Religion was very important to Egyptian society. The ancient Egyptians believed in Polytheism, or the belief in many gods (literally hundreds of them). They believed that the gods controlled the forces of nature such as flooding of the Nile, as well as the occurrences of everyday life such as the sunrise and sunset, birth and death. Basically, Egyptians created gods to explain all aspects of life that they did not understand. They always wanted to please the gods so they built huge temples in their honor. Pharaohs had temples built, made sacrifices, and performed rituals to honor the gods. My research turned up many different stories, appearances, and names for the same gods. Each region in ancient Egypt emphasized different gods and stories changed when regions merged over the several thousand years of ancient Egyptian civilization.
All Egyptians hoped to be granted an afterlife. However, they first had to pass a terrible trial called the Trial of the Two Truths. They had to go before Osiris, the lord of the underworld and 42 other judges. During the trial, Anubis, the jackel - headed god tests his/her claim of virtue by balancing their heart on scales against the feather of truth. Good spirits pass the trial and are taken to Horus to begin a new life in the Fields of Yaru (heaven). The rest are swallowed up by the hideous beast/god, Ammut, (a.k.a The Devourer) which was part lion, crocodile, and hippopotamus. They would die forever. .
Although there were a countless number of gods In my opinion three of the most important were Osiris, Isis, and Anubis. Osiris was king of the dead or underworld. He was the symbol of reassurance and eternal life as well as the judge in The Trial of the Two Truths. He also provided prosperity and fertility to the living. He was represented as a bearded man wearing white mummy wrappings. He is also holding the two symbols of supreme power, the crook and flail while wearing the atef crown.
