Animal Significances in Ancient Egypt.
I hope this packet will help you come to understand the impact that animals had on the ancient Egyptians.
First off let’s tackle the type of animals Egypt had. There were animals that helped out with the farm work, animals that were raised for food, animals that were hunted by royalty, animals that were avoided or feared and last but not least animals that were seen as manifestations of the Divine. I’m not really going to touch base on the animals that were hunted by royalty as this packet is not about the Egyptian echelon of how things worked in different classes.
Let’s look at a general listing of animals in Egypt shall we?
Addox
Aurochs
BABBOON
Bee
Badger
BULL CAT
Caracal
COW
CROCODILE
Deer
Donkey
Dromedary
Elephant
FALCON
Fish
FROG
Gazelle
Genet
Giraffe
Goat
Hare
Hartebeest
HAWK
Hedgehog
HIPPOPOTOMUS
Hyena
Ibex
IBIS JACKAL
Jerboa
Leopard
Oryx
Ostrich
Pig
Porcupine
RAM
Red Fox
Rhinocerous
Roan
SCARAB SCORPION
Sheep
SNAKE
Turtle
VULTURE
Weasel
Wild Ass
That’s an awful long list of animals isn’t it? And that doesn’t even list all the animals that came in contact with the locals. Don’t worry though. We’re not going to touch base on ALL of them. I am sure you noticed the bold and capslocked animals. Those are the ones that made an impact on the Egyptians in relation to Divine worship.
Let me begin by saying that although the Egyptians were quite taken and influenced by animals by no means as a whole did they worship them ( there are exceptions to this general rule with animal cults such as that seen in Memphis with the worshipping of the Apis Bull or in Heliopolis with the Mnevis Bull….more on that later). It may seem as though they worshipped animals themselves but the truth in the matter was the worship was aimed towards the Divine Spirit that was said to inhabit the animal, not the animal itself. An example would be say the Ibis. Thoth the god of wisdom was said to take the form of the Ibis and so all were sacred to him as all had Thoth residing in him. If you killed an Ibis ( even by accident) you could be sure you would pay for it dearly……with your life.
So let’s back track a little. How did the Egyptian deities end up with animal heads or complete animal forms to begin with. There are several theories on this. One of them being that the Egyptians were taken with the fact that animals never changed in their form or nature. Another is that man was taken with animals and their “supernatural” powers such as flight, speed, stealth, strength, ability to see at night, etc. etc. Another take on it comes from an Egyptian writing that goes on about the evolution of man ( from mineral to where we are “now”) and how that animals are really cast off reflections of who we are.
Whatever the case is there is reason behind the delegation of animals and the Divine.
At first glance you may think that the Egyptians worshipped just about anything, after all they have over 1,000 known deities ( ouch!). There are animals you won’t see depicted as Gods or Goddesses though. Regular work animals such as donkeys and dromedaries had no Divine role. Pigs were considered unclean. Porcupines were something you gamed after. These definitely were not animals who were Divine Incarnates. So what about the ones who were recognized as such? What made them so special? Let’s look at that shall we?
First I will give you an animal then I will list a few deities (as well as their attributes). Then I will break down the connection between the two. I hope you enjoy!
Babi- “Bull of Babboons”. He is a blood thirsty deity who feeds on the entrails of humans and will kill on site. He is also a virility deity shown with a a rather large phallus ( which is said to be the latch to the doors of heavens, others surmise it is his phallus which is the mast on the boat that Ra uses to make his daily trek across the sky). Babi also ensures the ability to engage in sexual intercourse in the afterlife ( o what a randy monkey!). He is depicted as a well endowed baboon.
Thoth – The God of Wisdom. Originally depicted as an Ibis or a man with the head of an Ibis. Later on though he was shown with a baboon to represent him in “editorial” mode and later on still the baboon came to represent Thoth. The baboon of THoth ( also called Isdes) became an assistant in the judgement hall of the underworld.
Hapy – Baboon headed guardian of the lungs
Baboons and monkeys in general are a bit of a mystery in the role they play in the Egyptian religion as they weren’t really an indigenous species to that area of the country. They were mostly imported from other areas though they were revered and kept as temple animals as well as house pets.
It may be their closeness in behaviour with man that earned them a spot with the Divine Pantheon.
An example is their incessant chattering when the sun rose. So you see baboons depicted in some drawings as worshipping the rising sun along with fellow humans.
Apis Bull – A Temple Animal with very special markings. It was said to be a black bull with awhite triangle on its head, a crescent moon on it’s chest, another crescent moon on it’s flank and had a black and white tail. This special bull was thought to be the ka (life force) of the God Ptah ( a creator God said to have come into existence on his own and then created everything afterwards). Some say it is a living representation of Osiris (God of the Underworld, Death and rebirth). The Apis Bull was treated as an oracle where people would await it outside the temple to ask it a yes or no question. The answer was interpreted by which stall it entered.
The Apis Bull was well taken care of. It was thought that if the bull did well then the rest of the livestock in the country would fair the same.
The Apis Bull was revered, even so all good things must come to an end. At the end of 25 years it was drowned ceremoniously. Parts of it were eaten ( in reverence of course) and then the whole thing was lovingly mummified and buried. By this time there would ( hopefully) be a new Apis Bull to take it’s place.
Buchis- Was said to be a manifestation of Osiris and Re and was linked to the local god of war as well as his companion Mentu ( later known as Amon). Buchis was like the Apis Bull in that it was chosen as a calf with unique markings. These markings dealt with a specific pattern on a black headed calf that had a white body. When this bull passed it too was mummified and buried with ceremony and then laid to final rest in a special cemetery.
I will go more into the significance of Cattle and the Egyptians in the Cow section.
Aker – Two spotted lions that guarded the sun as it rose and set. This was a representation of past and tomorrow. They also were said to guard the hacked up pieces of Apep the fearsome snake that fought Ra ( the sun) when Ra’s journey brought him to the underworld.
Bast – Protectoress, Goddess of Love, Fertility, Birth, Music and Perfume. Protector of cats, women and children. She is represented as a cat or a woman with the head of a domestic cat.
Ma’ahes – God of war and protector of sacred places. Lord of the horizon and manifested the summer heat. Helped Re ( Ra) fight off evil monsters. In fact his title was “Wielder of the knife”. He is represented as a man with a Lion’s head.
Mafdet – “The Runner” protection against snakes, scorpions and other dangerous animals. She was a ferocious goddess who fought evildoers in general. In fact she was thought to be at the Hall of Judgement to dish out any consequences. Eventually the worship of Bast overtook Mafdet. She is represented as a woman with the head of a cheetah with her hair braided and ending in scorpion tails. Sometimes she is seen wearing a headdress of snakes. She was also prayed to in healing rituals specifically those involved with those who had been bitten by snakes or scorpions
. Menhit – “Slaughteress” She was connected to war and thought to possibly guard sacred places. She was close to Sekhmet in her looks and line of duty.
Pakhet - “Tearer” “She Who Snatches” “ Night Huntress With Sharp Claws” “Lady of Sept (Sirius Star)”. Thought to give inner strength to people. Particularly women. She was a Middle Egyptian form of the fire goddess Sekmet and called upon for protection from all evil spirits and to destroy enemies of Egypt. She was represented as a woman with a lionness head.
Sekhmet - A popular fire goddess said to be the daughter of Re ( Ra the sun god) and was associated with plagues and famines. In some areas she was said to have great healing powers. She had the power to destroy Egypt’s enemies by killing them with the rays of the sun that she sometimes carried along. She is depicted as a woman with a lioness head, sometimes wearing a sun disc or the cobra a top her head.
So did you see the common bonds that tie cats and these deities together? Well for starters check out cats and their relationship with the sun. At least the big cats. Watch them
ling about all day……..it’s no wonder they were picked to guard the coming and going of the sun. Not only were they associated with the sun but they were also associated with the moon for their nocturnal nature and keen night sight. In fact thephospherant nature of their eyes were said to reflect the essence of the moon.
What else did you notice about these deities? They all had ferocious attributes. Strong, protective and warlike. I’d want someone like that on my side too if I was up against some major mojo.
So what about Bast ? After all she seems to be about love, family and fertility. How does that tie in? Bast actually had a more fierce role early on in her worship. She was more of a protectoress than anything but as more cultures crossed in, her role changed. She became more domesticated. Her base attributes did not change though. If you have ever paid attention to cats then you know how loving and nurturing they are to their sometimes many young. You also know that there is nothing like the wrath of a pissed off mamma cat.
So you can see how cats impressed upon the Egyptians as symbols of strength, ferocity and protection. You can also see the solar aspect to cat ( waking up and watching the sun,
ling and basking in it’s heat by day yet able to hunt if necessary, and finally waking up for action when it sets).
Hathor – A goddess who is the incarnation of dance. She is also a goddess of inspiration. She was a protector of music, dance and love. Hathor became a goddess of beauty, and fertility, thus also a patron goddess for lovers.
Her name meant “House of Horus” so she was associated with the royal family. But also, as the entire world could be said to be the House of
Horus, Hathor can be seen as the mother-goddess of the whole world, similar to
Isis.
Since she was a cow she was the wife to the Sacred bull of Armant, that is Buchis and so personified fertility and motherhood.
Some titles that Hathor has earned are 'The Great Cow Who Protects Her Child' and 'Mistress of the Sanctuary of Women.'
Hathor is depicted as a cow with the solar disc between her horns or as a woman with horns and the solar disk between them and sometimes having the ears of a cow.
Mehurt – Another aspect of Hathor. Mehurt was the cow that gave birth to the celestial skies. Her name in this aspect “Mehurt” means “great flood”, a direct reference to her being the milky way . The Milky Way was seen as a waterway in the heavens, sailed upon by both the sun god and the king, leading the Egyptians to describe it as The Nile in the Sky Seeing as cattle in general had a lot to offer the Egyptians it is no wonder that they were given status as incarnates of deity. Food, fertility, milk, nurturing, strength, patience were just some of the things recognized in the cow. In fact the cow with it’s large brown eyes, long thick lashes and quiet demeanor were thought to be very feminine qualities and in some cultures it was a compliment to tell a woman that they looked like a cow.
CROCODILES
Sobek was called the Lord of Faiyum, and was mostly prayed to order to appease him, the crocodiles, and to insure the fertility of their people and crops. He was considered the god who controlled the waters. The Nile was very important to the people of Egypt. Water was necessary for the survival of crops, the success of trade, and the livelihood of fishing. These waters were filled with crocodile, so it was a matter of common sense to appease them through the worship of their leader, Sobek is seen as a crocodile or a man with a croc’s head. Set – Usually Set appeared as a man with what seems to be a Desert Fox head. He was known though to appear as a crocodile though as he favored their strong and violent nature. Crocodiles are one of the animals that the Egyptians had mixed feelings about as you can see. For starters they were not a very popular animal to deal with. After all they have sharp teeth, a stealthy quickness that allows for watery sneak attacks, and have no room for reasoning. These qualities of visciousness earned the croc in a terrifying role as the head that devourers all parts as seen in Amut and as a sacred animal to Set ( who is a deity of chaos, wind, and bad mojo in general as we will see later).
So how did Sobek come out of this mess as a protector of the pharoh? Croc’s were revered and feared for their strength and speed so it is no wonder that there would be a Croc deity somewhere on the good guys playing side, although it is noted that some people did not worship or even praise Sobek as much as they did hate and revile him, killing any crocs that they saw ( damn crocodiles!)
It should also be noted that through all their ferociousness the crocs were acrredited as very fierce and caring mother’s which can be seen in the depiction of the Hippo/Croc Fertility/Midwife demonness Tauret ( more on her later).
Horus- Horus is the god of the sky and son of Osiris (the creator and god of the Underworld). His name means “The Distant One”.Horus has a major issue with Set as Set offed his father Osiris at one point. He is heavily associated with Light and the Sun ( and has many aspects and names depending on the time of day and what not). He stands for courage, protection and bravery. He is generally depicted as a falcon or a man with a falcon’s head.
Ash- “The Lord of Libya” was his title as he was a protector of the western desert and all oases. Ash was identified as Set’s lover (who was originally the god of the desert). He was also seen as a protector of the royal estates.
Ash was said to be the one who caused oases to be made and he also looked after those who had to travel through the desert, ensuring that they did not die of its cruel heat.
Ash is one of the first Egyptian deities to be depicted as a man with an animal’s head. He was usually depicted as a man with a hawk’s head though was also seen as a man bearing the likeness of a lion, vulture, snake, or even the same animal that represents Set .
Horakhte – This is another form of Horus. His name means “Horus the Younger” which would be Horus standing at the horizon in the early morning as a manifestation of Re. Thbe Egyptian Pharaoh was said to be born on the eastern horizon as Horakhte and to rule over the eastern and western horizon in that form.
Mentu – An old god of war and the sun. He was attached to the cult of Horus. His companion was the Buchis bull and his wife Menhit ( see under cats).He ws usually depicted as a man but sometimes had the head of a falcon or bull.
Hawks had keen eyesight and could soar for hours up in the sky under the sun, so it is no wonder that they were accredited with the ability to see all that goes on ( see wide and far) as well as being associated with solar energies. They were swift and precise in their movements, slicing through the air much like the precise nature a pharaoh must have in his decisions so it is no wonder that the Falcon ( Hawk) was so associated with solar and royal energies.
Hequet- A Goddess of childbirth and creation. She was associated with the ebb of flow of water and fertility as well as with the germination of grain. She is said to be the one that instills the spark of life within the body. During childbirth women wore her amulets for protection. She is represented as a woman with a frogs head.
Heh – He is a god of infinite time and long life.. He represented the abstract spirit from the dawn of time when Egypt was (supposedly) created from coming up out of the water. He is represented as a frog or as a man holding staves that had rings at the bottom of them ( the Egyptian sign for eternity). Sometimes the rings were formed by frogs.
Frogs were plentiful in Egypt especially around the Nile so it is no wonder that they were heavily associated with water. If you have ever seen how many tadpoles come from a pair of frogs then it is no wonder why frogs were so heavily attached to fertility and used as a symbol for large, vast or even infinite numbers.
Tauret – Goddess of childbirth. She also looked over pregnant women and the children of Egypt. She is shown as a pregnant hippo with the lower jaw of a crocodile. She also had the hind body and mane of a lion (though unlike Ammut she was represented standing on two legs like a person and not on all fours as a beast, nor was she feared.
Set- God of Desert winds, chaos and in later tims bad mojo in general. Although Set usually was seen with the head of a desert fox he was sometimes pleased to take on the shapes of other animals such as pigs, hippos and crocodiles.
Hippos were another one of those critters that Egyptians had an ambilavent nature towards. For starters they were big creatures who had a tendency to flip over boats on the Nile. If that wasn’t enough to get crabby ( or even down right scared ) about, they would come out at night and trash the heck out of the Egyptians fields. It is these aspects of strength and chaos that gained this animal such a warm spot in Set’s heart ( as he seemed to approve of anything that caused acts of destruction). However it was noted that Hippos were fierce and protective mothers and we can see this reflected in Tauret. Note that even Tauret and Ammut are comprised of the same three animals ( Hippo, Lion and Croc) it’s the aspects being addressed and how they are done that makes the two interesting. While all three animals were feared by the Egyptians ( seen as Ammut the Devourer of Souls) all three animals were also noted for being very nurturing, fierce and protective mothers so it is no wonder that Tauret had many followers as she was a patron of birthing, children and motherhood ( they even sung hymns in praise of her beauty!),
Thoth – One of the “Main Players” in the Egyptian pantheon. He is famous for helping Horus defeat Set. The curve of his beak suggested he had ties with the moon (making him a moon god) though as time went on he was seen more as a magickal scribe of wisdom, learning, fantasy, speaking, wit and inventions. He is said to have written the story of our reality and placed it into the grids for us to experience. He is said to be very knowledgable in magick and also protected physicians. He is usually depicted as a man with the head of an Ibis and sometimes a crescent moon above that. There are other forms of Thoth that depict him as a dog faced baboon or as a baboon. The connection between the two animals is the moon. The beak of the ibis is bent much like a crescent moon and the baboon was a night animal that would chatter to greet the rising sun ( Ra) much as Thoth as the moon god would greet Ra as he rose.
The Ibis here we see has a HUGE connection with lunar powers. The lunar has always been something to be associated with the mysteries, knowledge and magick. Aside from its magickal association the Ibis had a practical role in its every day life that was important to the Egyptians. It’s natural food source was snakes (which you will learn later, the Egyptians had very mixed feelings about them). This could be seen a symbol of the ever present battle of Good vanquishing Evil ( and so there MUST be some powerful magick in that right?
Anubis – God of Death. Actually that was his old job description until Osiris became the head honcho in the Underworld. However Anubis may have given up the lead role, he did not diminish in his reconition with his duties. Anubis was said to have been the one that taught the Egyptians the art of embalming. He is also the God who takes one to the court of Osiris and performs the Ceremony of the Weighing of the Heart. He was depicted as a man with the head of a Jackal.
Khentamenitu – This God was very protective of the dead and was an overseer of tombs. In fact he was the protector of the old royal cemetery in Abydos in Upper Egypt. He is depicted as a jackal with a bushy tail and is sometimes mistaken for Anubis or Wepwawet.
Wepwawet – A Cemetary God whose name means “Opener of the Ways”.His statues were placed to watch the tombs and he opend the gated to life beyond for the dead. His name may also have something to do with the fact that he performed the “Opening of the Mouth” ceremony at the funeral ( a ritual that allows the person to speak in the afterlife). He was depicted as a man with a jackal head wearing a soldiers outfit.
Do you see the running theme here? Tombs, cemeteries and death in general. Leave it to a jackal to sniff out the freshest corpse. In fact the best way to find an Egyptian cemetery is to follow jackal tracks. No wonder this animal got the revered dead head deity list!
Set – This God seems to be the bad guy of the pantheon ( though not the baddest baddie ever). He started out as a much liked Desert wind God. Over time he was seen as a god of chaos, malicisousness, trickery and just plain evil. Needless to say no one really liked Set. Set is depicted as a man (sometimes with red hair and woe to the Egyptians who were born with red hair) with the head of an odd animal. Some believe it is a desert fox. Other’s think it may be an ant eater. No one is quite sure ( in fact it is called a “Set animal”). At any rate Set could take on the form of other animals such as snakes, pigs, hippos and crocs. Sometimes he was depicted as a black hippo.
I linked him here not because he was a Jackal ( no one knows WHAT he his) but because it is interesting to see his connection with Anubis. Some speculate that Anubis is the son of Set ( a mix up sort of trickery thing) and seeing as Jackals are desert animals and Set’s idea of malevolent chaos could be the flipside to the nice take and reverence on Death the Egyptians had, I thought I would put him here.
Aken – A God who was a ferryman whose purpose was to transport the newly dead over the river to the “Land of the West”. He was also known as Kherty which meant “The one who is subservient to the God of the Dead (Osiris)’. He is depicted as a man with a ram’s head ferrying a boat.
Herishef - A local fertility God and possibly thought to be a creation God. During some times he was associated with Re.
Banebdjedet - A representation of the four mayor gods. Re, Shu, Geb and Osiris. His name meant “ Spiritudal Lord of the Djet” (which was the capital of the nome 16 in the Delta called Mendes). His main duty was to protect his home town. He is depicted as a ram headed man or as a man with four ram heads ( each one representing another god).
Khnum – An Old God of Creation. He was said to have formed the Egyptians out of clay. Heqet ( the frog headed goddess of creation and birth) is his wife. It is said he makes the form while she instills the life into it. He is depicted as a ram headed man.
Rams were known for their fertility and strength and you can see that theme here if not as directly as with some, in the connections that the Egyptians saw the Ram in the ways of life, connection to other gods, and the underworld.
Kheper – One of Ra ( the Sun God) many forms. Kheper was a scarab beetle who was said to have come into creation by himself and from himself he formed the other gods ( of course the depends on which creation story myth you go by). He is the beetle who rises from the horizon with the sun and starts pushing it across the sky. He represents rebirth, creation as well as renewal and transformation. Usually depicted as a Scarab beetle or sometimes as a man with a beetle ( the whole thing) as his head.
A Scarab is really just a dung beetle. To the Egyptians it looked as if the beetle just sprang forth spontaneously from these little balls of dung. You can imagine how impressive that would be. The scarab also rolled its ball of dung about so its no stretch of the mind to see how an Egyptian would make a connection to the sun being “rolled” across the sky in a similar manner. Random factoid here……in the mummification process the heart would be removed and a stone scarab would be left in its place to help ensure the mummy for the afterlife.
Selket - A Goddess from the Old Kingdom. She stood for medicine, healing ( especially from scorpion bites) and magick. She also protected the king. She was a protecting goddess and would punish all wrong doers with her wrath. Keeping in mind that Scorpions were her sacred animal, I can imagine her wrath would be something to be avoided. She could punish with the venom of scorpions or snakes, causing breathlessness and death. She could also if she so chose give breath to the justified dead enabling them to be reborn in the afterlife. It was thought that she held power over all snakes, scorpions and venomous reptiles in general. She was said to watch over and protect mothers and children in particular. In the underweold she helped in the process of rebirth of the newly dead. With scorpions and snakes being all throughout Egypt it is no wonder that her worship was widespread. She is represented as a woman with a scorpion on her head.
I think ooooh scary scorpions sums this Goddess up. Scorpions were nasty little buggers and if you can’t beat them, then I suppose it makes sense to pray to someone on behalf of at least curing yourself of their venom.
Apep – A giant serpent who was even more evil than Set. Apep was bent on destroying the sun god Re and battled him every day. Apep represented all devilries and all the other gods fight against him ( even Set!). On cloudy days Egyptians were afraid that Apep actually won the fight! He is represented as a giant snake or as a cobra headed man. He had no worshippers what so ever ( now THAT is evil!)
Meretseger – She was a protector of the necropolis at Thebes in Upper Egypt. Her name means “She who loves the silence”. She was seen as a protection against (grave) robbers. Meretseger was also known as a fair goddess in her judgements and was good to those who deserved it and very ill in her punishments towards those who were not good. She was represented as a woman with a standing cobra as a head or as a cobra, usually coiled, with a womans face.
Nehebkau – A Serpent god who was said to have had a hand in the creation of the world. All Egyptians ( dead or alive) are protected by him, especially from snakebites. His name means “He who Unites the Kas”. Because of his creation origins he is also connected to Re. He can be seen as a man with a snakes head ( and a very ornate headdress) or as a snake with two legs.
Nun – A Snake God who is the personification of the water of chaos from which it is said all life camed from. From this water sported four couples of serpents and frogs which represented Water, Infinite Time, Darkness and Void. Nun and his wife Nunet were the ones to represent water. Nun is depicted as a man with a snakes head.
Heptet – A snake goddess whse main duties was to look after the mummy of Osiris to secure his rebirth into the “Field Of Reeds”. She was armed with knives to keep all enemies at bay. She is seen as a woman with a cobra for a head.
Ernutet - Her name meant “Lady of the Fertile Land and Granaries”. She was a fertility goddess ( for both humans and animals) and was also a goddess of linen and good fortune. She also protected children and gave them nourishment. She could be seen as Isis with a snake’s head, a woman with a snake on her head or a snake with a woman’s head.
Uraeus – Not so much a god as a symbol of divine protection for the pharaoh. Uraeus was the cobra you see on royal headdresses. It is said that it would open its mouth and spew fire at any that tried to harm the pharaoh.
Snakes were another creature whom the Egyptians had mixed feelings about. The baseline to those feelings was fear though. After all there are no such things as nice snakes in Egypt ( cobras, and asps o my!). Snakes were held in a form of awe and it is no wonder that we see a running theme of creation, re- birth, and healing or protection.
Nekhbet - A Deity over nature and a protector of women at childbirth. She was also was a goddess of the Heavens and was sometimes called “The Eye of Re” and although she has this connection to the sun she is also connected to the moon. Nekhbet was the protectress of the king as well as the non- royal deceased. Allthough she was depicted as a Goddess for mother and babies , her fiercer side connects her to war and combat ( where she is usually hovering over the pharaoh to protect him. She is depicted as a vulture ( usually white for purification ) or as woman with a vulture’s head or as a woman wearing the crown of Upper Egypt.
Vultures are indeed some ugly looking birds I will give you that. If you go beyond that and look into their physique ( a wingspan that allows them to glide for HOURS on end way up in the sky) as well as their beahviour ( such as the bond seen in mother and baby vultures ) then it is no wonder why this creature was venerated as an earthly aspect of the Divine.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF SACRED ANIMALS
There were three categories for which sacred animals more or less fell into. Let’s look at those for a moment.
The Temple Animal.
These animals were very similar to cult statues found in temples. These animals lived in or around the temple and were distinguished by special markings. The Apis Bull is a very good example of a Temple Animal.
Sacred Flocks
These were large numbers of the same type of animal that were kept nearby a temple. These would explain the enourmous amount of animal burials found in Egypt.
Mummified animals acted as a sort of votive offering for the diety ( say Cat for Bast, Hawk for Horus…you get the idea). The devotee obviously thought that s/he would earn something special for the burial of such an animal. An example would be an inscription found on a jar containing the mummy of an Ibis. The inscription was a prayer asking Thoth to look kindly upon the woman who had his sacred animal Embalmed.
Private Home Animals
These animals were the ones found in private homes. Not so much as pets but as living representation of the gods. These included as example , Snakes, cats and dogs ( as well as other animals) which were kept in cages and then buried when they died.
The exception here may be cats as you could not “own “ a cat. At some point it was illegal to do so. However you could house and feed it ( some even thought to get tax breaks this way).
The keeping of private sacred animals also walks hand in hand with domestic shrines that were found in the household. It makes one wonder though how one can distinguish between what was a sacred animal and a pet.
I would like to mention the wonderful sites that I compiled this information from. That way if you are curious about something I did not cover, or only touched on briefly you can go have a look around yourself and satiate that curiousity.
Tour Egypt! Egypt Travel, Tours, Vacations, Ancient Egypt from Tour Egypt
I suggest going to the right sidebar and clicking on Ancient Religions. Then scroll waaay down ( their page is a bit wonky) and you will find various topics, Including Animal Cults in Ancient Egypt
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114 Egyptian Gods 114 Gods of Ancient Egypt, Ägyptische Götter
This site gives you a brief Overview of the many Dieties Egypt had.
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Ancient Egyptian Animals Ancient Egyptian Animals
Gives you a bit more information on certain deities ( mainly focused on cats).
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Animals and The Gods of Ancient Egypt http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/egypt_animalgods.html
A brief (but informative) blurb on many animal related deities.
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Ancient Egyptian Animal Cemetary Found BBC News | MIDDLE EAST | Ancient Egyptian animal cemetery found
An article on a mass animal grave site found.
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Animals http://cuip.uchicago.edu/~camon/egypt.html
A general Directory of Egyptian information that I found helpful.
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Crtystal Links Egyptian Directory
Egyptian Gods - Crystalinks
Another general directory of deities.
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This about covers it for resources.
I hope you enjoyed!
-C.S.
Animal Significance in the Egyptian pantheon 
Linear Mode
