Giant snakes capable of swallowing celestial beings whole. A crocodile-headed ladies' man
who can be as big a lover as a fighter. A dog-headed afterlife judge with a pet who
devours hearts and souls - And a brotherly dispute that leads to dismemberment and
resurrection. That’s right - You’re about to experience a true battle of the Gods.
The Ancient Egyptians were one of the most advanced and successful civilizations in
the ancient world. Their culture as we know it began with the unification of
the region's bronze-age tribes in 3100 BC under King Namer,
and despite being conquered and invaded numerous times, Ancient Egypt lasted all
the way up to 30 BC, when the land was officially annexed by the Roman Empire.
During those thousands of years, Egypt became an extremely influential culture. They were
innovators in architecture, mathematics, literature, and agricultural science. But
perhaps the most striking aspect of Ancient Egyptian culture was their religion. The
Egyptian gods were incredibly important to daily life in their time and have continued
to capture people's imaginations for thousands of years. But today, we're not here to talk
about the different cognates of Isis or how Horus was used as a tool for political gain.
We're asking the real questions about the Egyptian pantheon. Which god was the most
badass? Could Sobek beat up Thoth? This is our ranking of the most powerful Egyptian Gods.
As with many things to do with history this old, none of this is definitive. Although themes and
motifs re-occur across stories, there was no set canon when it came to the Egyptian
gods. Back in the day, religious stories were often used for political purposes,
to reinforce social norms, or to prove a point, so each god's power level tends to vary depending
on the opinions of the person writing the story down. For example- the most commonly accepted
version of Egyptian myth states that Ra was king of the gods. But if you're from Memphis,
and your city's patron deity is Ptah, you might prefer the local version of
the creation myth where actually Ptah is bigger and more important than Ra.
But for clarity's sake, we're going to go off of the versions of these myths that are most
popularly re-told today. Hopefully, there won't be too many ghosts and time travelers starting
Heliopolis vs Thebes flame wars in the comments. And just to make things a little more spicy,
we’re going to give each of these gods a power rating out of ten - With one
representing the wimpiest you can possibly be while still being considered a God,
and ten being a God so powerful that other Gods would consider you a god.
Let’s goooo!
Number Thirteen - Waset
Starting at the bottom of our list is Waset. Even though her name means 'powerful woman',
and she had a city named after her, she was rarely ever depicted, and no temples dedicated
to her have been identified. So, even though she's sometimes shown with a bow and arrow, it's not
really clear what she did with them. Egyptologist John Ray has referred to her as 'the theological
equivalent of the girl next door', and it's easy to see why- Waset was probably a nice lady, but
she wasn't very exciting. What we do know is that she was the first wife of Amun, before later being
replaced by Mut. Although, depending on who you ask, Mut might just be a later evolution of Waset,
which is a hell of a glow-up, considering that Mut is sometimes called the queen of the universe.
We’ll give her a generous power ranking of 3 out of 10. Can our
next God show us what real power looks like?
Number Twelve - Nepri
Next, let's take a look at Nepri, a god of grain whose name means 'lord of the
mouth'. When depicted as an adult, Nepri is a human man covered in dark freckles,
which represent scattered grains. This poor guy seemed to have a real problem standing out-
he's very rarely depicted on his own. Most of the time, he's shown as a baby suckling on his mother,
Renenutet, goddess of the harvest. Then later on, when Osiris' cult gained popularity,
Nepri got folded into Osiris' legend. After a while, he was no longer considered a God
in his own right, instead being rebranded as a facet of Osiris' role as god of rebirth.
Nepri has failed to impress - Let’s give him a ranking of 2 of of ten,
partly because we feel sorry for him.
Number Eleven - Nefertem
Next, we have Nefertem, the god of beauty. Nefertem is the son of Ptah and Bastet and was
born out of the first lotus flower that bloomed out of the primordial soup of the world. Usually,
he's depicted as a beautiful man with blue hair and a crown of water lilies,
but since his mother is a cat goddess, sometimes he can also take the form of a lion. Nefertem's
domain included things like sunrises, clear water, and the smell of fresh flowers. These
are all very pleasant things to be the god of, but they don't exactly scream 'powerful'. Still,
statues of him were thought to bring good luck, and some hymns in the Book
of the Dead suggest that Nefertem's floral perfumes are what gets Ra up in the morning,
so maybe we all have Nefertem to thank for the world not existing in complete darkness.
For that and the fact that turning into a lion is pretty badass,
we’ll give our fragrant boy Nefertem a slightly more respectable 4 out of 10.
Number Ten - Bastet
Next is Bastet, Nefertem's mother. Bastet is a cat-headed goddess who is a defender
of the kings of Egypt as well as Ra. She was the goddess of pregnancy and childbirth,
as well as a powerful protector against evil. She is depicted fighting Apep, the monster snake,
on behalf of Ra, and Egyptians often pray to her for defense against evil spirits and
curses. Other than that though, she doesn't appear in many stories, so if she had any
crazy powers or got into any epic battles, the modern world will likely never know.
Still, she’s a protector against evil, and she’s able to fight a scary giant
monster snake. We think that earns her a very respectable 6 out of 10.
Number Nine - Ra
Speaking of Ra, he's up next in our ranking of most powerful gods. Ra has the head of a falcon,
and according to legend, every morning, Ra gets up, picks up the sun, and carries it across the
sky in his sky boat. Even if you're not that familiar with Egyptian mythology, you might be
aware that Ra was the king of the gods. So, you might be confused as to why Ra is so low in the
ranking. Well, like most kings down here on earth, even though Ra holds a lot of institutional power,
that doesn't exactly equate to physical strength. Many myths depict Ra as old and weary,
preferring to sit up in the sky and delegate responsibilities among his children. It's easy
to understand why he's always tired, though, because every night at sunset,
when he reaches the gates to the underworld, he has to fend off Apep - The same giant snake
monster who often beefs with Apep. It really seems to us like Ra could use a few days off.
Because carrying the sun is something we’ve personally never done,
we think Ra earns a place with Bastet on the 6 out of 10 power scale. Praise Ra!
Number Eight - Osiris
Next is Osiris. Ra was the king of the sky, but Osiris was the king of the underworld. He was
depicted as an undead pharaoh with mummy bandages and rotten green skin. He's the
god of life and death, responsible for the cycles of crop growth and judging the souls
of the dead as they enter the afterlife. Osiris is a very culturally important god,
but he loses a lot of power points by being the only one on the list whose backstory includes
dying. While he was alive, he was a noble king of the black land- the most fertile
part of Egypt. His jealous brother Set, whose domain was the desert, decided to usurp the
throne by chopping Osiris up into pieces and dumping his body in the river. Sure,
he eventually got better, but still- dying is pretty embarrassing for a deity.
But for coming back from the dead and being King of the Underworld - which is metal as
hell - we still think he deserves that 6 out of 10. Things are going up a power level from here.
Number Seven - Anubis
Now, let's look at Anubis. Anubis might be the most famous of the Egyptian gods,
and he's also one of the coolest. Anubis had the head of a jackal and was the god of funerals and
mummification. He had an important role as the guardian of burial sites and the
one who performed the mummification of Osiris before he was resurrected.
Anubis didn't take very kindly to Set, who was in the form of a leopard, running in to mess up his
workstation. So, Anubis subdued Set, branded him with a hot iron, then peeled off his leopard skin
and wore it as a warning to anyone else who tried to interrupt embalmings or burial ceremonies.
Also, Anubis was one of the council who judged souls in the afterlife. He would take the heart
of the deceased and weigh it on the scales of life and death, and if it was too heavy, it would
be fed to Anubis' pet- a crocodile-hippo-lion hybrid monster called Ammit the Devourer. So,
even though Anubis doesn't typically start fights, he's definitely the kind of guy who finishes them.
Personally, we think all of these badass feats - plus his scary devourer sidekick - puts him
firmly in the zone of 7 out of 10 on the power scale. Now we’re talking!
Number Six - Thoth
Alongside Anubis in the judgment of souls was Thoth, who was in charge of writing
everything down. Thoth was the god of writing and knowledge, and it was his job to settle disputes
between other gods. If you know anything about classical mythology, you'll know that you would
have to be pretty tough to take on that job. Thoth is a scholar, not a warrior, but he's
still extremely powerful. This ibis-headed god can talk his way out of any situation.
He was the one who gave Isis the words to bring Osiris back from the dead,
and offered counsel to her son Horus during his epic battle with Set. Thoth also gambled
with the moon for a fraction of its light and won, which gave him the power to change the
length of the year from 360 to 365 days. Thoth is also Ra's personal secretary and
assists Anubis in judging the souls of the dead. Basically, if it's a battle of wits,
nobody's beating Thoth. He's also the one who talked Sekhmet into returning home, and once
you get to know Sekhmet, you'll appreciate how amazing it is that he survived that interaction.
Weighing his physical setbacks against his genius-level intellect and silver tongue,
we think he’s earned a place with Ra on that beautiful 7 out of 10 tier.
Number Five - Sobek
For the total opposite, let's consider Sobek. Sobek is a crocodile-headed god whose role is a
little hard to pin down, because in regions where he was worshipped, he tended to dominate and take
attention away from every other member of the pantheon. But if you had to condense him down to
one concept, the most accurate way to describe Sobek would be 'the god of animal instincts'.
He had a huge appetite for both food and sex, and was said to be irresistible to
human women and goddesses alike. In addition to his spectacular virility, Sobek was also
closely associated with military power, and was fiercely loyal to those who worshipped him. So,
sure, Sobek might not have been a genius, and he might have once taken a bite out of Osiris,
but he's a true ride-or-die, and you definitely would want him in your corner.
For his sheer level of chadliness, we think Sobek swims his way to another strong 7 out of 10 on the
power scale. Women want him, men want to be him, and he’s an inspiration for crocodiles everywhere.
Number Four - Sekhmet
Next is Sekhmet, daughter of Ra and goddess of vengeance and plague. She's one of the
most theologically significant goddesses from ancient Egypt,
and she's definitely also the scariest. Sekhmet had the head of a lion and would be sent to earth
to enact vengeance against those who had angered her father. She could breathe fire,
spread diseases, control hordes of locusts, and had an unquenchable thirst for blood.
Legend has it that she single-handedly almost wiped out the human race on one of her visits,
indiscriminately killing and draining everyone she saw. The other gods knew
they had to band together and stop her, so they devised a plan- make a lake of beer,
then dye it red so it looks like blood. The trick worked,
and Sekhmet drank so much that she got too drunk to remember what she was so angry about.
She returned home, leaving the survivors of her rampage to repopulate the earth. When she
got over her hangover, Sekhmet was enraged that her father had tricked her. So enraged,
in fact, that she left the kingdom of Ra,
vowing never to return. But without her flaming hot rage to sustain it, the sun started to dim,
and it only returned to its full brightness when Thoth talked her into forgiving Ra.
Sekhmet is clearly an order of magnitude scarier than all the Gods we’ve seen before,
especially considering it took the Gods all teaming up in order to stop one of her legendary
rampages. If that doesn’t earn an 8 out of 10 on the power scale, we don’t know what does.
Number Three - Set
Next is Set, the god of storms, violence, and chaos. Set is a...he's sort of a....well,
listen. We don't really know what animal Set is meant to
be. Egyptologists gave up trying to figure out if he was a dog, an okapi,
or an aardvark and instead made up a new theoretical creature called 'the Set animal'.
Whatever animal he is, he's not someone you want to mess with. As the god of chaos,
Set is a wild card with a lot of strength and cunning. His two main roles were to serve as
Ra's bodyguard in the nightly fight against Apep, and as the rival of Horus. Set is the
only God on this list to have killed another god, when he chopped up Osiris. Set fought with
Horus over who would have control over the black land for 80 years. During that time,
Set was able to rip Horus' eye out, bait him into decapitating his own mother,
and even nearly sexually assaulted him. And throughout this conflict,
Set had an unfair advantage since Set's role as Ra's bodyguard gave the king of the gods a bias
towards his favor. All in all. Set is about as close to an evil god as Egyptian mythology gets.
He may not have the sheer, raw power of Sekhmet,
but given that he’s a literal God-Killer, a ruler of chaos, and his evil schemes have
tricked other gods into destroying those close to them… Well, we can’t approve of his actions,
but we definitely think that earns him a very scary 8 out of 10 on the power scale.
Number Two - Horus
Next after Set is his eternal rival, Horus. Horus is an essential part of Ancient Egyptian culture,
so much so that historians believe he was one of the earliest gods ever worshiped
in the region. Originally thought of as a sky god, over time, his role shifted,
and he became seen more often as the god of Kings. No, not the king of gods,
although he also had a falcon's head. The god of kings. Stay with us here.
Horus was the god who guided and protected the pharaoh, and he was sort of the idealized version
of what someone in that role should be like. And since the pharaoh was head of the military,
Horus was naturally also incredibly gifted in battle. Horus was able to beat Set in every
contest and even managed to rip off one of his testicles in one of their battles.
He also chopped off Isis' head in the heat of one conflict. Even though she was able to heal,
replacing her head with a cow's head, decapitating Isis would've been no mean feat.
Given he’s got an incredible talent in facing off against other incredibly powerful gods,
and winning, we’ve gotta give the god of kings the
incredibly respectable score of 9 out of ten on the Egyptian god power scale.
But is there a god powerful enough to take the number one spot? Oh yes, dear viewers, oh yes.
Number One - Isis
Now, for the best of the best. The top of the list. The most powerful
god in all of Egypt. Isis. Isis is the mother of Horus, the wife of Osiris,
and the sister of Set. Yes, she is also Osiris' sister. It was a different time.
Isis is the goddess of fate and the cosmos, with immense magical powers
that rivaled that of all the other gods put together. The book 'Daily Life of
the Egyptian Gods' even went as far as to call her 'more clever than a million gods',
suggesting that her intelligence would rival even Thoth. Isis can turn herself into just
about anything and is a master of using psychological tactics against her enemies.
At one point, she lures Set by pretending to be a princess caught up in an inheritance dispute
that mirrors his own. In other stories, she even fights Set one-on-one using her magical
powers. Isis is willing to do anything to help her son maintain his power, even screwing over
her fellow members of the court of the Gods. She once conjured a venomous snake that then bit Ra,
and she used the antidote to bargain with Ra to learn his true name, which,
if passed on to Horus, would bolster his royal authority. Isis' power was matched only by
her popularity- even after the fall of Ancient Egypt, Isis remained popular in Greece and Rome,
and some historians even believe she was part of the inspiration behind the Virgin Mary.
For all of this, we think ISIS has earned the holy of holies: 10 out of 10 on the
God Power Scale. That’s what you earn for literally being the Goddess of the Cosmos.
So that's our ranking of the most powerful Egyptian gods. Did we miss your favorite?
Let us know in the comments. Now check out Insane Life of an Egyptian Pharaoh and Evidence Reveals
How the Pyramids Were Actually Built for more facts about Ancient Egypt.