Hathor
Egyptian: ḥwt-ḥr
in Greek: Ἅθωρ
~~~Hathor is an ancient Egyptian goddess who personified the principles of joy, music, feminine love, and motherhood.
She was one of the most important and popular deities throughout the history of ancient Egypt.
Hathor
'House of Horus'
Appearance:
- Woman with the ears of a cow
- A cow
- Woman with a headdress of horns and a sun disk
Hathor was a protective goddess. She was also the goddess of love and joy.
Hathor was the wife of Horus, and was sometimes thought of as the mother of the pharaoh.
She was originally a personification of the Milky Way, which was considered to be the milk that flowed from the udders of a heavenly cow (linking her with Nut, Bat and Mehet-Weret).
As time passed she absorbed the attributes of many other goddesses but also became more closely associated with Isis, who to some degree usurped her position as the most popular and powerful goddess. Yet she remained popular throughout Egyptian history.
Hathor is commonly depicted as a cow goddess with head horns in which is set a sun disk with Uraeus. Twin feathers are also sometimes shown in later periods as well as a menat, the turquoise musical necklace often worn by women.
The Ancient Greeks identified Hathor with the goddess Aphrodite and the Romans as Venus.
A hymn to Hathor says:
Thou art the Mistress of Jubilation, the Queen of the Dance, the Mistress of Music, the Queen of the Harp Playing, the Lady of the Choral Dance, the Queen of Wreath Weaving, the Mistress of Inebriety Without End.
She was given the titles .....
“Hand of God” ...... “Lady of the Vulva”...
........ “Mistress of Turquoise“.............
......“Lady of Lapis Lazuli”........“Lady of Malachite”...
...“Lady of the West” ...... “Lady of the Southern Sycamore”.....
....“Goddess of Limit”.....“Mistress of Life”........“Mistress of Heaven”.....
|
Hathor Profile & Fact File |
|||
| Egyptian Name: | Hathor. Alternative Names: Het-heru and Hethara. She |
||
| Role & Function: | The function of Hathor is described as being the the sky goddess of love, beauty, joy, dance, music and fertility. |
||
| Symbols: | The sistrum (rattle) the Ankh, the Was Scepter, mirrors, the blue lotus was her sacred flower |
||
| Cult Center: | Dendera, north of Thebes was the cult center for Hathor. The Dendera Temple complex contains the Temple of Hathor, one of the best preserved temples in Egypt. Another important center of worship was Byblos |
||
| Titles: | The "Lady of Turquoise", the "Lady of the West", the "Lady of Faience", "Lady of Byblos" and "She of the divine column" |
||
|
|||