Knowing the basics about the ancient Egyptian deities will add a lot more meaning when visiting the temples and other ancient Egyptian attractions. It is very helpful to have at least a basic understanding of how the ancient Egyptians understood their world, their gods, their divine Pharaoh, and their place within it. This is a very big topic so we will just mention some of the basics.
When in Egypt visit the Abu Simbel Temples Of Ramesses II that stand as powerful enduring testaments to the divinity of the ancient Pharaohs. Of course, the pyramids (that were once part of much larger complexes) are themselves are reminders of how the Pharaohs were once viewed as gods.
Introduction To Egyptian Beliefs
The Egyptian beliefs in the gods and goddesses have their roots in prehistory. The deities represented natural forces and phenomena and it was the duty of the Egyptians to support and appease these deities with offerings and rituals. This was so that the forces would continue to function (like the Nile would continue to seasonally flood making agriculture possible).
Tip: To Memorize the Egyptian Gods Listen To The Song "By the Power of Ra" From The 1998 Animated Film Prince of Egypt a Gazillion Times
The Egyptian state was created around 3100 BC and central to these tasks was the pharaoh. He was the god's representative and it was his task to manage the temples and ensure the rituals were carried out so that the people could continue to have their harvests etc. People's relations with the gods were a fundamental part of their society.
Some of the most notable gods and goddesses were:
Ra: The Sun God
Amun: A Mysterious God
Isis: The Mother Goddess
The Egyptian Pantheon Was Complicated
Egypt existed for a very long period of time and so the religion and hierarchy of the gods changed over time. The highest deity was normally credited with the creation of the world and was often connected with the sun and its life-giving power.
Atenism: The Monotheistic Anaolomy Of the 14th Century BC When Religion Focused Exclusively On The Solar Deity, the Aten
According to Britannica.com:
"Egypt had one of the largest and most complex pantheons of gods of any civilization in the ancient world. Over the course of Egyptian history, hundreds of gods and goddesses were worshipped. The characteristics of individual gods could be hard to pin down."
This was because gods rose and fell in importance over time and evolved in ways that corresponded to the changes in Egyptian society.
The Most Important Egyptian Deities
Osiris:
Osiris was the god of the underworld and symbolized death, resurrection, and the cycle of the Nile. The Nile would flood every year (something vital to Egyptians for agriculture). He was a king of Egypt who was murdered by his brother Seth.
His wife was Isis who resurrected him after reassembling him (Seth did more than kill him). He is shown as a mummified king with only the green skin of his hands and face exposed.
Isis:
She grew in importance and became one of the most important goddesses in the Egyptian pantheon She was the devoted wife of Osiris and embodies the Egpytian virtues of a wife and mother.
She was the sister of Nephthys. Isis' maternal care often extended to the dead in the underworld. Her worship persisted into the Greco-Roman world and came to be identified with the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Her cult spread as far as Britain and Afghanistan. She may have even influenced the depictions of Mary with the infant Jesus.
Horus:
Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris and rose to avenge the death of Osiris. He is depicted as a falcon or as a man with a falcon's head. He was the sky god and was associated with war and hunting.
Seth:
The god of chaos, violence, deserts (Egypt has plenty of deserts), and storms. He murdered Osiris and is often depicted as an animal or a human with the head of an animal with the depictions thought of as some sort of mythical composite.
Ra:
Ra was one of several deities associated with the sun and was normally represented with a human body and a head of a hawk. He was believed to rule in all the parts of the world that he created including the sky, the Earth, and the underworld. He was the god of the sun, order, kings, and the sky.
The other essential gods and goddesses to know (but are too much to go through here) were Ptah, Hathor, Anubis, Thoth, Bastet, and Amon.