News — Egyptian Goddess

The goddess Taweret was a protector of women and children. Like the Egyptian god Bes, she offered protection to pregnant women.   During the Discoveries team's visit to the Luxor Museum, we saw several small amulets resembling a standing Taweret. It was an awesome suprise to turn the corner into the newer part of the museum and find an impressively large statue of Taweret from the late dynastic period. (See photo) This statue had seen many centuries out in the elements and most detail was gone but we still were in awe of the size and presence. It is apparent the importance this deity...

Ancient Egypt was cat country. The fertile Nile Valley and the arid surrounding desert were home to no less than seven species of cat, ranging from big cats like the great lion to the small desert cat that came to live with humans thousands of years ago. Cats, big and small, became an important part of daily life and religion in ancient Egypt.  Ancient Egyptians loved animals and kept many different species of cats. Lions were the companions of kings; nobles hunted with servals, caracals and cheetahs, while leopard skins clothed lector priests. Families viewed their cats as an essential...

Sekhmet (Sakhmet) is an Egyptian goddess depicted with the body of a woman with a lion head wearing a sun disk. She is one of the oldest known Egyptian deities. Her name means: “She who is powerful” and she was the goddess of the desert sun, plague, chaos, war, and healing. For her friends she could avert plague and cure disease. In order to stay on her good side they offered her food and drink and played music for her. As a result, this often ferocious deity was called the “lady of terror” and also the “lady of life”.  ...

The cat was sacred in ancient Egypt. Admired for its virility, strength and agility, it was also the symbol of Bastet, the benevolent cat goddess who represented motherhood and joy.  The goddess Bastet is seen as a symbol of protection from both evil spirits and disease - particularly diseases associated with women and children. She also has an important role in the afterlife, according to Egyptian beliefs, and is the one who guides and helps the dead. Since the earliest recorded centuries, the Bastet cat was viewed as a bestower of fertility and protection against dark forces. Even now, the...