In Egyptian mythology, Horus is the falcon-headed god associated with the sky.
Horus was usually portrayed either as a falcon or as a man with a falcon’s head. His name is connected with the idea of the distant or elevated one, fitting his celestial role. Egyptians associated the sun and moon with his eyes, giving the heavens a place in his mythology.
Horus also served as a god of kingship, protection, healing, and warfare. The pharaoh was understood as Horus’s earthly manifestation during life, while the dead king became associated with Osiris. In the Osiris myth, Horus challenges Set, who murdered Osiris, and ultimately claims his father’s rightful kingship.
Ra is a common mix-up because he is the sun god and was sometimes combined with Horus as Ra-Horakhty. Thoth, by contrast, was associated with wisdom and writing, while Anubis governed funerary rites. The Eye of Horus, a symbol of protection and restoration, grew from the god’s mythic struggle with Set.