The Egyptians believed in many gods. Among their deities were Ra (Re), the god of the sun, Hapi, god of the Nile River, Seth, god of the desert, and many other gods. Also, the legend of Osiris, god of the dead, led the people to believe there was an afterlife. Since Osiris was the first mummy, people started using the same technique used to mummify him on their dead. First, the body's organs were removed and dried (with the exception of the brain and heart; the brain was pulled at through the nose and thrown away, the heart was left in the body because it was needed for thinking). Then, the body was dried with natron salts. The liver, stomach, lungs and intestines were placed in canopic jars depicting the four sons of Horus, Hapi, Duamutef, Imsety, and Qebhsenuf. The body was then wrapped, amulets were placed on it, and a priest read spells to keep evil spirits away from the person in the afterlife. Afterwards, the body was placed in a coffin, and the Opening of the Mouth ceremony was held, allowing the dead to eat, drink, and speak again. The dead were then buried in a certain place, such as a pyramid, in a stone sarcophagus. Then, the soul would be tested by the god Anubis to see if the person's heart was burdened with sins. If it wasn't, the person could reach paradise. If it was the other way around, Ammit, a demoness, would consume the heart. Animals were mummified too; the animals usually made into mummies would have been cats (cats were sacred to the cat goddess Bastet)! As for the pyramids, they were needed as tombs for royalty. Because of tomb robbers and the amount of mummies in each pyramid, the Egyptians built them with many hallways, passages, and traps. Some of the best known pyramids are the three pyramids at Giza. The largest, known as the Great Pyramid, was used to house the body of the pharaoh Khufu, or Cheops.