Don't Know Much About Mythology - Kenneth C. Davis [46]
Ammut The goddess known as the “eater (devourer) of the dead” stands by the scales when the hearts of the dead are weighed at the entrance to the underworld. If the dead person has led a wicked life and is not fit to survive into the next world, Ammut eats the heart. There are, however, no accounts of anyone failing that test. Terrifying to behold, Ammut incorporates three of the most feared animals of ancient Egypt, with the head of a crocodile, the body of a lion, and the hindlegs of a hippopotamus.
Anubis The god of embalming and cemeteries, he is the jackal-headed son of Osiris and his sister Nephthys. The connection between the jackal and death probably came from people seeing the desert canines who scavenged in the shallow graves of early cemeteries. Adopted by Isis, Anubis becomes her devoted servant and plays a role in the Isis-Osiris story, wrapping the dead Osiris in bandages and making him the first mummy. After Osiris becomes lord of the underworld, Anubis joins him and presides over the crucial ceremony of weighing the heart. Those who pass this crucial test are then taken by Anubis to be judged in person by Osiris.
Anubis became the patron of embalmers, and priests who supervised the preparation of the mummy wore a jackal-headed Anubis mask.
Bast (or Bastet) The daughter of the sun god Re, she is the popular, catlike goddess of love, sexuality, and childbirth. At her cult city, Bubastis in the Nile Delta, thousands of cats, which were prized by Egyptians and thought to be lucky, were mummified in her honor.
Bes A popular household god, he is an ugly but friendly dwarf god who frightens away evil spirits, and his name may have meant “to protect.” He was likely a god who developed later in Egyptian history and has similarities with about ten other gods. But as Bes, he is one of the most widely worshipped gods, whose image was often found in households on headrests and beds as well as on mirrors and cosmetic items. Because of his benevolent nature, Bes is often depicted with Taweret (“the great female one”), a goddess of childbirth, because he also looks on while women give birth, and is considered a good-luck figure. In spite of her benevolent role, Taweret, who protected women during childbirth, has many fearsome animal attributes and is portrayed with the head of a hippopotamus, a lion’s limbs, the tail of a crocodile, a swollen human belly, and breasts—her forbidding appearance is thought to keep away evil spirits.
Bes was so popular and long-lasting that Roman soldiers apparently carried his likeness on amulets when they went into battle.
Hapy God of the Nile floods, he lives in a cave near the cataract and it is his job to keep the land along the river fertile. Although a male god, he is often depicted with long hair, large breasts, and a protruding stomach, all symbols of fertility. His annual feast days were especially important, and one ancient text describes the sacrifice of more than one thousand goats to him.
Hathor A powerful, complex goddess, she is one of the most significant goddesses, the protectress of lovers and women, especially in childbirth. Often shown in human form, Hathor is also depicted as a cow-headed goddess. At times, she was closely connected with Re and said to be both his wife and daughter. Hathor suckled the young Horus and came to his aid when Seth put out his eyes. In other traditions, she marries Horus, and her milk becomes the food of the gods. In the underworld, Hathor also greets the souls of the dead and offers them food and drink.
As men aspired to “become” Osiris in the afterlife, women typically wished to be associated with Hathor.
Imhotep Unlike most of the deities in this chapter, Imhotep is no myth. In fact, he was probably more interesting than myth. He was a real man, whose existence