She is often depicted on the ceilings of tombs, on the inside lid of coffins, and on the ceilings of temples. Nut swallowed the setting sun (Ra) each evening and gave birth to him each morning. Each limb represents a cardinal point as her body stretches over the earth. Nut was the mother of Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephythys, Nut is usually shown in human form her elongated body symbolizing the sky. There were a number of minor gods that took on grotesque forms, including Bes, a dwarf with a mask-like face, and Taurt, a goddess whose physical form combined the features of a hippopotamus and a crocodile. Among these were such very ancient figures as the cosmic gods Shu of the air, Geb of the earth, the fertility god Min, and the craftsman Ptah. Many deities were represented only in human form. Sphinxes might also appear with other heads, particularly those of rams or falcons. The opposite convention was sometimes used for representations of a king, who might be portrayed with a human head and a lion’s body, as in the case of the Sphinx. The convention was to depict the animal gods with a human body and an animal head. When a god was angry, she might be portrayed as a ferocious lioness when gentle, a cat. And an animal could express a deity’s mood. The physical form taken on by the various Egyptian gods was usually a combination of human and animal, and many were associated with one or more animal species. The god Seth, who murdered his brother Osiris, embodied the malevolent and disordered aspects of the world.
Some, such as Neith, Sekhmet, and Mut, had changeable characters. Some gods were spiteful and had to be placated. Most were generally benevolent but their favor could not be counted on. The characters of the gods were not clearly defined. Most Egyptian gods represented one principle aspect of the world: Ra was the sun god, for example, and Nut was goddess of the sky. Apepi, another important demon, (sometimes called Apophis) was the enemy of the sun god in his daily cycle through the cosmos, and is depicted as a colossal snake. She devoured the hearts of those whose wicked deeds in life made them unfit to enter the afterlife. She was often shown near the scales on which the hearts of the dead were weighed against the feather of Truth. But there were certain limits to their powers and they were neither all-powerful nor all knowing. Among demons the most important figure was Ammut – the Devourer of the Dead – part crocodile, part lioness, and part hippopotamus. They were usually immortal, could be in more than one place at a time, and could affect the world as well as people in supernatural ways. Ammut Demonsĭemons were more powerful than human beings but not as powerful as gods. The ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses represented aspects of the Egyptians’ natural and “supernatural” surroundings and helped them understand its many aspects. Much of what they experienced in the world around them was unknowable and frightening. For all ancient people, the world was filled with mystery.