Many of the
prayers the the
ancient Egyptians made were not actually
directed to the well-known
gods, but to the little god-like
charms in their
houses.
These little
statuettes were all gods of something, for example "Bes" was the god of
family and
newborn children, and "Taweret" was a
pregnant Hippopotamus, and
women prayed to her for safe
delivery.
To protect themselves from harm in this life, and the afterlife, the ancient Egyptians wore amulets or charms.
Different charms were made out of different materials and represented sacred symbols.
Ancient Egyptians also used magic. They would cast spells on their children to protect them, or to attract somebody.
Some of the charms still exist today, and can be found in some museums.