In Many Gods you saw that Egyptians pictured gods in different ways. Many gods have the head of an animal. Once you know the animals, you can name a god in any painting.
Key idea
Tell gods apart by their heads: Horus the falcon, Anubis the jackal, Thoth the ibis, Bastet the cat, Hathor the cow (or cow horns), and Sobek the crocodile.
Why it works
The animal was a clue to what the god did. A falcon flies high and sees far, like Horus, god of the sky and of kings. Jackals wandered near graveyards at the edge of the desert, so the jackal Anubis became the guardian of the dead. The ibis, a wading bird with a long curved beak, belonged to wise Thoth, god of writing.
| God | Head | Cares for |
|---|---|---|
| Horus | falcon | the sky and the king |
| Anubis | jackal (a wild dog) | the dead and their tombs |
| Thoth | ibis (long curved beak) | writing and wisdom |
| Bastet | cat | homes and families |
| Hathor | cow, or cow horns | love, music and joy |
| Sobek | crocodile | the power of the Nile |
Worked example: Name the god
A painting shows a god with a man's body and the head of a bird with a long, thin, curved beak. Who is it?
- A long curved beak belongs to the ibis.
- The ibis-headed god is Thoth.
Answer: Thoth.
Common mistake
Mixing up Anubis and Bastet, or Horus and Thoth. Anubis is a jackal, with a long snout and tall pointed ears; Bastet is a cat. Horus has a falcon's short hooked beak; Thoth has an ibis's long curved beak.