Horus
An ancient Egyptian god associated with the sky, kingship, and protection, commonly depicted as a falcon or a falcon-headed man.
Ancient Egyptian religion: The religious traditions, institutions, and practices of ancient Egypt. Horus belongs to a pantheon whose myths and cults shaped Egyptian life.
Osiris: An Egyptian god associated with the dead, resurrection, and rule over the afterlife. Horus is Osiris’s son and successor in the central kingship myth.
Horus the Elder: An ancient Egyptian form of Horus, distinguished in some traditions from the son of Isis and Osiris. This form reflects the god’s older and locally varied identities.
Horus name: The royal title in ancient Egypt that identified a king with Horus. It made the king’s association with the god explicit in royal titulary.
Egyptian mythology: The body of myths about the gods, creation, and legendary rulers of ancient Egypt. Stories about Horus connect divine ancestry, conflict, and royal legitimacy.
Isis: An Egyptian goddess associated with magic, healing, motherhood, and protection. As Horus’s mother, Isis protects and raises him after Osiris’s death.
Horus the Child: The youthful form of Horus, often shown as a child seated on Isis’s lap. Images of the divine child emphasize his protection and miraculous survival.
Horus and Seth: The paired Egyptian deities whose opposition expressed conflict between order and disorder. Their rivalry gave mythic form to the king’s role in overcoming threats to order.
Pharaoh: The title of ancient Egypt’s kings, who ruled as political and religious authorities. The pharaoh was understood as Horus in earthly kingship.
Set (Egyptian god): An Egyptian god associated with disorder, deserts, storms, and foreign lands. Set contests Horus’s claim to rule after killing Osiris.