The Triad of Memphis

Built by the kings of the First Dynasty, Memphis had been the capital city of Egypt around 3000 BC, after the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. Though not much have survived from ancient Memphis, little remains– including scattered statues, alabaster beds, gigantic sarcophagi, sphinxes, and temples– provide clues to the religious life of the city.
At the reduction of influence of gods of Heliopolis, about the fifth and sixth dynasties, the gods of Memphis started to take a new character. As first principle , creator , 'father of gods' , and head of a triad (that included his consort Sekhmet and their son Nefertem ) , god Ptah (who was believed to have had international political powers) was combined with the gods of Heliopolis . Since Horus was an ingredient of god Ptah , the latter was made a supreme god when the former became the god of both Upper and Lower Egypt (after wars between him and Seth were brought to an end) .

The Triad of Thebes

During the Middle Kingdom, (2133-1786 B. C), Thebes was regarded as the center of the political and religious affairs in Egypt and the center of the civilized world. The most distinguishing feature of that city that was locating about 700 meters away from Memphis is its luxuriously and gracefully designed buildings. There were many gods and goddesses worshiped in that area including Wast in Waset , and Amun who was one of the minor gods of the north in Thebes in the early dynasties .

   The God Thuth 

Despite of his indispensable role in the ancient Egyptian mythology, Thuth has never occupied the position of one of the members of the divine family or as a Chief god in any myth. There are many sources and myths that present him one of the major gods who were accompanying the sun god in the solar boat and responsible for setting the daily course of the chief god. He attained more power in the declining years of Ra , when he occupied the position of Ra's assistant who was responsible for the moon and keeping the stability of the sun god .In the Pyramids Texts, Thuth is described as one of the prominent gods in the underworld who serve in many posts including carrying the recently dead souls on his wing to cross the "winding waterway" and on the other shore serving as the protector and messenger of the Chief god who uses his cutting knife to attack his enemies. There are also many depictions presenting Thuth as a member in the court standing next to the scale that was used for weighing the heart of the dead and writing down the judgment of the dead in a papyrus scroll. Some of the spells of the pyramid Texts and the Coffin Texts present Thuth as a "Peacemaker" who reconciles between the conflicting gods like Horus and Seth . In other resources, he was in charge of monitoring the eye of Horus in its journey to wards the kind in order to give him eternity. Thuth was considered as the god of science due to his great knowledge of the celestial mathematics that made him responsible for maintaining the balance of earth. He is credited to naming the things that exist on the surface of earth and establishing the sciences of medicine, astronomy, music and others. It is registered in the Book of the Dead that he was responsible for writing letters on behalf of the gods of Annu .

   Maat, the Goddess of Justice 

Maat is one of the goddesses in the ancient Egyptian mythology that was regarded as a symbol for wisdom and justice and other moral values that help mankind to live properly. The usual depiction of her shows her as a woman with an ankh and scepter in her hand and an ostrich feather over her head. This feather over the head of Maat is regarded as a symbol of her gentleness and extreme beauty, while some people suggest that it is a symbol for her sound judgment because she was a member of the underworld court. She was regarded as a symbol for truth and straightness and a personification of all what is right, just and ideal. Sometimes she was depicted as simple and beautiful straight lines on the head of the king's throne to clarify that she helped him in making right and wise decisions. Some of the thinkers view that Maat is a symbol for order since she is credited to maintaining stability on the surface of earth since the creation of the world. To see the depiction of Maat, one can go to the tombs of the Temple of Abu Simbel and the Valley of the kings and also in the Egyptian Museum that displays numerous statues for her with her distinguishing feather. Despite Maat's prominent role in many myths, she has never been presented as the major character of a myth like the other gods and goddesses due to her philosophical nature. She is regarded in some myths as the daughter of Ra who came to the world at the same time with her father and came out from the primeval water. Another myth also indicates that Ra in his declining years was advised by Nun to kiss Maat in order to be able to regain his strength and youth. As illuminated in the Book of the Dead, Maat and Thuth were the companions of Ra in the solar boat who were in charge of setting the daily court. She was used as a proof that the solar boat is following a correct and perfect law and order that does not change. In the underworld, Maat was the member of the court who stands nearby the scale to assure justice and was one of the gods who arbitrate the recently dead soul before standing in front of Osiris . Of special interest in the wall paintings depicting Maat are the ones presenting her feather on the scale used to balance the heart of the dead . If the heart of the man was fairly balances the feather, this means that it is in balance with truth and justice and this qualifies him to pass to the next step. Then the dead soul reaches the Hall of Maat where he should reject that he committed 42 sins and name the magical parts of the door and by passing this step the deceased person is ready to meet Osiris to obtain immortality.

The God Khnum

Khnum is one of the ancient Egyptian gods who had been worshiped many years before the Pyramid Texts and was worshiped many centuries after Christ but there is no accurate reference for the period of his worship in any of the ancient books. In the early years of his worship, Khnum was not regarded as a creator but after gaining more popularity and power he was regarded as the creator of the whole universe . Khnum was the head of the Triad of Elephantine Island of Phiala Island accompanied by his wife Satis that was known as "the dispenser of cool water coming from Elephantine" her water was used for purifying the dead and her sister Anuket that was known as the goddess of Lust. The usual depiction of Khnum is a ram-headed man with a scepter and an ankh in his hand. His head was always topped either with the crown of Upper Egypt with its plums, disk or cobra, or with a pot of water over the horns of the ram as a symbol for the Nile.

Anubis, the God of Mumification and the Hereafter

Anubis is one of immortal gods in the ancient Egyptian mythology whose importance is attributed to his great role in the underworld as the protector of the dead bodies. He was called as the Lord of Mummy Wrapping. Moreover, in the papyrus of Nisti-Ta-Nebet-Taui that dates back to the 21 dynasty, he is called the "Lord of the Holy Land" who brings gifts and blessings for the people as a present for Osiris Anubis .
The usual depiction of Anubis is as a Jackal headed man or a complete Jackal. The reason for associating the figure of this animal in particular with Anubis is the fact that jackals were usually seen nearby the cemeteries and thus the people thought that they were protecting the dead bodies. Some historians argue that these animals were surrounding the cemeteries to feed on the sacrifices left there. As indicated in the Coffin Texts , Anubis was the son of Nephthys that was claimed to be the son of Seth but Isis realized that he was the result of the secret affair between Osiris and Nephthys . As mentioned in the myth of Osiris , Nephthys tried to get ride of her son at the moment of his birth , but Isis saved him and managed to gain the support and trust of him and his mother who helped her in searching for her husband's body . He was responsible for protecting Isis and was truly faithful to her and he helped her to escape from the prison of Seth. It was known that Anubis was knowledgeable of the human language and the art of mummification and many other things. Thus he was commanded by Ra to help Isis in reassembling the body of Osiris and embalming it in the white clothes of the dead. One of the vignettes of the Book of the Dead highlight that he uttered some words that helped Osiris to return to life again and this made the people dignify him hoping that he would treat them in the same way he dealt with his father in the afterlife. Anubis is depicted performing various roles in the underworld including the role of the "Counter of Heats" who receives the recently deceased bodies and mummifies it to protect the mortal parts of the body. This justifies the appearance of the priests with the head of jackal of Anubis while mummifying the kings. He is presented on the walls of the kings' temples standing next to the "God's Booth" with the jars of the essential needs for glorifying the deceased king. Other inscriptions of Anubis demonstrate that he once occupied the post of the god who weighs the heart of the deceased and write his judgment. Some wall paintings present Anubis in the scene of supporting the mummy while opening the mouth of the dead. One of the most interesting old myths says that Ammit , or the eater of the dead , is the god responsible for destroying those who fail in the arbitration of Anubis i . e . whose heart's weight exceeds the weigh of the feather . Ammit was depicted as a supernatural animal with the head of a crocodile, the body of a lion, and the head hippopotamus. There are many statues for Anubis and wall paintings depicting him performing several roles. The most admired depictions for Anubis can be found in the tombs in Abydos and Aswan in addition to the handsome paintings of him in the Book of the Dead. The tomb of Tutankhamun was also supplied with a large number of statues for Anubis in the jackal form, displayed in the Egyptian Museum now.

Hapi, the Nile God..

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