Ancient Egyptians revered and worshipped various animals as symbols of power, strength, ferocity and royalty.
Thoth was worshipped as the deity of writing and wisdom as well as judgement; his deities would weigh the hearts of dead souls to decide their entry into heaven or hell.
Ibis
Threskiornis aethiopicus was an ibis bird sacred to the Egyptian God Thoth and is depicted alongside him in many hieroglyphic texts found on Egyptian monuments. This symbolic bird held strong associations for Thoth as the God of writing, magic and judgment – as evidenced by its symbolic value depicted alongside him on Egyptian monuments.
Ibises were one of the more commonly used animals for creating mummies in Ancient Egypt. Such offerings could be seen at temples and cemeteries throughout Egypt in order to request God’s favour or pay respects to the dead; small mummies of animals were especially prevalent, with millions made out of Ibises being offered across the country – typically found stuffed into conical jars with beaks folded over their bodies as offerings made in honour of Thoth; however a new study indicates these birds weren’t domesticated but instead captured in their natural environments rather than domesticated by humans before burial in cemeteries!
National Geographic recently covered an interesting study conducted by Antoaneta Roussi and her colleagues, which discovered that an Ibis Mummy contained broken wings. Roussi argued this suggested it may not have come from a farm as such injuries would likely not prevent ibises from hunting and fleeing predators; she suggests instead it may have been part of an offering by someone worshipping with an ibis in their home and was likely interred near its location of sacrifice.
National Geographic recently covered an interesting study conducted by Antoaneta Roussi and her colleagues, which discovered that an Ibis Mummy contained broken wings. Roussi argued this suggested it may not have come from a farm as such injuries would likely not prevent ibises from hunting and fleeing predators; she suggests instead it may have been part of an offering by someone worshipping with an ibis in their home and was likely interred near its location of sacrifice.
Ancient Egyptians held other animals sacred, such as Bastet, the cat goddess associated with protection, fertility, offspring and childbirth. Expectant mothers would wear amulets of cats with kittens as protective amulets, while wealthy Egyptians kept cats as pets.
Snakes were symbols of justice, fertility and royalty in Egypt; cobras, in particular, were sacred to Wadjet. One giant serpent named Methen acted as a guardian of Re’s boat when sailing through the Underworld, further endearing him to Egyptians.
Crocodiles were considered sacred by Amnut, Sobek and Taweret – gods of justice, power and respect, respectively – who revered crocs for their beauty, power and respect, respectively. Ancient Egyptian lakes and ponds where crocodiles could be fed were located throughout Egypt, with many temples dedicated to these gods built around these waters as feeding sites for these reptiles.
Vulture
Egyptians believed vultures to be born without male intervention from eggs laid within nests and associated them with purity and motherhood, thus associating vultures with purity and motherhood. Therefore, they were held sacred to goddess Nekhbet, who served as patron for Upper Egypt as well as a nurse of Pharaohs, her symbol being immortalized as that of the letter A in their hieroglyphic alphabet.
Vultures are among the few birds capable of using tools. When they find an egg that may be suitable for them, they will look for stones that fit comfortably in their bills and repeatedly strike them against it until it breaks open – an impressive demonstration that they are more than “bird-brained” but highly intelligent as well!
Bes was revered not as an individual deity but as an all-around protector; its worship included pregnancy and childbirth protection as well as protection from snakes and spirits. Additionally, she protected households as well as livestock.
Another unique characteristic of vultures is their monogamous relationship. During the breeding season, male vultures build large nests from scraps of old clothing and hair, while courtship displays are performed swooping displays between pairs of them. Once females lay eggs, both parents will feed the chicks until the fledge time at approximately 85 days post-hatch.
Vultures are diurnal birds of prey that hunt by sight rather than smell, preferring open areas where they can see carcasses from high up, often following other vultures in order to verify their freshness before diving in themselves.
Egyptians would offer sacrificed animals to certain gods in order to appease them and then mummify them into family pets – such as vultures. Such pets were considered VIPs of their species and therefore received elaborately designed mummies buried alongside their owners; hence, the reason so many Egyptian mummies remain so intact today! In addition to being beautiful examples of animal preservation, many believed vulture mummies had the power to protect owners from danger afterlife by serving as protectors from any potential evil or danger in the afterlife – such mummies were believed to ward off evil while protecting their owner against danger in the afterlife!
Scarab Beetle
The scarab beetle, also known as the Khepri, was an integral symbol of renewal and rebirth in ancient Egyptian religion. These robust insects collected animal dung from animals before rolling it up into balls for fertilized eggs to lay, which then hatch into beetles that feed on it later – this process repeated itself every day, just like how Egyptians thought the sun travelled across the sky every day; hence scarabs became associated with divinity as well as humans and were even used by pharaohs themselves to signify their connection with divinity!
Hatshepsut, Egypt’s first female pharaoh, had one of these amulets specially made of gold and decorated with precious stones to provide protection and good fortune. Scarab amulets commonly featured an engraving featuring “khepri” (an Egyptian term meaning beetle God associated with rebirth and immortality).
Other types of scarab amulets included heart scarabs that would be placed over a deceased’s body in order to ensure their rebirth in the afterlife. Egyptians also added bird wings into some pectoral funerary scarabs as an amulet against death, believing this would allow souls to pass more peacefully into the afterlife – this also connected Khepri, God of rebirth, who is often depicted with bird wings on his figure.
Ancient Egyptians frequently depicted their gods with animal characteristics such as full-body or head images of ibises, lions, falcons, house cats and crocodiles as representations of them; Thoth and Horus often took on forms associated with non-Egyptian creatures, like the hamadryas baboon – an unusual practice even today!
Animals were revered both as symbols and for their role in daily life in ancient Egypt, such as Ammit’s crocodile-headed chimaera or Kek’s rearing cobra, which were both essential aspects of daily living. Furthermore, this veneration helped humans connect to divinity via the worship of the gods they venerated.
Birds
Egyptians revered God and saw divine beings everywhere they turned their gaze, often perceiving trees, flowers and animals as manifestations of specific deities – often bulls, cows, dogs and cats as manifestations of different gods – including birds such as falcons and vultures who were seen as messengers from above.
Birds were highly revered creatures throughout Egypt due to the many gods they represented as well as their role in creation and rebirth, leading many people to mummify many birds for burial purposes; as a result, thousands of bird mummies have been discovered throughout Egypt as well as their remains. Victual mummies provided food for afterlife meals while sacred ones preserved an embodiment of God, pet mummies offered shelter to beloved pets, or votive offerings to various gods were all popular choices for mummification purposes.
The Falcon or Hawk was often associated with Horus as his protector and believed to possess special protective powers that could bring good fortune and luck to the deceased pharaoh’s descendants after death.
Eagles were often seen as symbols of power and victory, representing strength against invaders or harmful forces. One significant bird symbolizing its significance was depicted perched atop pyramids as protection by gods against invasion or evil forces.
Heron birds were beloved symbols, representing sun and renewal, with some believing them to be the precursor of Phoenix birds that rose from death and back again.
Goose or Geese was revered by ancient Egyptians, both as a sign of fertility and as protection during childbirth. A popular folktale tells the tale of a beautiful voice calling men walking along the Nile bank to come closer and closer until they fall into it, eventually drowning themselves – an analogy to Siren of Greek myth and that creepy girl in Ring movies.
