guise of a falcon or a man with a falcon head. Seth, the god of evil and foreign lands, was portrayed as a man with a donkey head. The closest assistant to Osiris - the embalming god and guide of the souls of the dead Anubis - was originally depicted in the guise of a jackal lying on his stomach, raising his head, and later - as a person with the head of a dog.
The most beautiful of the goddesses was considered the goddess of love, joy and fun Bast, portrayed as a woman with a cat's head. No wonder cats to this day are in Egypt one of the most revered animals. With the head of a lioness depicted the ominous goddess of war and the scorching sun Sekhmet.
The wisest of the gods He, who was considered the patron saint of science and chronology, was depicted with the head of a baboon. The god of water and the Nile spills, Sebek - with the head of a crocodile. Heper, the god of life and self-regeneration, was revered in the guise of a Scarab holding a solar disk.
