Egyptian Gods Family Tree

From Nun to Horus

The priests of Heliopolis told creation as a genealogy: from the primordial water Nun rises Atum, from Atum Air and Moisture, from them Earth and Sky, from them Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. Thus the Ennead is complete; Horus is the tenth.

Tap a name: its parents, partners, children and the chain running back to Nun open up. Sky gods such as Sirius (Sopdet) and Orion (Sah) are here too; the Egyptian astronomical calendar begins with these stars.

92 figures9 Ennead8 Ogdoad16 lineages and groups

Key facts

Main line: from Nun to the sons of Horus

Left to right: the primordial water Nun, the self-created (Atum, Ra, Ptah, Amun, Neith), the children of Ra and Shu with Tefnut, Geb with Nut, the generation of Osiris, Horus and Anubis, the grandchildren. Ra and Atum are two faces of one sun; in the chart both are attached to Nun. Large clans appear as dashed group boxes; tap a box to open its list below. Drag to pan, Ctrl/⌘ + wheel or the buttons to zoom.

PrimordialGreat godGodWater / NileMonsterPersonificationHumanGroup (opens list)

In Egypt every temple centre has its own creation story: Heliopolis makes Atum, Memphis Ptah, Hermopolis the Ogdoad, Thebes Amun the first creator. The chart takes Heliopolis as its spine; the other creators are shown as self-born. Anubis is the son of Osiris and Nephthys in Plutarch, of Seth in some texts.

Lineage explorer: who is whose child?

Type a name or tap a box in the chart. The card shows the parent, partner and child links recorded in the texts. "Not recorded" means no link is drawn for that figure in this chart, not that none exists in the sources.

Lineages and groups

All 92 figures in the chart, by temple centre and group. The chips above filter by type; tap a name and the explorer opens that figure.

Primordial waters 3
Ogdoad of Hermopolis 6
Ennead of Heliopolis 7
Children and Eyes of Ra 13
The Osiris cycle 9
The four sons of Horus 4
The realm of the dead 6
Memphite triad 2
Theban triad 6
Triad of Elephantine 3
Water and the Nile 7
Star and sky gods 6
Personifications 7
Home and protection 7
Monsters 3
Deified humans 3

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the first god in Egyptian mythology?

In the Heliopolitan account the self-created Atum rises from the primordial water Nun; alone he begets Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture). From them come Geb (earth) and Nut (sky), from them Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys: these nine gods are the Ennead. At Hermopolis four pairs of primordial powers (the Ogdoad) begin creation; at Memphis Ptah creates by thinking and speaking.

Who makes up the Ennead?

Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Seth, Nephthys. Horus (son of Osiris and Isis) is added as the tenth in most lists; some lists also include Horus the Elder (Haroeris), Nut's fifth child.

Whose son is Anubis?

The sources differ. According to Plutarch, Nephthys lies with Osiris mistaking him for her husband Seth; Anubis is born of this secret union and Isis raises him. In older texts Anubis is the son of Ra or of Seth. In the chart he is attached to Osiris and Nephthys, with the other account noted on the card.

Are Ra and Atum the same god?

Two faces of the sun: Atum is the evening sun and the creator of Heliopolis, Ra the noon sun and king of the sky; Khepri is the morning sun. In the New Kingdom they are addressed by the compound names Atum-Ra and Amun-Ra. In the chart Ra and Atum are separate boxes, both attached to Nun; Hathor, Sekhmet, Bastet, Thoth and Maat are given as children of Ra.

What sources is this family tree based on?

The Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts, the cosmogonies of Heliopolis and Hermopolis, the Memphite Theology (Shabaka Stone), the Book of the Dead and Plutarch's Isis and Osiris. In Egypt the gods are made kin anew from temple to temple; the chart takes Heliopolis as its spine and notes the different accounts.

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