- For other uses of the word, see Triad (disambiguation)
In the religion of ancient Egypt, gods were sometimes grouped by threes, into triads. In general, a triad would consist of a god, his spouse, and one of their children. The third member of the triad might be male or female.
The best known triad was that of Osiris, Isis, and their son Horus, but this example is atypical in that the three members were worshipped at separate cult centers (Abydos, Dendara, and Edfu, respectively) instead of at a single temple.
With the ascendance of the Theban nobility and the establishment of the
New Kingdom, the local gods of Thebes rose in importance to become national deities. As a part of this process, Amun became the chief god of the Egyptian pantheon and was placed in a triad (the "Theban Triad") along with his wife Mut (who replaced the earlier Amunet as consort) and son Khonsu.
The much earlier Triad of Elephantine comprised Khnum, Satet, and Anuket, where Anuket was either Khnum's second wife or daughter.
The Memphite Triad was unusual in that the three gods – Ptah, Sekhmet and Nefertem – were not considered to be related prior to the formalisation of the triad.
Cult statues of triads were commonly used as objects of worship. The Luxor Museum houses a fine depiction of the Theban Triad.
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