Horus was probably the best known and oldest of all gods in ancient Egypt, depicted as a man with a falcon's (hawk's) head wearing the crowns of the two countries. From the beginning he was a sky and solar god from Upper Egypt and from the start he was the very personification of the (living) king.

He stood for courage, protection and bravery. His big temple at Edfu is still standing. His cults had many variants and almost every province had its own. A nation wide deity occurred when he was combined with the sun god Re as Re-Horakhte. He was the conqueror of all evil when he defeated god Set who had killed his father Osiris.