Tradition: Egyptian mythology
Alternative Names: Uaiput
Category: Deity, Cow
Uaiput is the name given to a group of four cow-goddesses. The group is depicted together as four bovine female deities.
Budge, E. A. W. (1920). An Egyptian hieroglyphic dictionary : with an index of English words, king list and geological list with indexes, list of hieroglyphic characters, coptic and semitic alphabets, etc. (p. 146) J. Murray.
Tradition: Egyptian mythology
Alternative names: Mer-wer, Nem-wer
Category: Deity, Cow
Mnevis was a sacred bull god whose main centre of worship was at Heliopolis. Originally regarded as a separate deity, he was later associated with Atum-Ra and considered the physical manifestation of the god, as well as the ba of Ra.
Mnevis was usually represented as a black bull wearing a solar disk and uraeus. Like the Apis bull, his movements were believed to be guided by divine will, allowing him to function as an oracle. His priesthood even claimed that Mnevis was the father of the more famous Apis bull.
The Mnevis bull was associated with two sacred cows representing Hathor and Iusaaset. When a Mnevis bull died, it was embalmed and buried with great honours in a dedicated necropolis near the temple at Heliopolis. Another burial ground was reserved for the Mothers of Mnevis, who were considered manifestations of the cow-goddess Hesat.
Only one Mnevis bull was believed to exist at a time. After his death, a replacement was sought, usually a completely black bull.
The cult of Mnevis was one of the few religious cults tolerated during the reign of Akhenaten and the Amarna period, likely because of its strong connection with solar worship. Akhenaten even ordered a necropolis for Mnevis bulls to be constructed at Akhetaten, although the site has not been discovered.
“Mnevis.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed August 29, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mnevis
Tradition: Egyptian mythology
Alternative names: Mehturt
Category: Deity, Cow
Mehet-Weret is an ancient Egyptian goddess of the sky whose name means “Great Flood.” She is known as the Celestial Cow, and in Egyptian creation mythology she is responsible for giving birth to the sun at the beginning of time.
Mehet-Weret is also associated with water, creation, and rebirth. She was believed to raise the sun into the sky each day, bringing light to the world and helping crops grow. She was also connected with the annual flooding of the Nile, whose waters fertilized the land.
As the mother of the sun god Ra, Mehet-Weret gives birth to the sun every day. The sun is therefore continually brought forth from her, allowing the world to escape darkness. She is depicted as protecting Ra and keeping him close to her.
Mehet-Weret was also connected with the night sky. Some traditions associated her with the Milky Way, imagined as a celestial river of stars whose waters corresponded to the life-giving flood of the Nile.
Her connection with rebirth continued into Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife. In the Book of the Dead, particularly Spell 17, she is credited with the birth of Ra and with protecting him through his nightly journey into the darkness of the underworld before bringing him back the following day. Because of this cycle, she was associated with the death and rebirth of both the sun and the deceased.
Mehet-Weret could also appear in funerary imagery. On the sarcophagus of Khonsu, she is depicted as part of the protective imagery surrounding the deceased, signifying his rebirth into the afterlife.
“Mehet-Weret.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed August 29, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehet-Weret
Tradition / Region: Egyptian mythology
Alternative names: Hesat, Hesat-Hathor
Category: Cow, Deity
Hesat is a divine cow who provides milk to humanity, the pharaoh, and the sacred bull gods. Her milk was called the beer of Hesat and was regarded as a source of nourishment and life. She was especially connected with Mnevis, the sacred bull of Heliopolis, whose mothers were buried in a cemetery dedicated to Hesat.
In the Pyramid Texts, Hesat is described as the mother of Anubis and of the deceased king. She was regarded as a manifestation of Hathor and was commonly represented as a white cow, associated with purity and the life-giving milk she provides.
During the Ptolemaic period, Hesat became closely associated with Isis.
“Hesat.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesat
Tradition / Region: Egyptian mythology
Alternative names: Heru-Skhait
Category: Cow, Deity
Heru-Skhait is an Egyptian cow goddess associated with the protection of Isis and Horus. She is depicted in Egyptian inscriptions as a divine cow who protects and watches over the goddess and her son.
Budge, E. A. W. (1920). An Egyptian hieroglyphic dictionary : with an index of English words, king list and geological list with indexes, list of hieroglyphic characters, coptic and semitic alphabets, etc. (p. 95) J. Murray.
Tradition / Region: Egyptian Mythology
Alternative names: Bast, Ubasti, Ailuros
Category: Cat, Deity
Bastet was first worshipped as a fierce lioness goddess who defended the sun god Ra and protected the king of Lower Egypt. She was a warrior who fought the serpent Apep, the great enemy of Ra, and stood as one of the divine guardians of the sun.
Over time, Bastet came to be represented as a domestic cat or a woman with the head of a cat while retaining her role as a powerful protector. She was believed to guard homes against evil spirits and contagious diseases and was also associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood. As the daughter of Ra and Isis and the consort of Ptah, she was also regarded as the mother of the lion-headed god Maahes.
Bastet’s chief sanctuary stood in the city of Bubastis, where countless pilgrims gathered to celebrate her festivals. During these celebrations, people traveled by boat, singing, dancing, drinking wine, and offering sacrifices in her honor. The temple was famous for its sacred cats, many of which were mummified and buried there after death.
One tradition tells that the fierce lioness aspect of the goddess was calmed by the sacred waters surrounding her temple, transforming her from a wrathful guardian into the gentle cat goddess who watched over homes, families, and the people of Egypt.
“Bastet.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed July 28, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastet
Tradition / Region: Egyptian Mythology
Alternate Names: Upuaut, Wep-wawet, Wepawet, Apuat, Ophois
Category: Wolf
Wepwawet is one of the oldest gods of ancient Egypt, known as the “Opener of the Ways.” He was worshiped at Asyut, a city the Greeks later called Lycopolis — the City of Wolves — and he was seen as a divine scout who clears paths for gods, kings, and the dead.
He is most often depicted as a wolf or jackal standing at the front of a procession or at the prow of the sun-boat of Ra, forever leading the way forward. In war he marches ahead of the army, opening the road to victory. In royal rituals he appears on the first standard, guiding the other sacred banners behind him and symbolizing the divine authority of the pharaoh.
The Pyramid Texts declare that the face of the king is the face of Wepwawet, for the god protects the ruler’s rise to power and accompanies him on the hunt and in battle. One inscription even proclaims that Wepwawet “opens the way” to victory itself.
Over time, his role as a war-scout expanded into the realm of death. Just as he clears the path for armies, Wepwawet also opens the roads of the Duat, the Egyptian underworld. He guides souls through the dangerous passages beyond death and stands beside funerary rites, helping the dead begin their journey into the afterlife. Because of this role, he became closely associated with Anubis and was sometimes considered his brother.
Different traditions tell of his birth in sacred places: some say he emerged from the holy shrine of the goddess Wadjet, while others claim he sprang from a tamarisk bush. In later texts he is even linked to the rising sun itself, opening the sky at the horizon as Ra ascends.
Whether leading armies, guiding kings, or escorting the dead, Wepwawet stands forever at the front — the divine pathfinder who walks first into every unknown road.
Wepwawet.Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 1, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wepwawet.
Tradition / Region: Egyptian Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Dog
Am-heh was a feared being of the Egyptian underworld.
His name was said to mean “Devourer of Millions” or “Eater of Eternity,” and he was imagined as a powerful and dreadful presence among the spirits of the dead. He was depicted with the body of a man and the head of a hunting dog, marking him as one of the dangerous beings that dwelled beyond the world of the living.
Am-heh was believed to reside in a lake of fire deep in the underworld. From this burning place he threatened the souls who passed through the realm of the dead, and his presence was associated with punishment, destruction, and divine retribution. In some traditions he was connected with other devouring beings who judged or consumed the wicked.
Though terrifying, he was not beyond control. It was said that only the creator god Atum possessed the power to repel him and keep his destructive force in check.
Thus Am-heh was remembered as a fiery devourer of the underworld — a dog-headed god who lurked in the burning depths, waiting among the spirits of the dead.
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Am-heh. In Wikipedia, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am-heh
Tradition / Region: Egyptian mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Cow, Deity
In the city of Oxyrhynchus there was honored a quiet goddess named Akshit, a sacred cow whose destiny was bound to the gods themselves. From her body was born Apis, the holy bull, chosen to walk among humans as a living sign of divine power.
Akshit nurtured her son knowing he was more than a calf. Within him lived fertility, strength, and the will of the gods. As Apis grew, he became the center of reverence: temples rose for him, offerings were brought, and the people watched his movements for meaning. Through him, the gods spoke without words.
Akshit remained in the background of this sacred life, yet everything depended on her. Without her care, the divine bull could not exist. As his mother, she guarded the passage by which divine force entered the world in living form.
Thus Akshit was remembered not for command or spectacle, but for creation itself—the sacred mother who gave the gods a body through which they could dwell among humankind.
Budge, E. A. W. (1920). An Egyptian hieroglyphic dictionary : with an index of English words, king list and geological list with indexes, list of hieroglyphic characters, coptic and semitic alphabets, etc. (p. 95) J. Murray.