THE DEITIES MAAT (goddess) - Maat is usually depicted as a seated woman wearing an ostrich feather headdress. She is sometimes represented only by a feather or by a plinth on which she sat. The plinth being representative of the primeval mound of creation. She represents truth, justice, and the harmony of the universe. Maat also represented the divine order of the world at the moment of creation. Maat was also thought to control the seasons, the movement of the stars and the relationship of men and the gods. Picture of the goddess,Maat. Obtained from Encyclopedia Mythica. http://www.pantheon.org/areas/gallery/mythology/africa/egyptian Copyright 1995-2002 Micha F Lindemans. All rights reserved. There are few surviving temples purely dedicated to Maat, although she is often depicted in temples dedicated to other deities. A small temple dedicated to her can be seen in the precinct of Montu at Karnak. She was worshipped from the Old Kingdom onwards (2686 - 2181 BC) and was being described as the "daughter of Ra" by the 18th dynasty. The pharaohs were believed to rule through her authority. Often the king was seen giving an offering of the "image of Maat" to the gods in scenes of many temples. Many of the pharaohs held the title, "beloved of Maat". An illustration of Maat. Courtesy of NEFERCHICHI`S TOMB at http://www.neferchichi.com The vizier who controlled the Egyptian law courts held the title "priest of Maat". Maat was present at the judgement of the dead, when the deceased`s heart was weighed against her feather or an image of the goddess. The place where the judgement took place was called "Maaty" or the "hall of the two truths". MER(E)TSEGER (goddess) - She was the Theban cobra-goddess. Her name means,"she who loves silence". She was believed to live on the mountain that overlooks the Valley of the Kings, in western Thebes. She was also known as "the peak of the west". Statue of Meretseger, courtesy of Caroline Seawright at: http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/ Her cult was mainly attested to during the New Kingdom (1550 - 1069 BC). She was worshipped throughout the Theban necropolis but was especially worshipped by the workmen of Deir el-Medina, whose stele dedicated to her have been discovered. She was thought to punish those who committed crimes by her venom and by causing blindness. Some of the stele that have been found ask for a cure and forgiveness for the sins they have committed. Her cult became less popular from the 21st dynasty (1069 - 945 BC), which was at about the same time that the Theban necropolis became deserted. MIN (god) - Min was a god of fertility and was depicted as a semi mummified man, with his left hand holing his erect phallus and his right arm raised in a smiting gesture, with a flail above his hand. Min usually wore a low crown with two plumes and a long ribbon that trailed behind it. His cult was identified with the emblems of a lettuce and a strange shape that may have been a door-bolt, a barbed arrow, a lightening bolt, or a pair of fossil shells. he was also seen as the protector of the mining areas of the Eastern desert. Picture shows the god Min. Courtesy of Catalunatics.com at:- http://www.catalunatics.com/atour/EgyptMyths/egyptian_mythology.htm His main cult centres were at Koptos and Akhmim, where Min was associated with the Greek god, Pan. Akhmim became known as Panopolis during the Ptolemaic period because of this. Min was sometimes known as the son of Isis, but was also said to be her consort on other occasions, and Horus was their son. By the New Kingdom he had merged with the Theban deity Amun. The ceremonies connected with the coronation and jubilees of the pharaohs often included a festival of Min, to ensure the potency of the king. MNEVIS/MER-WER (god) - Mnevis was a sacred bull thought to be the Ba (power/physical manifestation) of the sun god, Ra, at Heliopolis. As was the case with the Apis and Buchis sacred bulls, there was only one Mnevis bull at a time. The Mnevis bull was totally black and was usually depicted with a sun-disc and ureaus between it`s horns. The mother of the Mnevis bull was seen as the cow-goddess, Hesat. Burials of Mnevis bulls from the Ramessid period have been found at Arab el-Tawil, near to the destroyed temple of Heliopolis. The cult of the Mnevis bull became absorbed by that of the creator-god, Ra-Atum. Mnevis was actually still recognized by the pharaoh, Akhenaten (1352-1336 BC) who had a cemetery prepared for the Mnevis bull in the eastern mountains of Akhetaten. MONTU/MONTH/MONTHU (god) - He was known as the god of war. Montu was depicted as a falcon or a falcon-headed man wearing a headdress made of a sun-disc and two plumes. Montu`s cult is first known in the Theban region with temples being dedicated to him between the Middle Kingdom (2055 -1650 BC) and the Roman Period at Armant, Karnak, Medamud and Tod. Montu had two consorts, the Theban goddess Tjenenyet and Ra`ttawy.The sacred Buchis bull, buried at the Bucheum at Armant, was thought to be the physical manifestation of Montu. Montu was seen as the personification of the aggressive qualities of the king, especially when conquering neighboring countries. Montu eventually became merged with the sun-god as Montu-Ra. MUT (goddess) - Mut is usually represented as a woman who has a vulture headdress surmounted with the "white crown" (of Upper Egypt) or the "double crown" (of a united Upper and Lower Egypt). Mut is the vulture goddess who took over from the goddess, Amaunet, within the Theban triad as Amun`s consort and as the mother to the god, Khonsu. An illustration of the Mut. Copyright 1996 Deurer.All rights reserved. Egyptart at:- http://members.aol.com/egyptart/list.html She had a role similar to that of Isis and Hathor, of the divine mother to the reigning king. Mut was shown on some amulets suckling a young child and is only identifiable as Mut from Isis due to Mut`s crown or an inscription naming the goddess. Mut was closely linked with the royal women who were known as, "God`s wife of Amun". Mut also had a more aggressive side to her nature and was closely linked to the feline-goddess, Sekhmet. Mut, Sekhmet and Tefnut were all "daughters of Ra" (the sun-god) and were also known as the "Eyes of Ra".