Egyptian mythology
Egyptian mythology of the ancient Egyptian religion encompasses the beliefs and rituals of Ancient Egypt. It was followed for over three thousand years until the establishment of Christianity and Islam.
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Egyptian mythology and furry[edit]
The Egyptian mythos is notable amongst furries for their gods being represented in artwork as anthropomorphic animals. While animal worship in religion was certainly not a new concept by the time of Ancient Egyptian culture, and may have had a leading factor in the creation of these new anthropomorphic animal gods, some furry spiritualists consider this to be one of the earliest forms of furry.
Egyptian deities bearing anthropomorphic animal features[edit]
.- Anubis, god of the dead - Traditionally bearing the head of a jackal.
- Anhur, god of war and the Slayer of Enemies, sometimes depicted as an anthropomorphic Lion instead of a human.
- Bast, goddess of cats and perfume - Traditionally bearing the head of a cat.
- Bes, protector of pregnant women, newborn babies, and families - Traditionally portrayed as an anthropomorphic lion.
- Geb, god of the Earth - Portrayed as a goose.
- Hathor, goddess of love - Depicted as a cow.
- Horus, god of the sky - Traditionally bearing the head of a falcon.
- Isis, protective goddess - Sometimes depicted as having the head of a cow.
- Kebechet, goddess of Embalming - Depicted as having the head of a snake or an ostrich.
- Khnum, god of the River nile - Traditionally bearing the head of a ram.
- Nephthys, goddess of the Dead - Depicted as a kite, a milan falcon, or as a woman with a falcon's wings.
- Osiris, god of the dead, and Ruler of the Underworld - Portrayed in early religion as having the head of a ram.
- Ra, god of the sun - Sometimes depicted with a falcon head.
- Sekhmet, goddess of war - Traditionally bearing the head of a lioness.
- Set, god of chaos - Traditionally bearing the head of an aardvark-like creature; Egyptologists disagree on what exactly animal his head is.
- Sobek, god of fertility and the might of the Egyptian pharaohs - Depicted as a crocodile or in human form with the head of a crocodile.
- Thoth, voice of Ra - Traditionally bearing the head of an ibis.
- Wadjet, goddess of Lower Egypt - Portrayed as a cobra.
Furry characteristics in Egyptian mythology[edit]
Egyptian art offered early examples of chimera-creatures of varying sorts. A notable chimeric deity was the demon Ammit, a creature depicted with the head of a crocodile, the front part of her body like a lion or leopard, and her back part in the form of a hippopotamus. While not a worshiped goddess, she was one of the most feared deities in Egyptian culture, for she represented divine retribution in the afterlife.
Another popular creature was the griffin (or gryphon). In Ancient Egypt, the griffin was depicted with a slender, feline body and the head of a falcon. Early statues depict them with wings that are horizontal and parallel along the back of the body. During the New Kingdom, griffins were included in depictions of hunting scenes. Divine figures depicted as griffins in Egyptian mythology included Sefer, Sefert, and Axex.
Yet another furry chimera from Ancient Egypt is the sphinx, an image of a recumbent lion with the head of a ram, of a falcon or of a person, invented by the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom.
References[edit]
- Pinch, Geraldine, "Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of ancient Egypt". Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-19-517024-5
External links[edit]
- Ancient Egyptian religion on Wikipedia
- Ancient Egypt: the Mythology - most comprehensive site on ancient Egyptian mythology on the Web
- Egyptian Mythology - Egypt's official site on Egyptian mythology
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