The ideas and images created for the Egyptian gods and religion had an impact on many contemporaneous cultures, as well as on later religions. Moreover, with Akhenaten, they were the first to experiment with monotheism, though that did not last much longer than a decade. At times, the ancient Egyptians appeared to be henotheistic and would exalt a deity in his or her uniqueness.
![muslim folktale examples muslim folktale examples](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/philippineindigenousart-110709223735-phpapp02/95/philippine-indigenous-art-8-728.jpg)
The ancient Egyptians’ beliefs were polytheistic, acknowledging the existence of thousands of gods and endless deceased humans. The system of ancient Egyptian gods structured Egyptian ideas, policies, and everyday life from the end of the 4th millennium bce to the rise of Christianity and beyond. The various sites of interaction between gods and men formed a vast network connecting all the players: the gods were responsible for creation and abundance, the kings and elites were primarily responsible for ensuring that the system ran according to Maat (“Order”), and the people were responsible for living and working throughout the country. During official festivals, the living, the gods, and the dead celebrated together, but there were also a number of more personal ways to approach deities. He was the main entity responsible for organizing the supply and welfare of the humans, and for keeping order. The divine king was the hub between the world of the gods and the human sphere. The gods were powerful but benevolent, and approachable in many ways. This formed an ideological, social, and economic cohesion. The universe ran smoothly as long as there was respect and cooperation between them and the living. Though separate areas, they were permeable for the gods and the dead. The ancient Egyptian universe comprised heaven, earth, and netherworld, all part of creation and surrounded by eternal darkness. The Egyptians described their gods by various names and images, always aware that in the end their true personalities and characters remained elusive. Though their gods usually lived in heaven or in the netherworlds, they were permanently represented on earth by monuments, statues, symbols, animals, and plants, as well as by social concepts.
![muslim folktale examples muslim folktale examples](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/be/37/d9/be37d9e23d9e803c9427e0c483eece55--islamic-alphabet-ancient-scripts.jpg)
The ancient Egyptians were surrounded by various manifestations of their many gods.