A Guide To The Council Of Gods On Moon Knight: Who's Who?
Back in the 1990s, Naughty By Nature was down with O.P.P., and Sister Mary Clarence taught the choir of St. Francis Academy to be down with G.O.D. in "Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit." But in 2022, Marc Spector gets down with some serious ancient Egyptian G.O.D.S. on Marvel Studios' latest Disney+ series "Moon Knight."
Not only is Marc the avatar for the god of the moon and vengeance Khonshu, but in episode 3 titled "The Friendly Type," he comes face to face with the governing council of gods that observes (but typically does not meddle in) the affairs of man. Before this council adjourning in the great pyramid of Giza, Marc and Khonshu look to present their case for some intervention from the gods since Arthur Harrow is plotting to resurrect Ammit, a judgy goddess that uses a being's past, present, and future to determine whether they should continue to live or not.
Unfortunately, the lunar contingent fails at making an indisputable case against Harrow, and the gods take no action. But who are these gods and what gives them the authority to pass this kind of judgment in the first place? Well, you can't tell the players without a program, so we've got the rundown for you right here.
The Ennead
First, before we get to each specific god in this council, it's worth noting that these gods are known as the Ennead. Traditionally, this refers to the nine gods worshipped in the city of Heliopolis: Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. Steven Grant mentions them to his boss Donna in the episode of "Moon Knight" titled "The Goldfish Problem." He tries to explain that the museum made a "major blunder" by only including seven of the nine deities on their promotional material for their latest exhibit.
However, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Ennead are an alien species similar to the Asgardians or the Eternals. Like those other races, the Ennead also found their way to Earth (specifically to Africa) and were worshipped by the humans they met there. Steven's observation in episode 1 may be foreshadowing the fact that the "real" versions of this supergroup of gods are actually different than the ones we've come to know about in the history books.
And interestingly enough, this isn't the first time True Believers have encountered the Ennead in the MCU. As we learned in "Black Panther," Wakandans worship the panther god Bast. According to Marvel mythology, Bast is the offspring of Ra, god of the sun and OG member of the Ennead crew. Not only is this a fun fact, but it reinforces the idea that the council rotates as needed. In this case, when we meet them in episode 3, Khonshu and Ammit are no longer members due to banishment, so their seats are currently vacant. But as for those Ennead that make up this council at the moment, I think it's time for the formal introductions.
Tefnut
Starting with the first seat on stage left, we have Tefnut. Her avatar is played by Hayley Konadu. According to ancient Egyptian lore, she is depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness that wears a solar disk with a cobra on her head. Apparently, her name translates to "one who spits," so it's either appropriate or very off-putting that she is the goddess of moisture, rain, and most other forms of precipitation. Name translation aside, Tefnut was revered as a top tier diety since water and moisture were very important to the survival of a civilization that was surrounded by desert.
Isis
To the right of Tefnut is Isis, goddess of the moon, life, and magic. Her avatar is played by Nagisa Morimoto. Myths describe her as a great healer, protector, and mother. She can be identified by the throne-looking headdress that she wears, which symbolized her connection to the pharaoh. In addition to resurrecting her family from the dead, she has been known to be a nurturing goddess that relieved humans from suffering and guided the dead into the afterlife to make the transition easier for them. Although, despite her altruistic depiction throughout history, it doesn't seem like she's willing to extend the same benefits to Marc Spector and Khonshu in their case against Arthur Harrow.
Osiris
Sitting center stage is Selim, the annoyed yet well-dressed avatar of Osiris played by Khalid Abdalla. You might recognize the Egyptian British actor from his roles in "The Kite Runner," "Assassin's Creed," and "The Crown." In the MCU, he does most of the talking for the Ennead in this episode, most likely indicating that he's the head honcho of the council. This lines up with the ancient Egyptian tales that paint him as a prime time player.
Osiris is seen as the ruler of the underworld and the embodiment of death, but also as the god of fertility and new life. This was because he was brutally slain by his brother Seth, then ascended to the throne of the afterlife as their judge and ruler. On top of his duties in the underworld, he also oversees the things that are granted life such as the annual flooding of the Nile and the vegetation that sprouts as a result. Considering his rule over life and death, it's easy to see why he's the boss around here. It's too bad that he's clearly fed up with Khonshu for his continued "meddling" in earthly affairs and more willing to hear out Harrow's side of the story.
Horus
Appropriately sitting to the right of Osiris is the avatar of Horus, who is played by Declan Hannigan. I say this is appropriate because Horus is the son of Osiris and essentially the right hand man of the ruler of the underworld. When he's not avenging his father by protecting the people of Egypt from Seth, Osiris' murderer, he also serves as the god of kinship and the sky.
Horus is probably the most represented god in the mainstream as he is often represented as the national god of Egypt. Artistic renders present Horus as a falcon-headed man with a red and white crown. When we meet him in "Moon Knight," he's an Irishman with a bit of a passive aggressive streak towards Khonshu even before he and Marc get their chance to present their case to the council. But at least he shows some concern for our hero by at least asking Spector if he feels like he's being used by Khonshu, so maybe he's not as firmly against the plaintiffs as Osiris.
Hathor
Out of all the gods on the council, the only one that seems to have a soft spot for Khonshu is Hathor, who is seated to the right of Horus on the far stage right side. She is represented by her avatar Yatzil (played by Diana Bermudez), but she is traditionally depicted by a woman with inward curving cattle horns on her head. Like cows that were venerated by the ancient Egyptians as symbols of motherhood, Hathor was considered the symbolic mother of the pharaohs and the exemplification of the Egyptian ideal of femininity.
When we first meet Yatzil before the meeting starts, she tells Marc that Hathor is the goddess of music and love. She also seems to tease a more carnal connection between the two avatars' gods, which totally tracks since some myths state that it was Khonshu and Hathor who mated and enabled the birth of creation.
After the meeting with the council fails to go Marc and Khonshu's way, it was Yatzil and Hathor who tell them about the medjay named Senfu and the clues that could stop Harrow and Ammit. Based on this act of kindness (and the fact that her avatar is only one of two that have names mentioned in the subtitles), I feel like we may not have seen the last of Hathor on "Moon Knight." Just like Marc/Steven have been getting help from Layla, something tells me that Hathor will be standing side by side with Khonshu in whatever impending battle lies ahead. But for now, we'll just have to patiently wait until the next episode to find out if any of that comes to fruition.