- Triad -
One way of grouping gods was by 3, in triads. Typically, a triad would consist of a god, his spouse and one of their children. The Theban triad, for instance, consisted of Amun-Re, his wife Mut and their son Khonsu. The most popular triad was that of Osiris, Isis and their son Horus
The third member of the triad was not necessarily male, as is shown by the triad of Elephantine, where Khnum and Satet are joined by the godess Anuket. The relationship between Anuket and the two other members of the triad is not entirely clear and it is often assumed that she was either a daughter or a second wife of Khnum.
Sometimes a triad would contain three gods that formerly do not appear to have been related to each other at all. Such is the case for the Memphite triad with Ptah, Sekhmet and Nefertem.
The triad of Osiris (middle), Isis (right) and Horus (left) was the most popular one, as shown on this small Late Dynastic golden statue at the Louvre Museum.
