Amon was originally a local god from Thebes and became popular in the New Kingdom when kings from there came to power. His name meant “the hidden one”, suggesting that he once had been an invisible natural spirit of some sort.
He was thought to be self-created and was incorporated with the old myths of how the whole world originally came to be. Texts from the Old Kingdom mention him as connected with the force of life and tell about his female counter-part, called Amonet.
His lofty position gave him the humble title “lord of all gods”. Many statues and temples were erected for his cult and kings used his name in theirs. He was dressed simply, depicted as a good-looking young man with two feathers upon a red crown. His animal was a ram.