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Were the ancient Egyptian gods physical beings?

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The physical form taken on by the various Egyptian gods was usually a combination of human and animal, and many were associated with one or more animal species. And an animal could express a deity's mood. When a god was angry, she might be portrayed as a ferocious lioness; when gentle, a cat. read more

The ancient Egyptians literally had over 100+ gods but they don't explicitly state they thought this or believed this of all gods. However they did believe some gods were indeed physical beings, and they thought the gods were indeed real. read more

Among these were such very ancient figures as the cosmic gods Shu of the air, Geb of the earth, the fertility god Min, and the craftsman Ptah. There were a number of minor gods that took on grotesque forms, including Bes, a dwarf with a mask-like face, and Taurt, a goddess whose physical form combined the features of a hippopotamus and a crocodile. read more

Ancient Egyptian Sexuality Sexuality in Ancient Egypt is a subject to be approached with caution. Norms in regard to sexual behavior cannot be looked at with our Western understanding of sexual identity as many cultures, both past and present, do not create categories based on the same things we do. read more

The Egyptian language's terms for these beings were nṯr,"god", and its feminine form nṯrt,"goddess". Scholars have tried to discern the original nature of the gods by proposing etymologies for these words, but none of these suggestions has gained acceptance, and the terms' origin remains obscure. read more

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