Egyptian Mythology

Hi everybody and welcome back to Raisa's Mythological Creature Blog. Today I'll tell you about 10 Mythological Creatures from Egyptian Mythology.

The first creature for today is the Benu or Bennu Bird. This bird was imaginary and resembled a heron. Some ancient Egyptians believed that Bennu Bird was crowned with a crown that had two ostrich feathers or a sun disk above its head.

Ammut is a demoness that has the head of a crocodile, a leopard's body and a hippo's backside. The Egyptians believed that Ammut was called many names, such as 'The Devourer', 'Eater of Hearts' and the 'Great of Death', because she was a demon of punishment.

The next creature we have today is Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom. He resembles an ibis. He is the god of writing and magic and he is very important in the Egyptian gods' panteon. A myth about Thoth tells that he has many consorts, including Nehematawy and Seshat, the goddess of writing and measurement.

Ruti (also called Aker) is the Egyptian god of the horizon. Egyptians imagine him as two lions looking away from each other, according to myth, the lions were named Duaj (meaning yesterday) and Sefer (meaning tomorrow).

Next is Apis - a bull that is considered to be a god of fertility. Apis is associated with some Egyptian characters including Ptah and Osiris. Apis represented every important value and understanding of all Egyptian people.

The Sphinx is a creature with a human's head and the body of a lion. It is sometimes featured in Greek Mythology. Egyptians imagine that the quadrupeds guard the holy sites around their country.

Anubis is the ancient Egyptian god of the embalming. He is sometimes represented as a jackal, a wild dog-like creature. He was the god that helped preserve the corpse of Osiris, the god of the dead, after Set, the god of violence, killed him.

Next is Apophis. He was a snake who caused chaos around ancient Egypt. The Egyptians believed that Apophis was the opponent Ma'at (truth) and the light. According to ancient Egyptian mythology, the snake is known as 'the Lord of Chaos'.

The Phoenix is a bird that is associated with the sun. It is found in Egyptian, Chinese and Greek Mythology. According to myths, the Phoenix can be reborn by rising up from the ashes of itself when killed. The bird is made up of flames, which is why when it is killed, ashes form and the phoenix is reborn.

The last weird and wonderful creature is the amazing Egyptian goddess Bastet. She is the protector of cats and she is also the goddess of them, fertility and childbirth. Bastet (sometimes referred to as Bast) protects homes from evil spirits and diseases. A myth about Bastet tells that until the year 1000 BC, she was a lioness.

That's it for today's 10 creatures! Join me tomorrow for more fantastic critters! Bye!