Egyptian Gods
Ancient Egyptian Gods, Goddesses and Religion
Reference to an afterlife judgement by a tribunal of gods
may appear as early as the Pyramid Texts (PT 317, 386,
etc). Such references are clear in the Middle Kingdom
Coffin Texts, and by the time the Book of the Dead became
the chief funerary text, this judgment was seen as the
crucial event in the deceased's entrance to the afterlife.
Spell 125 of the Book of the Dead gives the so-called
"negative confession" or "declaration of innocence" of the
deceased before a tribunal of 42 gods who were the
assessors who judged the dead in the netherworld Hall of
Justice or "Hall of the Two Truths". The declaration takes
the form of an address by the deceased to each judge - who
is named along with the protestation of innocence regarding
the specific crime judged by that god. The gods were listed
according to their individual names and usually either a
geographical area or some other identifying characteristic.
Together, the 42 deities "who hear cases" were apparently
believed to represent all possible types of evil. The names
of some of these deities are reminiscent of more well-known
gods (such as Nosey of Hermopolish = Thoth; White of Teeth
= Sobek) whom they may represent.
The council of assessor gods is frequently depicted in vignettes illustrating Chapter 125 of the Book of the Dead, though only occasionally are all 42 of the gods shown. More frequently a representative selection of the deities is made. The gods may be shown squatting in the position of the "seated god" hieroglyph, or standing, and may hold knives or maat feathers as symbols of their judicial power. Name of God - Identification - Crime Judged ---------------------------------------------- Far-strider - Heliopolis - falsehood Fire-embracer - Kherara - robbery Nosey - Hermopolis - rapaciousness Swallower of shades - the cavern - stealing Dangerous One - Rosetau - murder Double lion - the sky - destruction of food Fiery eyes - Letopolis - crookedness Flame - Came forth backwards - stealing offerings Bone Breaker - Herakleopolis - lying Green of flame - Memphis - taking food You of the cavern - the West - sullenness White of teeth - Fayum - transgression Blood-eater - the shambles - killing a sacred bull Eater of entrails - House of Thirty - perjury Lord of truth - Maaty - stealing bread Wanderer - Bubastis - eavesdropping Pale One - Heliopolis - babbling Double evil - Andjet - disputing Wememty-snake - place of execution - homosexuality See whom you bring - House of Min - misbehavior Over the Old One - mau - terrorizing Demolisher - Chois - transgressing Disturber - Weryt - being hot-tempered Youth - heliopolitan nome - unhearing of truth Foreteller - Wenes - making disturbance You of the altar - the secret place - hoodwinking Face behind him - cavern of wrong - copulating with a boy Hot-foot - the dusk - neglect You of the darkness - the darkness - quarrelling Bringer of your offering - Sais - unduly active Owner of aces - Nedjefet - impatience Accuser - Wetjenet - damaging a god's image Owner of horns - Asyut - volubility of speech Nefertem - Memphis - wrongdoing, beholding evil Temsep - Busiris - conjuration against the King You who acted willfully - Tjebu - wading in water Water-smiter - the abyss - being loud voiced Commander of mankind - your house - reviling God Bestower of good - the Harpoon nome - doing...? Bestower of powers - the city - making distinctions for self Serpent with raised head - the cavern - dishonest wealth Serpent who brings and gives - the silent land - blasphemy 
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