Task Card 7 - Gods
For this task card, you will be required to research various ancient Egyptian Gods and then complete activities relating to those Gods.
The Ancient Egyptians practiced polytheism, or the worship of many gods. The first gods represented the natural elements that affected their daily lives, such as the weather, the environment, and death. Over time, the Egyptians began to think of the gods as having human qualities. As a result, some gods were depicted with human shapes while others were part human, part animal.
At the center of each Egyptian community was the temple to the local god. It was maintained by priests who sometimes argued over which god was most powerful.
What follows is a brief description of some of the more 'popular' Ancient Egyptian Gods
Egyptians believed that, in the beginning, nothing existed but Nun, the ocean that covered the world. The first land emerged from Nun as a mound.
The god, Re, arose from the mound. The river god, Hapi, flowed out of the ocean. Every year the land appeared from the river, Re appeared then disappeared every day.
Isis was the very important Goddess of Love in the lives of Ancient Egyptians. She was married to Osiris and the mother of Horus. The tale of their love can be found by clicking on the picture of Isis. She is one of the four protector Goddesses and she guards coffins and canopic jars. Click on this link to view more information about Isis.
Osiris was the Egyptian god of the underworld and of vegetation. The myth of his existence can be found by clicking here. Notice the overlap between the stories of Isis and Osiris.
Bast was the Egyptian cat goddess. She was a goddess of the home and of the domestic cat, although she sometimes took on the war-like aspect of a lioness. Daughter of the sun god Re, although sometimes regarded as the daughter of Amun. Wife of Ptah and mother of the lion-god Mihos. Her cult was centered on her sanctuary at Bubastis in the delta region, where a necropolis has been found containing mummified cats. Bast was also associated with the ‘eye of Re’, acting as the instrument of the sun god’s vengeance. She was depicted as a cat or in human form with the head of a cat, often holding the sacred rattle known as the sistrum.
“Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris. He was a Sky God who was often represented by an image of a falcon and the sun and moon are said to be his eyes. Horus avenged the death of his father against Seth. Horus lost his left eye (the moon) in the contest between the two. Horus was identified with Lower Egypt and Seth with Upper Egypt in this battle, which lasted eighty years. The gods judged Horus to be the winner, and Seth was killed. The consequence of Horus’s victory was the union of Upper and Lower Egypt. The Egyptian pharaoh was believed to be an incarnation of Horus, and the name of Horus formed part of his name. The pharaoh was said to become Horus after death. Seth restored the eye he had torn from Horus, but Horus gave it instead to Osiris. The image of the “eye of Horus”, a human eye combined with the cheek markings of a falcon, became a powerful amulet among the Egyptians.”
(Retrieved from: http://sobek.colorado.edu/LAB/GODS/horus.html)
To learn more about the story of Horus and Seth, try searching the internet for some interesting reading!
(Retrieved from: http://sobek.colorado.edu/LAB/GODS/horus.html)
To learn more about the story of Horus and Seth, try searching the internet for some interesting reading!
Egyptian religion is complex and there were often overlapping or contradictory facts and ideas within myths - so don’t worry if you find conflicting information when reading Egyptian myths. Remember, Ancient Egyptian culture was going strong for well over 3000 years so there was lots of time to develop stories and myths and since they didn't have cell phones and internet to make sure everyone got their facts straight, there was ample opportunity to contradict each other!
Finally, these sites will be helpful in completing your activities.
• This one will give you pictures of the gods. Try the challenge.
• This one will give you descriptions. Click on the names of the gods for more information.
• This website should also be of help when you are researching.
Finally, these sites will be helpful in completing your activities.
• This one will give you pictures of the gods. Try the challenge.
• This one will give you descriptions. Click on the names of the gods for more information.
• This website should also be of help when you are researching.
Activity
1. Your task is to create a poster to help people learn about one Egyptian God of your choice. The god's story should be told on the page and you should use colourful imagery to depict her or his story. You may be as creative as possible. You could make a comic, an informative poster, a 'baseball card' type page, or something else of your choice. Your only limit is your imagination but please clear it with your teacher before you go ahead with your project.
The poster will be graded out of 10 marks (6 for content, 4 for style). To get maximum marks for content you should talk about who this god is, what Ancient Egyptians believed this god did for them, why this god was important, and so on.
Finally, this is your last task card and the goal/intent is for you to learn about this complex aspect of Ancient Egyptian Culture and to have a little fun!
The poster will be graded out of 10 marks (6 for content, 4 for style). To get maximum marks for content you should talk about who this god is, what Ancient Egyptians believed this god did for them, why this god was important, and so on.
Finally, this is your last task card and the goal/intent is for you to learn about this complex aspect of Ancient Egyptian Culture and to have a little fun!