Characteristics and roles of various gods were syncretized to reconcile differing religious beliefs, customs, or ideals. The Egyptians had no problem with a multitude of gods and they seldom shelved old deities in favor of new ones. Serket was almost certainly an early Mother Goddess, and her later role as protector against venomous creatures (especially scorpions) and guardian of women and children reflects those characteristics. These transformations were sometimes dramatic, as in the case of Set who went from a hero protector-god to a villain and the world's first murderer. The gods provided people with all good gifts but it was heka which allowed them to do so. Heka was the manifestation of heka (magic) which should be understood to be natural laws which today would be considered supernatural but, to the Egyptians, were simply how the world and the universe functioned. The central value of the Egyptian culture was ma'at- harmony and balance - represented by the goddess of the same name and her white ostrich feather, and it was Heka who empowered Ma'at just as he did all the other deities. Heka was the god of magic and medicine but was also the primordial force, pre-dating all the other gods, who enabled the act of creation and sustained both mortal and divine life. The gods evolved from an animistic belief system to one which was highly anthropomorphic and imbued with magic. They also played a part in the great mortuary rituals and in the Egyptian belief in posthumous eternal bliss. The numerous gods of Egypt were the focal points of the nation's cultic rites and personal religious practices. Ancient Egyptian culture grew out of an understanding of these deities and the vital role they played in the immortal journey of every human being.
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