Thoth was considered one of the more important deities of the Egyptian pantheon. He is depicted here as a man with the head of an ibis, an animal sacred to him. Thoth was often considered to be the heart which, according to the ancient Egyptians, is the seat of intelligence or the mind and tongue of the sun god Ra, as well as the means by which Ra's will was translated into speech. He was also related to the Logos of Plato and the mind of God. He played many vital and prominent roles in Egyptian mythology, such as maintaining the universe, and being one of the two deities who stood on either side of Ra's boat.