Horus is one of the oldest and most important deities in the religion of ancient Egypt, who was worshipped from at least the Predynastic period to the Greco-Roman era. Several forms of Horus have been recorded throughout history, which Egyptologists treat as distinct gods. These varied forms may be different perceptions of the same multiple deity in which certain attributes or syncretic relationships are emphasised, complementing rather than opposing each other, consistent with how ancient Egypt viewed the multiple facets of reality. He was usually depicted as a falcon, borni or pilgrim, or as a falcon-headed man.
The earliest record of Horus is as the patron deity of Nejen in Upper Egypt, who is the earliest known national god, specifically related to the king who at the time was considered the manifestation of Horus in life and Osiris in death. The most common family relationship describes Horus as the son of Isis and Osiris, but in another tradition Hathor is his mother and sometimes his wife. Horus had many functions in the Egyptian pantheon, the most important being the god of the sun, war and protection.