Creature Gods and Sacred Beasts: How Ancient Egypt Worshipped Wildlife
The gods had feathers. And fur. And maybe a few fangs.
You probably already know the ancient Egyptians loved cats. (And by “loved” I mean literally deified and mummified them.) But what blew my mind walking through my recent visit to the King Tut Immersive Experience was how many animals were woven into the spiritual, political, and ecological fabric of life.
Everywhere you looked — a crocodile-headed god, a jackal-shaped guardian, a falcon soaring — animals weren’t just decoration. They were messengers. Protectors. Royalty. Divine.
And suddenly I started thinking:
What if we treated the animals around us like that today?
Not with mummification (please no), but with reverence. Respect. The kind of awe that says, “You’re part of something bigger. So am I.”
The Divine Animal Roster (Just a Few Highlights)
Here’s a quick roll call of Egypt’s spiritual powerhouses — most of whom walked, flew, or slithered the earth:
Bastet: The goddess of protection, fertility, and home life… with the face of a cat.
Anubis: God of embalming and the afterlife — jackal-headed, often shown leading souls across the desert.
Horus: Sky god with a falcon’s head and a killer eyeliner game. Symbolized kingship and the sun.
Sobek: Crocodile god of strength, fertility, and protection — he was scary and sacred.
Thoth: The ibis-headed god of wisdom, writing, and the moon. Basically the original nature nerd.
Khepri: Represented by the scarab beetle, he symbolized rebirth and the rising sun. Yes, a literal dung beetle was a god.
Why Animals Got the Spotlight
In ancient Egypt, animals weren’t pets. They were portals. A way to understand the cosmos, make sense of death, and stay connected to the natural world. Some historians think Egyptians observed animals so closely — their behavior, their habits, their patterns — that they began assigning them divine roles. Falcons soared high and saw far? Must be the god of the sky. Jackals lingered near cemeteries? Afterlife guide.
They were also deeply seasonal. Crocodiles symbolized the flooding Nile. Scarabs represented the sun’s daily rebirth. It was all cyclical. Rhythmic. Sacred.
So What Do We Do With That Now?
We don’t need to start worshipping the local raccoons (though, honestly, I’ve met a few that deserve it). But there’s something powerful about the idea that animals are not just cute or useful — they’re worthy of deep respect.
Some conservation orgs already lean into this. Think of the reverence around wolves, bison, and panthers. But what if we expanded that energy to… well, everything?
Could we protect more species by telling better stories about them?
Could reverence replace fear when it comes to misunderstood animals? (Hi, snakes.)
Could seeing animals as sacred shift how we treat their habitats — and by extension, our own?
Want to Spot These Ideas In Real Life?
If you visit the Tut exhibit, here’s what to keep an eye out for:
Statues and wall art showing gods with animal heads — note what traits those animals symbolize
Mummified animals in the burial chamber replicas
Hieroglyphs that include beetles, owls, lions — a whole pictographic language of nature
Amulets and jewelry shaped like falcons, cobras, and scarabs — ancient wearable wildlife
Field Tip: You Don’t Have to Go Back in Time to Practice Reverence
Next time you’re out on a hike, try a little Egyptian-style observation.
Which animals are around? What are they doing? What qualities do they embody?
The answers might surprise you.
And they might help you remember that reverence doesn’t have to be ancient. It can be as modern as pulling your car over to let a turtle cross the road.
