The Apis de Menfis was a black bull with white markings on its forehead and on its back.
It was conceived when a ray of light fell on a cow. Therefore, he was considered successively son of the sun, the corporization of Ptah and later the reincarnation of Osiris.
The worship of Apis was the most widespread among the Egyptians. This sacred bull had a pen inside the temple and there they brought offerings to him.
They represented him with a solar disk between the horns.
Every year they celebrated their birth with a feast lasting seven days.
When the sacred Apis died, they embalmed it and buried it with great pomp.
The mourning lasted seventy days. Then the priests went out in search of a new Apis to incarnate the gods.
The Egyptians had observed that the beetle was dragging a ball of excrement. That ball contained the seed from which his calf would be born.
The Beetle was for the Egyptians, symbol of the sun at dawn. The one who gave life and provided energy for all things.
The Egyptians thought that Osiris's soul had been embodied in the lamb of Mendes and called it “soul of Ra.”
This corporization was recognized by the priests, by means of different marks that the lamb wore on his body. He was worshiped as a god of fertility and his attribute was a grain of wheat.
While all the donkeys were highly respected by the Egyptian peasants because of their help in their field duties, the donkey they worshipped as a deity had reddish coat.
That reddish donkey was consecrated to the god Seth, the evil assassin of Osiris and offered in sacrifice when they performed rituals in his honor.
The Crocodile, by his destructive power, symbolized the forces of evil, and expressed the eternal struggle that men and gods were waging against Chaos.
By rising from the waters, he represented the god Sobek. Although it also symbolized the gods Geb and Jentijeti
He was a deity with different attributes depending on whether he was female or male.
The female Hippopotamus had benevolent tributes because it was associated with the Goddesses Tauret and Ipet protective of motherhood.
The male Hippopotamus had evil attributes because it was associated with the fear it produced because of its voracity and aggressiveness as it put the sailors at risk and destroyed the crops.
The Egyptians thought that in the hippo all forces of Chaos or evil converged.
There are many representations of pharaohs destroying hippos, symbolizing the eternal struggle against the enemies of Egypt.
The Falcon symbolized the union between celestial and earthly forces.
It was the emblem of the sky lord.
Horus was often depicted with a hawk.
It had various manifestations:
Like Horajti symbolizing the sun at its zenith.
As a fearless and fighting bird, it was chosen as a symbol of several warrior gods such as Behedety, Hemen and Montu.
The lion was considered the lord of the desert. It was associated with the sun because of the devastating and wild force of both in the desert.
If the representation is of a lioness, it is associated with dangerous goddesses like Tefnut, Bastet or Sekhmet.
The monkey was considered a patron of the scribes, because he was associated with Thoth.
For he announced his appearance every morning with cries and howls, he was considered a sun worshipper.
If he appeared wielding a club, he represented Atum fighting the evil leaders of Chaos.
The dog was for the Egyptians a pet. It is very common to find his image sculpted on tombstones.
He also appeared as Upuaut, clearing the way of Pharaoh and Anubis, master of cemeteries.
When he represented a funeral god, he appeared painted black.
The reddish coat dogs were destined to honor the god Seth.
The cat was a very appreciated animal among the Egyptians as they considered it protector of the family.
They believed that cats embodied the goddess Bastet, representing feminine serenity. It often appeared in funeral representations alongside the deceased, as an emblem of the femineity of the household.
If someone accidentally killed a cat, they would be punished with the death penalty. The dying cats were embalmed and sent to a cemetery dedicated to them in Babastos.
The frog was the symbol of constant changes in life.
The goddess Heket was depicted in the shape of a frog as the patron saint of births.
The Phoenix was the most important of the sacred birds.
It was a heron with a feather crest on his head.
It symbolized the sun-god under the names of Ra and Osiris.
The Egyptians believed the herons soared in flight every morning creating themselves. upon the heavenly sycamore, as the soul of Osiris rested every night on his sarcophagus.
The vulture was a symbol of benevolence and protection. By extending his wings, he protected the changes of the late pharaoh in the afterworld.
The image of the vulture was associated as an emblem of the gods Mut and Nejbet.
The Ibis was the patron of the scribes. It was a black-headed bird long ago extinct.
It symbolized the god Thoth. Their mummies were placed in grottoes and shrines.
The fish had evil and beneficial attributes.
On the one hand, being inhabitants of the waters, they were considered allies of the Chaos powers and enemies of the Sun.
On the other hand, they embodied divine manifestations, when the sun was reborn among the waters or in the case of the aquatic gestation of Osiris.
Atum was conceived as an eel and the goddess Hatmehit was shaped like a dolphin.
A special cult of snakes was given throughout Egypt.
The image of the snake in the hieroglyphs meant goddess.
The Cobra, for example, decorated the crown of the pharaohs and symbolized the power of the monarchy.
At the entrance of the temples, images of snakes were painted to protect their entrance, and boxes of live snakes were placed in important graves to take care of the sacred place.