Animals and the Divine

In the Nile Valley, gods were often represented or conceptualised in the form of an animal.  They could take on the appearance of a complete animal, or be shown with just selected animal attributes, whether physical or behavioural. This is a concept known today as Zoomorphism.

A number of deities were associated with several animals. The god Amun, for example, could be represented as either a ram or a goose. Some gods and demons were depicted as several different creatures combined.

Image: The Egyptian sphinx is the most famous composite creature, with a lion’s body, and the head of another animal – most often human or ram. In Sudan, the Greek form of the sphinx is more common, with wings and a woman’s head and torso. Photograph taken during the excavations of John Garstang at Abydos, Egypt. JG/A/159a

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