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Egyptian Goddesses - S
Sati
(Satet) The goddess of Elephantine. She was depicted with human head,
the crown of Upper Egypt, and the horns of gazelles. The consort of Khnum
and mother of Anukis; she was the tutelary Goddess of the Nubian frontier,
in the far south of Upper Egypt.
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Sekhet
The ennead of Memphis was headed by a triad composed of the father Ptah,
the mother Sekhet, and the son Imhotep; the main gods of Egypt during
the Memphite dynasties.
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Sekhmet
The Powerful - The Lion Goddess of Battle. An ancient Egyptian fire goddess,
the healer of broken bones and fractures.
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Selkhet
A scorpion-goddess, shown as a beautiful woman with a scorpion poised
on her head; her creature struck death to the wicked, but she was also
petitioned to save the lives of innocent people stung by scorpions. She
was also viewed as a helper of women in childbirth. She is depicted as
binding up demons that would otherwise threaten Ra, and she sent seven
of her scorpions to protect Isis from Set.
She was the protectress of Qebehsenuf, the son of Horus who guarded the
intestines of the deceased. She was made famous by her statue from Tutankhamen's
tomb, which was part of the collection which toured America in the 1970's.
Seshat
(Sashet, Seshet or Sesheta) The goddess referred to as "the female
scribe"; "sesh" meaning scribe and her phonetic name s$3t
(the $ indicates the phonetic symbol of an "s" with a reversed
caret over it) bearing the feminine ending of a "t" sound. She
was also called "Sefket-abwy" in later times. She is represented
in the ancient Egyptian language with her name, ss3t, followed by her
two determinatives: the first is her anthropomorphic figure, a woman sitting,
knees up, a star surrounded by two down-turned horns over her head. The
second is merely the image drawn over her brow, a standard with said star
and the gracefully curving horns.
She is drawn with her standard atop her head, wearing the spotted leopard
skin robes of the Setem priests, the funerary priests who are drawn on
temple friezes with the spotted robe and mask of Yinepu (Greek: Anubis).
Where other Gods hold the was-scepter in hand, she bears one of notched
palm leaves that terminates at the bottom with a tadpole which rests on
the symbol of eternity. The notched palm leaf itself is a large representation
of the hieroglyph rnpwt, the tadpole, or shen, meaning 'millions of'.
Together, they convey the message of "millions of years". This
is symbolic of the force of the king -- the never-ending divine power
of the Pharaoh, and the fact that Seshat is the minister of Time.
Much argument is made over whether the symbol over Her head is a star
or a rosette. In "Seshat and the Pharaoh" by G.A. Wainwright,
he shows the development of Seshat's symbol over time. It first appeared
on Narmer's palette, perhaps as part of a title. There it is clearly a
flower-shape, and not a star. A few people have implies that the symbol
is a cannabis leaf, but this is a historical myth. The ancient Egyptians
used hemp for one reason: to make ropes. In actuality, it is a star, that
has become stylized over thousands of years of renditions.
Seshat is the record keeper. It is she who writes the names and deeds
of all on the sacred leaves of the sycamore tree. She was also an accountant,
as pictures of her on tomb walls recording war trophies and agricultural
tallies can attest. It is She who remembers -- remembers everything, even
the smallest details that most would forget. In that sense, She can be
considered a Name involved with both destiny and time, for while Djehuty
(Greek: Thoth) is their creator and Lord, it is Seshat who ministers to
each and ensures that both run their courses true. It is She who takes
care of the details, when most would overlook them. She would record the
tallies of goods and prizes of war the kings garnered.
There are several Gods related to Seshat. The one with the strongest tie
is by far Nephthys. Seshat may even be a form of Nephthys. Several references
in the pyramid texts compare them. Both of their names "The Female
Scribe" and "The Lady of the House" may come from yet another
goddess as well, as they are more titles than names, per se. Nephthys
is also refereed to in the Pyramid Texts as "Seshat, Foremost of
Builders". Seshat herself is directly tied to Thoth, for often Seshat
is pictured as his consort. And, of course, the King, the living Horus
-- for she is the one who personally attends to him, and the knowledge
of him so that all remember his deeds time after time.
She is the Mistress of the House of Books, the Goddess of writing, history,
measurements, calculation, record keeping and architecture, and hieroglyphics;
the Lady of the Builder's Measure.
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