In the earliest times, the gods were envisioned like humans, walking among mortals in familiar shapes. But human forms could not fully express the sharp vision of the falcon, the strength of the bull, or the watchful nature of the jackal. Nature itself became a canvas, and animals provided the sacred qualities that statues and inscriptions could not otherwise convey.
Out of this blending of human and animal imagery came some of the most recognizable deities in history: Horus with his falcon head, Anubis with his jackal face, and Ra joined with Horus as the falcon of the two horizons. Each image was more than art—it was a bridge between the earthly and the divine, a way for the Egyptians to see their gods in the living world around them.
Stages of God Evolution in Ancient Egyptian Religion
The ancient Egyptians began to worship gods and goddesses from pre-dynastic times. Researchers have noted that the form of idols in ancient Egypt went through three main stages when the ancient Egyptians chose them.The first stage was to take the idols in a purely human form, this human form in which the deity was sanctified in a human form, but there was an issue that it was difficult to differentiate between the idols and each other in this form.
Then this stage later evolved into a new stage that made every god or every idol of these idols contain in his being or in his belief a distinctive quality for him and this quality is very difficult to portray in a statue or portray it in an inscription, so the ancient Egyptians began when expressing this quality to take animal bodies that express these qualities that were present in the idols.
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| The falcon is the symbol of the god Horus. © Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
| Stage | Form of the Gods | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Early Stage | Purely human idols | Gods depicted like humans, but hard to distinguish between them |
| Second Stage | Animal forms | Falcons, bulls, jackals embodied divine powers and unique qualities |
| Final Stage | Hybrid (human + animal) | Combined human identity with animal symbolism to express sacred traits |
Why Did Egyptian Gods Combine Human and Animal Features?
But with the passage of time, the ancient Egyptians began to merge between the idols in human form and animal form, so the idols began to appear to us in this mixed form, so we find a god or idol depicted in a purely human form, and then we find that the idol's head or part of the idol's body is depicted in the form of an animal, or in the form of a bird. In order to show the sacred quality and this sacred quality was the sacred symbol of this deity on earth.
Infographic — Evolution of Divine Forms
👤 Human Form
Early idols depicted as humans, showing gods like earthly rulers.
🐂 Animal Form
Animals like bulls, falcons, and jackals expressed divine qualities.
⚖️ Hybrid Form
Mixed human bodies with animal heads, blending mortal and divine.
🦅 Horus the Falcon
Symbol of kingship and the union of heaven and earth.
© historyandmyths.com — Educational use
The Falcon in Egyptian Mythology: Symbol of Horus and Divine Power
One of the most sacred forms that the ancient Egyptians revered in nature is the falcon, and the falcon was known in the ancient Egyptian language by the word bik, which means the falcon as a bird in general.
The ancient Egyptians sanctified in the falcon more than 180 sacred qualities, and these 180 qualities or 180 forms carried by many gods and idols, but one of the most famous idols that the ancient Egyptians took in the form of the falcon, and the oldest of all is the god Horus (Hor / Heru).
To learn more about evil symbols in ancient Egypt
Horus and Kingship: Why the Falcon God Legitimated Royal Power
Horus in the ancient Egyptian language is called (ḥr) meaning the highest or highest, and this name was given by the ancient Egyptians to the god Horus or to the falcon that symbolizes the god Horus and because the falcon in nature is the highest bird in flight and the highest bird when it flies, so the falcon was a sacred symbol of this god.
This falcon was in the belief of the ancient Egyptians that with its high altitude, it symbolized the highest of all idols in height and status. Hence, Horus or the falcon (ḥr) was taken to express the symbol of the god of kingship, and to signify that the king is the highest rung of the social ladder in the Egyptian land, and therefore he is above all people, and he is the one who sits on the throne when he is in charge of the Egyptian land.
The falcon was the model that the ancient Egyptians worshiped as a symbol of royalty. This falcon in their belief is also when it appears when it appears while flying in the sky, it seems to carry the sun disk on the falcon's head, so we find that the ancient Egyptians combined the sun disk in the sky with the falcon, and the sun disk was sometimes depicted on the falcon's head above to symbolize the idol. Re-Hor-achti
(Rˁ-ḥr.-3ḫ.tj), which means Ra the Falcon of the Two Horizons or Ra the Highest in the Two Horizons, which is meant to be a merger in which the ancient Egyptians merged the sun god Ra, the king of the sky, and the god Horus, the king of the earth. The falcon can fly between the eastern horizon of the sky and the western horizon of the sky.
Thus, it appears that the falcon is one of the most sacred symbols in the ancient Egyptian civilization that expresses the god Horus, and also since all male gods in ancient Egypt are celestial gods, the falcon became a model for any god.
In the ancient Egyptian language, when writing the name of a god, or when writing the name of a king, it is very common to put at the end of the name of the god or the name of the king a sign that refers to a falcon. This sign that symbolizes the falcon as a specialized symbol in the word indicates the high status that this falcon symbolizes as a symbol of the great status of this god or this king on earth.
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| Lady Djedkhonsuiwesankh offering to Re-Horakhty. Public domain, photo by Oriental Institute, University of Chicago. |
The Title 'ḥr ḥry st wrt': Horus on the Great Throne
One of the important symbols in the ancient Egyptian civilization, the falcon with the king, where we always find the king in ancient Egypt known in the ancient Egyptian language as (nsw-bity) and means the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, one of the titles of the king in ancient Egypt is the title ḥr ḥry st wrt, which means: Horus, who sits on the great throne.
This title was associated with the royal doctrine that sees the king as the embodiment of Horus, the son of Osir, who assumes the throne as the legitimate king of Egypt, and this indicates the status of the king sitting on the throne or the heir to the throne in front of humans and thus is a direct symbol of Egyptian monarchy.
The Myth of Osiris and Horus: Justifying Royal Legitimacy
The ancient Egyptian doctrine explains that the god Osir was the owner of the monarchy, and he inherited the monarchy from his great grandfather, the god Atum, when Atum created the universe, he established an order for the universe, and this cosmic order in which the gods ruled each other, and when Osir was killed by his brother, the god Set, he left his throne to his only heir, Horus.
When Horus assumed the throne, heaven and earth were separated, the gods ascended to heaven and humans settled on earth, and therefore Horus became the owner of the throne in front of humans, and when Horus ascended to heaven to join the gods. The throne became inherited by humans, and therefore all humans sitting on the throne became the heirs of the god Horus on earth, and represented the legitimacy of the transfer of the throne from the gods to the humans who took it from the gods. It expresses the sanctity of this ruler.
Horus Crowning the King: Divine Approval in Temple Reliefs
And we find one of the important symbols to emphasize the legitimacy of the king that when he sits on the throne, we see through the drawings on the walls that the god Horus specifically is the one who installs the crown, or he who puts the crown on the head of the king who assumed power as the king is now the legitimate heir to the land by order of the gods, so the gods inherited this throne to each other until he reached this king and became the owner of power on the land of Egypt.
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Key Takeaways
- Egyptian gods evolved through three stages: human, animal, and hybrid forms.
- Combining human and animal traits expressed divine qualities beyond human limits.
- The falcon symbolized Horus, kingship, and the link between heaven and earth.
- Osiris and Horus myths justified royal legitimacy and dynastic power.
- Temple reliefs show Horus crowning kings, proving divine approval of rule.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did gods evolve in ancient Egyptian religion?
They shifted from human forms to animal forms, then to hybrids combining both.
Why did Egyptian gods have animal heads?
Animal traits symbolized divine qualities like strength, wisdom, and protection.
What does the falcon represent in Egyptian mythology?
The falcon embodied Horus, kingship, and the union of heaven and earth.
Why was Horus important to Egyptian kings?
Horus represented royal legitimacy and divine protection of the throne.
What is the meaning of the title 'ḥr ḥry st wrt'?
It means "Horus on the Great Throne," affirming the king as Horus’ heir.
How did the Osiris and Horus myth justify kingship?
It explained that kings inherited the throne from Horus, Osiris’ rightful heir.
Why is Horus shown placing the crown on kings?
It symbolizes divine approval and legitimacy of the king’s rule.
Were all gods shown in animal form?
No, some remained human-shaped, while many combined human and animal features.
Did Egyptians worship animals as gods?
No, animals were sacred symbols representing divine powers, not gods themselves.
How did sacred symbols influence Egyptian art?
They appeared in temple reliefs, royal titles, and hieroglyphic writing as divine signs.
References
- Hornung, Erik. Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt: The One and the Many. Cornell University Press, 1982.
- Wilkinson, Richard H. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson, 2003.
- Assmann, Jan. The Search for God in Ancient Egypt. Cornell University Press, 2001.
- Teeter, Emily. Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt. Cambridge University Press, 2011.
- Pinch, Geraldine. Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press, 2004.
Written by H. Moses — All rights reserved © Mythology and History
