The four sons of Horus were the protectors of the parts of the body of
Osiris, and from this, became the protectors of the body of the deceased. There figures can be found on the historical Canopic Jars They were: Amset, Hapi, Duamutef, and Qebhsenuef. They were protected in
turn by the goddesses Isis, Nephthys, Neith, and Serket.
Duamutef canopic jars - One of the Four Sons of Horus, Duamutef was represented as a mummified man
with the head of a jackal. He was the protector of the stomach of the
deceased, and was protected by the goddess Neith.
Qebhsenuef canopic jars - One of the Four Sons of Horus, Qebhsenuef was represented as a mummified man
with the head of a falcon. He was the protector of the intestines of the
deceased, and was protected by the goddess Serket.
Hapi canopic jars - One of the Four Sons of Horus, Hapi was represented as a mummified man with
the head of a baboon. He was the protector of the lungs of the deceased, and
was protected by the goddess Nephthys. The name Hapi, spelled identically in mostbut not all cases, is also the
name of the god who was the personification of the River Nile, depicted as a
corpulent man (fat signifying abundance) with a crown of lilies or papyrus
stems.
Amset canopic jars - One of the Four Sons of Horus, Amset was represented as a mummified man. He
was the protector of the liver of the deceased, and was protected by the
goddess Isis.
Horus was one of the most important deities of Egypt. Horus as now conceived is a
mixture of the original deities known as "Horus the Child" and "Horus the
Elder". As the Child, Horus is the son of Osiris and Isis, who, upon
reaching adulthood, becomes known as Her-nedj-tef-ef ("Horus, Avenger of His
Father") by avenging his father's death, by defeating and casting out his
evil uncle Set. He then became the divine prototype of the Pharaoh.
As Horus the Elder, he was also the patron deity of Upper (Southern) Egypt
from the earliest times; initially, viewed as the twin brother of Set (the
patron of Lower Egypt), but he became the conqueror of Set c. 3000 B.C.E.
when Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt and formed the unified kingdom of
Egypt.