Minor Divinities
Ancient Egyptians believed that every creature either prodigious or human was considered a god as it was involved in rituals. There is no Egyptian identification to explain the word demon, but Egyptologists categorized them as minor divinities.
In Ancient Egypt, major gods and goddesses had minor ones whose job was performing and acting tasks instead of the major divinities. They could be transformed to major gods if only they succeeded in getting red of their dependency and subsidiary to the essential gods.
Because of their job as protectors of something or some one, demons had to be very offensive. Their dynamic and protective roles in the under world were very important. The duality in demons ' nature made them both momentous …show more content…
The function of knife-holders was to repulse the evil which faced the deceased in his journey in the underworld before reaching the field of the eternal paradise and bliss. These minor deities were subordinate to the major gods such as god Ra as represented on the walls of the tombs especially in the religious scenes. They performed specified tasks upon demand such as eliminating the obstacles facing god Ra, the deceased king and the deceased person in the underworld journey. These beings were often associated with caves, pits and tombs which were considered entrances to the underworld. The underworld demigods constituted different categories. Some were clearly portrayed as frightening instruments of punishment like knives for the damned; many were not inimical and may often be classed as minor guardian deities such as the keepers of the various gates of the underworld. Some were creatures specially tasked with the protection of the king or the deceased in the journey through the Netherworld such as knife-holders. The underworld demigods took many forms such as human forms, semi-anthropomorphically with human bodies. They were represented with the heads of different creatures (birds and animals) like falcons, jackals, bulls, hippopotamus, and rams. They took different positions either sitting or
Ancient Egyptians believed that every creature either prodigious or human was considered a god as it was involved in rituals. There is no Egyptian identification to explain the word demon, but Egyptologists categorized them as minor divinities.
In Ancient Egypt, major gods and goddesses had minor ones whose job was performing and acting tasks instead of the major divinities. They could be transformed to major gods if only they succeeded in getting red of their dependency and subsidiary to the essential gods.
Because of their job as protectors of something or some one, demons had to be very offensive. Their dynamic and protective roles in the under world were very important. The duality in demons ' nature made them both momentous …show more content…
The function of knife-holders was to repulse the evil which faced the deceased in his journey in the underworld before reaching the field of the eternal paradise and bliss. These minor deities were subordinate to the major gods such as god Ra as represented on the walls of the tombs especially in the religious scenes. They performed specified tasks upon demand such as eliminating the obstacles facing god Ra, the deceased king and the deceased person in the underworld journey. These beings were often associated with caves, pits and tombs which were considered entrances to the underworld. The underworld demigods constituted different categories. Some were clearly portrayed as frightening instruments of punishment like knives for the damned; many were not inimical and may often be classed as minor guardian deities such as the keepers of the various gates of the underworld. Some were creatures specially tasked with the protection of the king or the deceased in the journey through the Netherworld such as knife-holders. The underworld demigods took many forms such as human forms, semi-anthropomorphically with human bodies. They were represented with the heads of different creatures (birds and animals) like falcons, jackals, bulls, hippopotamus, and rams. They took different positions either sitting or