Ancient Egyptian Gods A
- Aken
- As the mythology developed, so did the idea that Meseket was controlled by a separate ferryman, who became known as Aken. The underworld was composed of the general area, named Duat, and a more pleasant area to which the morally righteous were permitted, named Aaru. Anubis had become merely the god of embalming, and Osiris, though lord of the whole underworld, dwelt specifically in Aaru. As both an underworld deity, and subservient to Osiris, Aken became known as Cherti (also spelt Kherty), meaning (one who is) subservient. The main centre of his cult became Letopolis.
- Aker
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An earth-god also presiding over the juncture of the western and eastern horizons in the underworld. There are strong indications that Aker was worshipped before other known Egyptian gods of the earth, such as Geb. In particular, the Pyramid texts make a sinister statement that the Akeru (plural of Aker) will not seize the pharaoh, as if this were something that might have happened, and was something of which to be afraid.
Initially Aker was depicted as a narrow strip of land with a human or lion head at each end, but later the strip of land was replaced by the hieroglyphic sign meaning "horizon". - Amaunet
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A goddess whose name means "hidden one" and whose shadoe, among the primeval gods, is a symbol of protection. A diety at Karnak temple at least sinse Dynasty XII, she is predominantly the consort of Amun playing, however, a less prolific role that his other wife Mut.
In Egyptian mythology, Amunet (also spelled Amonet, Amaunet, Amentet, Amentit, Imentet, Imentit, and Ament) was a deity having several different characteristics during the long history of the pantheon of Ancient Egypt. Initially, Amunet was the female aspect of an abstract concept for air and invisibility and aspect of Hathor. This deity was without gender, but divided between Amunet and Amun for female and male aspects. - Amenhotep-Son-of-Hapu
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He is said to have been born at the end of Thutmose III's reign, in the town of Athribis. He was an architect, a priest, a scribe, and a public official, who held a number of offices under Amenhotep III. High official of the reign of Amenhotep III of ancient Egypt (reigned 1390–53 bce), who was greatly honoured by the king within his lifetime and was deified more than 1,000 years later during the Ptolemaic era.
Amenhotep came from Athribis in the Delta and rose to prominence in the theban court. He was responsible for recruiting military personal and laborers for state building projects. As chief architect of the pharaoh he must have been involved in the lavish programe of temple construction – not only at Thebes but also in Nubia at the temple of Soleb.
After his death, his reputation grew and he was revered for his teachings and as a philosopher. He was also revered as a healer and eventually worshipped as a god of healing, like his predecessor Imhotep. - Am-Heh
- A threatening Underworld god whose name means "Devourer of Millions". He dwells in a lake of fire. His ferocity is heightened by having the face of a hunting dog and an appetite for sacrifices. Only Atum can fend off Am-heh.
- Ammut [see; Papyrus of Hunefer, Dyn. XIX British Museum]
- Underworld goddess whose name, "Devouress of the dead", aptly conveys her grim role as annihilator of those who have led wicked lives on earth. In funerary papyri she is shown in the vignette showing the weighing of the heart in the hall of two truths. This goddess incorporates the crocodile (head), lion or leopard (front legs & middle) and the rear of a hippopotamus. Called the "Great of Death" in some papyri, her task is to swallow the heart of anyone unfit in the realm of Osiris. (The Ancient Egyptians thought the heart was the seat of the soul, so she is essentially the "Devourer of Souls.")
- Amun
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Primeval deity and supreme god of the Egyptian pantheon.
The Nile Goose is sacred to Amun probably on account of its association
with the act of creation. The pre-eminent sacred creature of Amun is the
ram with curved horns.
Amun's name seems to be connected with the word meaning "to conceal" and it is indicative of the Egyptian's own ideas on the god's nature to interpret it as the "hidden one".
First mentioned in the pyramid texts as ascending to the sky, the king as the son of Geb will sit "upon the throne of Amun". Amun has status among the primeval deities and protects the gods with his shadow. Perhaps these thoughts are the embryo of Amun's universal kingship.
As he became more significant, he was paired with a goddess (his counterpart, Amunet, being the female aspect of the early concept of air, rather than a wife), and since he was becoming identified as a creator, it was considered more appropriate to designate him as the spouse of the divine mother from whom the cosmos emerged to enhance his status. By the time that Amun rose to this recognition, the divine mother was Mut.
In the New Kingdom the divinity of Amun was enhanced by interpreting him as a mysterious manifestation of the ancient sun-god of Heliopolis. Since the Middle Kingdom certain Egyptian rulers had been given names incorpating that of the god:
| Amenemhat | Amun is pre-eminent |
| Amenhotep | Amun is content |
| Hatshepsut Khenemet | Amun United with Amun |