WARNING: Carter and Sadie Kane may make you walk like an Egyptian.
Rick Riordan’s first installment in the Kane Chronicles
, THE RED PYRAMID, picks up where the PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS
left off with adventure, hilarious dialogue and of course, gods – this time of the Egyptian variety.While I’ve always been a fan of mythology, Egyptian gods and goddesses can trip up even the diehard mythologist. To save you from repeated Googling, (like I did), here’s a go-to Egyptian gods list for you to print out and refer to while reading THE RED PYRAMID
.Gods & Goddesses you MUST know:
Osiris: God of the underworld, son of Geb and Nut, brother and husband to Isis (see how this can get confusing?)
Set: Brother to Osiris, god of the desert, storms, darkness and chaos.
Isis: Sister to Set, Osiris, Horus, Nepthys. Goddess of motherhood, magic and fertility.
Horus: Son/brother of Isis and Osiris, God of the sky, war and protection. King of the gods. Usually depicted with a falcon head.
Nepthys: Sister/wife of Set. Goddess who offered guidance to the newly dead and comforted mourners.
Anubis: Son of Nepthys/Set, God of mummification and the afterlife. (I originally mistook Osiris for him.) Usually depicted with a jackal head.
Bast: Goddess of protection, the sun and especially cats.
Gods & Goddesses it’s good to know:
Geb: Husband to Nut, god of the earth.
Nut: Goddess of the sky.
Ra: Ancient king of the gods. God of the sun. Depicted with a falcon head. All forms of life were believed to have been created by Ra, who called each of them into existence by speaking their secret names. Humans were created from Ra’s tears and sweat.
Thoth: God of magic, writing, science, knowledge and judgment of the dead. Usually depicted with an ibis or baboon head.
Sobek: God of the river, warfare and fertility, depicted with crocodile head.
Serquet: Goddess of healing stings and bites, deification of the scorpion.
Egyptian words:
Ma’at: Egyptian concept of truth, balance, order, law, morality and justice.
Duat: Underworld.
Shabti: Figurines meant to be called upon to do manual labor in the afterlife.
Djed: Symbol of Osiris, representing stability.
House of Life: Per Ankh, most Egyptian temples had a “House of Life” where records were kept including mathematics, medicine, astronomy, geography, law and dream interpretation. Place where priests and scribes were trained.
Find out more about Regan Coomer’s “Thoughts about YA books for the not-so-young adult,” at regancoomer.wordpress.com.
