Hidden Ancient Egyptian Gods Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nut

"...peaNUT allergy..."

Nut is goddess of the sky, and her consort is her brother, Geb, god of the earth. They are the children of Shu and Tefnut, or air and moisture. The sky is formed from Nut's body as she arches herself over Geb, who lies beneath her forming the Earth. The siblings were born in a sexual embrace, enraging the sun god Ra, who commanded their father Shu to separate them, and thus the Earth was separated from the sky. Ra forbade Nut to give birth on any day during the year, but she was already pregnant by Geb! To solve this problem, her friend Thoth gambled with Khonsu, god of the moon, and every time Khonsu lost, Thoth was permitted to take light from the moon, which was just as bright as Ra before. With this light, he made five extra days which did not count as part of the year, and so on these days Nut birthed her five children.

Answer: Sobek

"...SO BE Kind to him..."

Sobek is a god of the Nile, and is the head of a crocodile, which he also rules over. Some believed he came from the primordial waters of Nu and created the world, and that he created the river Nile from his sweat. Many feared him as they feared crocodiles, and prayed to him for protection from these sometimes vicious animals. In some areas of Egypt, crocodiles were abhorred, and were frequently hunted. In others regions, worshipers of Sobek kept them in a special pool, where they became quite tame, and were mummified after their deaths. Sobek represents the strength and ferocity of these animals, and is a patron of armies.

Answer: Maat

"...EmMA ATtended..."

Maat, also spelled Ma'at, is the goddess of truth, order, and justice. She is often depicted with an ostrich feather on her head, the Feather of Maat; in the underworld, the Duat, during the Weighing of the Heart ceremony, the god of the dead Anubis weighs the hearts of the dead against this feather to determine if they have been good and just in their lives. Those deemed to have been good are thus worthy to continue their journey toward Aaru, the Egyptian paradise. The soul, represented by the heart, has to weigh exactly the same as the feather, otherwise it would be devoured by Ammit, and would not go on to Aaru. Maat upholds harmony in the world, and was often regarded more as a concept of moral standards than an actual goddess.

Answer: Hathor

"tHAT HORrified me..."

Hathor is a goddess of feminine love and motherhood, and a patron of women. She is commonly depicted with the head of a cow, and she is regarded as the personification of the Milky Way Galaxy, thought to be the milk of her udders. She is one of the goddesses attributed to be the Eye of Ra, or Ra's female counterpart, and some thought her as his mother, some as his daughter, and most as his consort as well as one of these. She has a role as "Lady of the West", also "Lady of the Southern Sycamore". This involves her feeding the souls of the dead with water from a sycamore tree, suckling them to give sustenance, and guiding them to the underworld. As a goddess linked with motherhood and fertility, the periodic flooding of the Nile is associated with her.

Answer: Atum

"...after A TUMultuous..."

Atum, also called Atem or Tem, created the world out of the primordial waters of Nu; first he created himself, and then his children, Shu and Tefnut (air and moisture), by spitting them out. They in turn gave birth to the Earth and sky, Geb and Nut. He is usually depicted as a human man, sometimes with the head of a ram. As well as a creator, he is the one who will end the world by sending it all back into Nu. He is associated with the setting sun, and is known as the "Father of Pharaohs" as well of the gods.

Answer: Horus

"...head honcHO RUshed..."

Horus is the god of protection, particularly of Egypt and of the Pharaoh. He is depicted as a man with the head of a falcon, with the sun and moon as his eyes. As he flies across the sky as a bird, so the sun and moon move with him. He was born to Isis, after her brother Set killed her husband Osiris, and he and Set did battle over a divided Egypt, which neither won. The other gods granted Horus the victory, therefore he became the protector of the Pharaohs and of the united country, and each Pharaoh was considered the physical embodiment of Horus.

Answer: Ptah

"...had crePT AHead..."

Ptah is the god of construction and craftsmen, and he is another god regarded to have created the world, merely by thinking of it. He, his wife Sekhmet, goddess of war and medicine, and their daughter Nefertem, also a goddess of healing like her mother, comprise the triad of Memphis, i.e. the gods who were primarily worshiped there. As the patron of architects, he adopted the deified architect Imhotep as his son. He is usually depicted mummified and holding a staff adorned by his three main symbols: the ankh to represent life; the was, a scepter, to represent power; and the djed, a pillar, to represent stability.

Answer: Thoth

"...wiTH OTHer friends..."

Thoth is the god of knowledge and wisdom, and is the scribe of the gods. He is regarded as the inventor of hieroglyphics, and is reputed to have written the "Book of Thoth", which contains spells. As a magician, he aided Anubis with the creation of mummification and resurrected both Osiris and Horus after their deaths. He is depicted with the head of either an ibis or a baboon, and is shown holding a palette and stylus, or alternatively, a scepter symbolizing power, and the ankh.

Answer: Min

"...MINa assured..."

Min is the god of reproduction and fertility, and is depicted with his erect phallus in one hand, and a flail in the other. His skin is black to symbolize the fertile black soil of Egypt. He wears a crown of feathers and a red ribbon. Certain lettuces are special symbols of Min's as they were regarded as aphrodisiacs due to the semen-like appearance of the latex they produce. There were many festivals worshiping him, to increase the fertility of the Pharaoh and also other men. In recent years, such as the Victorian period, Egyptologists tended to view Min as vulgar, and censored much of his nudity in the art and statues.

Answer: Apophis

"...AnnA POP HIS balloon."

Apophis, or Apep, is a god who was always feared rather than worshiped in Ancient Egypt. He is the god of darkness and destruction, and is depicted as a massive serpent. During the day, he is said to lie below the horizon, while at night he attempts to attack his enemy, Ra, as he travels through the underworld. Events like natural disasters were attributed to him, and a solar eclipse was viewed as Apophis managing temporarily to swallow Ra before the sun god's defenders freed him. Each year, priests of Ra performed a ritual to banish the evil Apophis, and because he dwelled in the underworld, the dead were often buried with spells to protect them from him.