Sacred Symbols of Ancient Egypt: Animals That Represented the Gods

From the very beginnings of Egyptian civilization, symbols were more than decoration — they were bridges between humans and the divine. Every bird that soared across the Nile valley, every bull grazing the fields, and every jackal roaming the desert could carry within it a message from the gods. For the ancient Egyptians, the natural world was not separate from religion; it was the very language through which the sacred was revealed.

These symbols, drawn from animals, plants, and the landscapes of Egypt, were never worshipped for their own sake. Instead, they embodied sacred qualities that connected them to particular gods. A falcon did not stand as a mere bird but as the piercing eye and royal might of Horus. The Apis bull was not simply cattle but the living spirit of Ptah on earth. Through these sacred symbols, the unseen became visible, and the eternal gods could be approached in forms familiar to daily life.

Over centuries, this system of symbols expanded, filling temples, rituals, and writing itself with images that carried divine power. To walk through an ancient Egyptian temple was to walk among living representations of gods, where every sacred animal or plant served as a reminder that the natural world was inseparable from the spiritual order.

What Were sacred symbols in ancient Egypt?

With the emergence of ancient Egyptian society, symbols appeared that the ancient Egyptians revered, and these sacred symbols in ancient Egypt are those symbols that the ancient Egyptians took from the ancient Egyptian environment and dealt with them. All or most of these symbols were derived directly from nature, whether from animals, birds, or plants that were present on the Egyptian land.

The ancient Egyptians believed in polytheism. For each of the gods they worshipped, they took a symbol of their own, derived from nature, but these symbols derived from nature, from animals, plants, birds, or insects, were not sanctified by the Egyptians for their own sake.

Sacred Symbols in Ancient Egypt

Aspect	Summary	Why it Matters
Sacred Animals	Falcons, bulls, jackals, ibises, cats, and others	Each animal reflected divine qualities linked to specific gods
Temple Maru	Special enclosure where sacred animals were kept	Symbolized the physical presence of the god on earth
Festivals	Sacred animals joined temple rituals and processions	Reinforced the bond between gods, priests, and people

Did the Ancient Egyptians Worship Animals?

The ancient Egyptians did not worship an animal or a bird for its own sake, but only as a model or symbol that symbolized the deity that the animal symbolized. The ancient Egyptians were very closely related to the environment in which they lived, and therefore it is never mentioned in the Egyptian civilization that the ancient Egyptians adopted a symbol that was foreign or alien to this land since pre-dynastic times

The ancient Egyptian nature was characterized by richness, wealth and abundance, and this is due to reasons such as that the ancient Egyptian land at this time had a geographical and environmental nature that was somewhat different from the current situation that the Egyptian land is currently in, the Egyptian land in ancient Egypt was characterized by the presence of a density of large and wide vegetation that covers the land.

This dense vegetation led to a very large diversity of environmental life, and this helped the ancient Egyptians to be more attached to their environment This environment was characterized by the availability of animals; Therefore, it was natural that we find in the Western Desert in prehistoric times rock drawings showing cows, giraffes and elephants. And other animals that are no longer present in the Egyptian land today.

This environment with all its nature of mountains, plants, and wild animals that move among the valleys, and among the hills and go in a state of freedom and a state of abundance and richness. All this led the ancient Egyptians to look at these animals and study the nature of these creatures that live on this land. He then makes a connection between these animals, these creatures, these birds on the Egyptian land, and the gods and goddesses they worshipped.

This is why when the ancient Egyptians addressed their faith or belief in a particular deity, or an idol, they always took an animal or bird symbol for this idol.

Prehistoric drawings in the Western Desert of Egypt

Why Were Animals Chosen as Sacred Symbols of the Gods?

But the choice of this particular symbol was due to reasons that were the main reason for choosing this animal symbol, that this animal contains in itself a sacred quality, this sacred quality is what is expressed by this particular deity, and therefore in every animal, bird, insect or plant that the ancient Egyptians revered, there was a strong connection between this creature and the idol associated with this creature directly on the assumption that this bird, or this creature carries a sacred quality found in the god that the ancient Egyptians worshiped, and it was very natural that this bird, or this creature carries a sacred quality found in the god that the ancient Egyptians worshipped.

It was quite natural that as a result of the multiplicity of idols in ancient Egypt, and the spread of these idols over the Egyptian regions, it was also natural for these sacred symbols to multiply across the Egyptian land. If we bear in mind that the ancient Egyptian faith, over the course of time. over a long period of time, the ancient Egyptian faith sanctified approximately 4000 gods or 4000 idols. Each of these gods and goddesses was responsible for a certain function, and played a certain role in nature, so this idol had to have an embodied image on earth that carried its sacred quality. This sacred image. It is in the form of an animal, a bird, or a plant, and a model of these creatures is kept inside the temple of this deity.

When this sacred image or symbol was kept in the temple of the god, it was intended for a specific purpose, that is, this model through which humans recognize the attributes of the god, the nature of the god, the sanctity of the god, and also this preserved symbol.

Inside the temple, the ancient Egyptians believed that the spirit of the deity that dwells in heaven, dwells in the body, or in the being, of this symbol on earth, and so in every ancient Egyptian temple throughout history, the temples had small compartments or compartments attached to the outside of the temple. These small compartments or temples would be dedicated to keeping and housing these sacred animal or bird symbols. Archaeologists have found many examples of these places.

Infographic — Sacred Symbols of Ancient Egypt

🦅 Falcon

Horus — kingship & sky power

🐂 Bull (Apis)

Ptah’s living spirit, fertility, strength

🦊 Jackal

Anubis — guardian of the dead

🪶 Ibis

Thoth — wisdom & writing

🐈 Cat

Bastet — protection & fertility

To learn more about evil symbols in ancient Egypt

Animals Considered Evil and Opposed to the Gods in Ancient Egypt

The Maru (m3rw): Temple Enclosures for Sacred Animals

The place where the sacred symbol of the god was kept inside the temple was called the temple enclosure, this place was called in the ancient Egyptian civilization by the word Maru (m3rw). This name refers to a small building or temple, which was this building. The Maru was a small building attached to each temple in the ancient Egyptian temples, and each temple had its own Maru that contained the sacred symbol of the deity. Inside the Maru was a group of priests who specialized in selecting the sacred symbol of the god.

How Priests Selected Sacred Animals?

This sacred symbol was chosen based on specific conditions known to these priests, and these priests. They study these conditions thoroughly, and then search for a model of this sacred symbol throughout the entire Egyptian land. When this sacred animal or bird associated with each individual god is found, it is selected, brought alive, and placed in the Maru of the temple. Inside the temple's Maru, this animal or bird is cared for throughout its life by being fed, watered, and taken care of with complete attention.

Mummification and Burial of Sacred Symbols

When the animal dies. The priests give the animal or bird a sacred mummification, and then it is buried, and another animal is chosen to take its place. Therefore, a Maru usually contains only one model of the deity's sacred symbol, but if the conditions are met in more than one model, it is possible for a single temple to have more than one model of the deity's sacred symbol on display.

The conditions upon which the symbol is chosen are mentioned in the sacred papyri. It states that the sacred symbol must have distinctive qualities or specific characteristics. These qualities are related to the shape of the animal, related to the nature of its birth, related to color, and if it is a bird, the choice is related to the shape of the claws and the colors of the feathers if it is a bovine, or a bull, through the shape of the eyes The documents and papyri, for example, explained that the sacred Maru of the city of Manf contained within it a model of the sacred bull.

Known as the calf Apis, which represents the spirit of the god Ptah on the Egyptian land, and according to the conditions mentioned in the ancient Egyptian papyri for the election of the calf, this calf was required to be the first calf of a cow that had not been born before, and this firstborn calf has colors. On the calf's back, and on its shoulders, a black spot resembling a winged falcon.

The lines on the tongue of this calf are similar in shape to a scarab, the conditions were very difficult and therefore required the priests to travel the entire Egyptian land to find this sacred model, and sometimes if the sacred symbol of the god died, the search for another model was a long process, perhaps up to years.

Sacred Animals in Festivals and Processions

On major temple festivals, these animals were brought to participate in the main procession of the temple's deity, for example in the procession of the god Ptah we find the sacred calf. Walking in the procession on the Feast of Horus at the Edfu temple are falcons.

The falcons symbolizing Horus were placed in cages and carried on the shoulders of the priests to walk with them in the procession. The priests also trained these birds and animals to participate in the festivals in a certain way, for example, the priests would release the bird, and when it ascended into the sky, it would return back to the ground to dwell in its own place.

Each temple had to be attached to a large cemetery, this cemetery was dedicated to the sacred animals that symbolized the temple's main deity. Scholars have found dozens of such tombs that span the Egyptian landscape.

Animals and Symbols in Egyptian Writing and Art

Ancient Egyptian writing was essentially a symbol of ancient Egyptian nature. In its form, or in its concept, it expressed the same sacred symbols that were modeled on the idols found on the Egyptian land, so we found the hoopoe, the jackal, the heron, the warbler, and other creatures that live on the Egyptian land, and were used as phonetic signs in ancient Egyptian writing. They were also used as sacred symbols, and the ancient Egyptians always kept them in temples, always symbolizing the gods.

symbol of ancient Egyptian

These sacred symbols always accompanied the king during the main processions, so. One of the main things in ancient Egypt was to find the sacred symbols. These idols were placed on stands, or on banners, and carried in front of the procession, and walked in front of the procession of the king or the procession of the god to open the way for him, and we found these symbols also the beginning of the historical periods of the First Dynasty on the Narmer Palette, for example, which records a set of these sacred symbols, and these sacred symbols continue to the stage of the stability of the Christian religion on the land of Egypt.

For more about sacred symbols in ancient Egypt

Key Takeaways

Sacred symbols in ancient Egypt came from the natural environment — animals, birds, and plants.
These creatures were not worshipped for themselves but for the divine qualities they embodied.
Priests selected and cared for sacred animals in temple enclosures called Maru (m3rw).
Sacred animals were honored with mummification and burial after death.
Symbols shaped Egyptian rituals, festivals, art, and even writing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the ancient Egyptians worship animals directly?

No, they revered animals as sacred symbols of the gods, not as gods themselves.

What was the role of the Apis bull in ancient Egypt?

The Apis bull symbolized the living spirit of Ptah and represented fertility and strength.

Why was the falcon considered sacred?

The falcon embodied Horus, the sky god and protector of kingship.

What is the Maru (m3rw) in Egyptian temples?

A special enclosure within temples where sacred animals were kept and cared for by priests.

How did priests choose sacred animals?

They followed strict conditions recorded in papyri, such as markings, birth signs, or unique traits.

Were sacred animals mummified?

Yes, priests mummified sacred animals after death and buried them in special cemeteries.

Did sacred animals join religious festivals?

Yes, they were carried in temple processions to symbolize the living presence of the gods.

Which animals appeared in Egyptian writing?

Birds, jackals, ibises, and other native animals were used as hieroglyphic signs and sacred symbols.

Why were cats sacred in ancient Egypt?

Cats represented Bastet, goddess of protection, fertility, and domestic harmony.

Do sacred symbols still influence Egyptian culture today?

Yes, many symbols like the ankh, scarab, and falcon remain powerful cultural icons.

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.
Teeter, Emily. Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt. Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Assmann, Jan. Egyptian Solar Religion in the New Kingdom: Re, Amun and the Crisis of Polytheism. Routledge, 1995.
Ikram, Salima. Divine Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt. American University in Cairo Press, 2005.
Pinch, Geraldine. Magic in Ancient Egypt. University of Texas Press, 1994.