Egyptian goddess Seshat. Gods of Ancient Egypt - list and description

According to some researchers, there were five thousand gods in ancient Egypt. Such a huge number of them is due to the fact that each of the many local cities had their own gods. Therefore, one should not be surprised at the similarity of the functions of many of them. In our list, as far as possible, we tried not only to give a description of this or that celestial, but also to indicate the center in which he was most revered. In addition to the gods, some monsters, spirits, and magical creatures are listed. Our table gives the characters in alphabetical order. The names of some gods are designed as hyperlinks leading to detailed articles about them.

Our table of Egyptian gods can be used in school to prepare 5th grade students. See also: Gods of Ancient Greece - list, Gods of Ancient Rome - list, Gods of Ancient Scandinavia, Gods of Ancient India - list, Gods of ancient Slavs - list.

Top 10 Gods of Ancient Egypt

Amat- a terrible monster with the body and front legs of a lioness, the hind legs of a hippopotamus and the head of a crocodile. It lived in the fiery lake of the underground kingdom of the dead (Duat) and devoured the souls of the dead, who were recognized as unrighteous at the court of Osiris.

Apis- a black bull with special marks on the skin and forehead, which was worshiped in Memphis and throughout Egypt as a living embodiment of the gods Ptah or Osiris. The living Apis was kept in a special room - Apeion, and the deceased was solemnly buried in the necropolis of the Serapeum.

Apop (Apophis)- a huge serpent, the personification of chaos, darkness and evil. He lives in the underworld, where every day after sunset the sun god Ra descends. Apep rushes to Ra's barge to swallow it. The sun and its defenders fight nightly with Apophis. The ancient Egyptians also explained solar eclipses by the serpent's attempt to devour Ra.

Aten- the god of the solar disk (or rather, sunlight), mentioned as early as the era of the Middle Kingdom and proclaimed the main god of Egypt during the religious reform of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Unlike most other representatives of the local pantheon, he was depicted not in a "beast-human" form, but in the form of a solar circle or a ball, from which arms with palms stretch to the earth and people. The meaning of Akhenaten's reform, apparently, consisted in the transition from a concrete-figurative religion to a philosophical-abstract one. It was accompanied by severe persecution of adherents of former beliefs and was canceled shortly after the death of its initiator.

Atum- the solar god revered in Heliopolis, who created himself from the original chaotic Ocean of Nun. In the midst of this Ocean, the primordial hill of the earth also rose, from which all the dry land originated. Having resorted to masturbation, spitting out his own seed, Atum created the first divine couple - the god Shu and the goddess Tefnut, from whom the rest of the Ennead descended (see below). In archaic antiquity, Atum was the main solar god of Heliopolis, but later he was pushed into the background by Ra. Atum began to be revered only as a symbol setting sun.

Bastet- the cat goddess from the city of Bubastis. It personified love, female beauty, fertility, fun. It is very close in religious meaning to the goddess Hathor, with whom she often united.

Bes- (Demons) dwarf demons favorable to a person with an ugly face and crooked legs. Peculiar kind brownies. In ancient Egypt, figurines of Demons were widespread.

Maat- the goddess of universal truth and justice, the patroness of moral principles and firm legality. Depicted as a woman with an ostrich feather on her head. During the trial in the kingdom of the dead, the soul of the deceased was placed on one scale, and the “feather of Maat” on the other. The soul, which turned out to be heavier than a feather, was recognized as unworthy of eternal life with Osiris. She was devoured by the terrible monster Amat (see above).

Mafdet- (lit. "fast running") the goddess of harsh justice, the protector of sacred places. It was depicted with the head of a cheetah or in the form of a genet - an animal from the viverrid family.

Mertseger (Meritseger)- the goddess of the dead in Thebes. Depicted as a snake or a woman with a snake head.

Meskhenet- the goddess of childbirth, who enjoyed special honor in the city of Abydos.

Min- a god revered as the giver of life and fertility in the city of Koptos. Depicted in itiphallic form (with pronounced male sexual characteristics). The worship of Ming was widespread in the early period of Egyptian history, but then he receded into the background before his own local Theban variety - Amun.

Mnevis- a black bull who was worshiped as a god in Heliopolis. Reminds me of the Memphis Apis.

Renenutet- a goddess revered in the Faiyum as the patroness of crops. Depicted in the form of a cobra. Nepri, the god of grain, was considered her son.

Sebek- the crocodile god of the Faiyum oasis, where there was a large lake. Its functions included managing the water kingdom and ensuring earthly fertility. Sometimes he was revered as a kind, benevolent god, to whom they prayed for help in illnesses and life's difficulties; sometimes - like a formidable demon, hostile to Ra and Osiris.

Serket (Selket)- the goddess of the dead in the western part of the Nile Delta. A woman with a scorpion on her head.

Sekhmet- (lit. - "mighty"), a goddess with the head of a lioness and a solar disk on it, personifying the heat and scorching heat of the Sun. The wife of the god Ptah. Terrible avenger, exterminating creatures hostile to the gods. The heroine of the myth about the extermination of people, which the god Ra entrusted to her because of the moral corruption of mankind. Sekhmet killed people with such fury that even Ra, who decided to abandon his intention, could not stop her. Then the gods poured red beer all over the earth, which Sekhmet began to lick, mistaking it for human blood. From intoxication, she involuntarily had to stop her slaughter.

Seshat- the goddess of writing and counting, the patroness of scribes. Sister or daughter of the god Thoth. During the accession of the pharaoh, she wrote down the coming years of his reign on the leaves of the tree. Depicted as a woman with a seven-pointed star on her head. The sacred animal of Seshat was the panther, so it was represented in a leopard skin.

Sopdu- "falcon" god, revered in the eastern part of the Nile Delta. Close to Horus, identified with him.

Tatenen- a chthonic god revered in Memphis along with Ptah and sometimes identified with him. His name literally means "rising (i.e. emerging) earth."

Tawart- a goddess from the city of Oxyrhynchus, depicted as a hippopotamus. Patroness of birth, pregnant women and babies. Drive away evil spirits from dwellings.

Tefnut- the goddess, who, together with her husband, the god Shu, symbolized the space between the firmament and the firmament. Shu and Tefnut gave birth to the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut.

Wadget- the snake goddess, considered the patroness of Lower (Northern) Egypt.

Upout- the god of the dead with the head of a jackal, revered in the city of Assiut (Lykopolis). In appearance and meaning, he strongly resembled Anubis and gradually merged with him in one image.

Phoenix- a magical bird with golden and red feathers, which, according to Egyptian legend, flew to the city of Heliopolis once every 500 years to bury the body of its deceased father in the temple of the Sun. It personified the soul of the god Ra.

Hapi- the god of the Nile River, the patron of crops provided by its spill. He was depicted as a man of blue or green color (the color of the Nile water at different times of the year).

Hathor- the goddess of love, beauty, joy and dance, the patroness of childbirth and nurses, the "Heavenly cow". It personified the wild, elemental force of passion, which could take cruel forms. In such an unbridled image, she was often identified with the lioness goddess Sekhmet. Depicted with the horns of a cow, inside of which is the sun.

Hekat- Goddess of moisture and rain. Depicted in the form of a frog.

Khepri- one of the three (often recognized as three attributes of the same being) solar gods of Heliopolis. personified the sun during sunrise. Two of his "colleagues" - Atum (the sun On the Sunset) and Ra (the sun at all other hours of the day). Depicted with the head of a scarab beetle.

Hershef (Herishef)- the main god of the city of Heracleopolis, where he was worshiped as the creator of the world, "whose right eye is the sun, the left is the moon, and the breath animates everything."

Khnum- a god revered in the city of Esna as a demiurge who created the world and people on a potter's wheel. Depicted with a ram's head.

Khonsu- moon god in Thebes. Son of the god Amon. Together with Amon and his mother, Mut formed the Theban triad of gods. Depicted with a crescent moon and a disk on his head.

SESHATS SESHATS

(œš;.t, feminine from "sesh", "scribe"), in Egyptian mythology, the goddess of writing. Daughter or sister (wife) Thoth. Depicted as a woman in a panther skin, draped over a shirt, with a seven-pointed star on her head. The veneration of S. originated in Sais, but Germopol became the center of her cult. S. is the head of the "house of life", that is, a collection of manuscripts, an archive, on the leaves of the shed tree (her fetish), she records the years of the life and reign of the pharaoh, knows the art of counting (mainly counting military trophies, prisoners, gifts, tribute), drawing up building plans, patronizes construction work. Since S.'s birthday was celebrated on the same day as his birthday Mafdet, perhaps S. was considered her twin sister. S. often acted as a hypostasis of Mafdet, Tefnut, Rath-taui, Nephthys.
R. R.

(Source: "Myths of the peoples of the world".)

Seshat

in Egyptian mythology, the goddess of writing. Daughter or sister (wife) of Thoth. Depicted as a woman in a panther skin, draped over a shirt, with a seven-pointed star on her head. The veneration of Seshat originated in Sais, but Germopol became the center of her cult. Seshat - the head of the "house of life", i.e. collections of manuscripts of the archive, on the leaves of the shed tree (her fetish) she recorded the years of the life and reign of the pharaoh, was in charge of the art of counting (mainly counting military trophies, prisoners, gifts, tribute), drawing up building plans, patronized construction work. Since Seshat's birthday was celebrated on the same day as Mafdet's birthday. maybe. Seshat was considered her twin sister. Seshat often acted as the hypostasis of Mafdet. Rath-taui, Nephthys.

V. D. Smooth "Ancient World" Volume 2

(Source: Ancient Egyptian Dictionary Reference.)

See what "SESHAT" is in other dictionaries:

Seshat, in a leopard skin with papyrus and a brush Seshat (feminine from "sesh", "scribe") is the goddess of writing in Egyptian mythology. She was considered the daughter or sister (less often the wife) of the god of wisdom ... Wikipedia

In ancient Egyptian mythology, the goddess of knowledge, letters, accounts, chronology; originally the deity of the city of Sais, the patroness of builders. Depicted as a woman in the skin of a panther with a seven-pointed star on her head ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

SESHAT, in ancient Egyptian mythology, the goddess of knowledge, letters, accounts, chronology; originally the deity of the city of Sais, the patroness of builders. Depicted as a woman in the skin of a panther with a seven-pointed star on her head ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Seshat- in egypt. myth. goddess of writing. Daughter or sister (wife) of Thoth. Image a woman in the skin of a panther, draped over a shirt, with a seven-pointed star on the head. Reverence S. germ. in Sais, but Germopol became the center of her cult. S. head of the "house of life" ... Ancient world. encyclopedic Dictionary

Seshat- (Egypt.) - "writing" - the goddess of writing, daughter or sister (wife) of Thoth, patroness of archives, collections of manuscripts. She records on the leaves of the shed tree the years of the life and reign of the pharaoh, counts the spoils of war, prisoners, tribute and gifts, knows ... ... Mythological dictionary

- (m; fdt), in Egyptian mythology, the avenger goddess. She was embodied in the image of a cheetah, her attributes are a stick and a knife. In myths, M. fights with a snake, sometimes together with Ra (for example, in the Pyramid Texts: “Ra rises and his uraeus on his forehead against this snake, ... ... Encyclopedia of mythology

See also: Ancient Egyptian religion List of Egyptian gods list of supernatural beings of the pantheon of the ancient Egyptians, which includes gods, goddesses, deified concepts, parts of the human (and divine) essence, monsters, ... ... Wikipedia

Goddess of the Ennead Mythology: Ancient Egypt Father ... Wikipedia

- (r .t t .wj, “Rat” is a feminine form from the name of Ra, “Taui”, lit. “both lands”), in Egyptian mythology, the goddess, the wife of Montu, who gave birth to a child, the sun Hora pa Ra. Associated with the cult of Ra, identified with Iunit. The hypostasis of R. T. was often Seshat. ... ... Encyclopedia of mythology

- (tfn.t), in Egyptian mythology, the goddess of moisture. Included in the Helio Polish Ennead. Her earthly incarnation is a lioness. The center of the cult of T. Heliopolis, according to the Heliopolis myth, T. and her husband Shu are the first pair of twin gods, generated by Atum (Ra Atum). Them… … Encyclopedia of mythology

Seshat - goddess of writing and patroness of scribes

Seshat is a traditional goddess who appears along with Atum and Thoth in the sacred pantheon of the city of Heliopolis, one of the most important religious centers of Ancient Egypt.

Her name can be translated as "female scribe" or "female scribe", since "sesh" is a scribe, and the ending in -at, -et, means feminine.

She bears the epithet "Lady of Letters" and is very similar in function to the god Thoth. For the ancient Egyptians, hieroglyphs were sacred symbols, and the process of writing them was a sacred and magical act. Both Seshat and Thoth are inextricably linked with writing, hieroglyphs and their writing. She and Thoth recorded the duration of the pharaoh's reign by inscribing his name on the leaves of the sacred tree "shed" (ished or persea) in Heliopolis.

In some documents, Seshat appears only as a female form of the ibis god (Thoth), in others, she acts as his wife, sister or daughter.

As the goddess of writing, Seshat was the patroness of scribes and their work, which had the character of a magical and sacred act for the Egyptians. Records of scribes were kept in temple libraries. They, too, were under the patronage of the goddess of writing. She performed this function, including the Greco-Roman period. In particular, during the Ptolemaic period, the goddess was considered the patroness of the famous library in Alexandria.

Recording Tribute

In scenes from the times of the Ancient and Middle Kingdoms, she is depicted making records of military booty, the number of prisoners of war and the taxes paid to the pharaoh by their subordinate countries.

In particular, Seshat records herds of cattle, sheep, goats and donkeys captured as booty by the 5th dynasty pharaoh Sahura in Libya. This scene in Abusir becomes the prototype for other similar images. A similar scene is contained in the temple of the 12th dynasty pharaoh Senusret I (c. 1962-1917 BC) at el-Lisht, where Seshat records the captives and foreign tribute.

Seshat also records any events that were worthy of being recorded and immortalized.

Goddess of architects and builders

Seshat and Pharaoh Ramesses II during the "pulling the cord" ceremony Starting from the Old Kingdom (the first evidence dates back to the reign of the pharaoh of the II dynasty of Hesekhemwu), she participated in the ritual of “stretching the cord” along with the pharaoh. The main content of this magical ritual was the symbolic marking of the foundation, which preceded the construction of pyramids or temples.

Seshat, according to the views of the ancient Egyptians, exercised divine control over the procedures for marking and aligning the future structure in accordance with the stars and planets and relative to the cardinal points: north, east, south and west.

This close association with construction has led Seshat to be regarded as the patron goddess of architects and builders.

In the divine world, Seshat was in charge of building the houses of the gods. A number of other deities also helped her in this. Seshat also carried out certain functions related to construction in the afterlife, where she “built” houses for especially pious and important dead.

Seshat and Pharaoh's Jubilee (Heb-Sed)

During the XVIII Dynasty (1550-1069 BC) it became associated with the pharaoh's jubilee - Heb-Sed, the first of which was held after 30 years of the ruler's reign, and the subsequent ones every three years. Her most important task was to record the years each pharaoh ruled.

She symbolically accompanied the pharaoh during the ceremonies and rituals of the Heb-Sed festival to renew the energy of the king: “You must renew your youth; You must prosper again like Aah-Thoth when he is a child”.

The Egyptians believed that Seshat was responsible both for recording the years of the pharaoh's reign and for maintaining the "house of life" - an archive containing the most important documents related to the pharaoh and Egypt. That is, she was the keeper of the royal annals and genealogy.

Sefkhat-abwy - a form of Seshat?

In the era of the New Kingdom during the reign of the pharaoh of the XVIII dynasty Thutmose III, a goddess known as Sefkhet-abwy appears in the Egyptian pantheon of gods. Her name can be translated as "seven-pointed".

Since the functions of Sefkhet-abvi and Seshat, as well as their iconography, almost completely coincide, most researchers of the Egyptian religion are inclined to believe that Sefkhet-abvi is not an independent goddess, but only a form or even just another name for the goddess Seshat.

Seshat and Nephthys

Helping the dead was apparently one of the reasons why Seshat is sometimes identified as an aspect of another helper of the dead, the goddess Nephthys (Nefthys, Nebetkhet), who wears the sign of the house on her head, i.e. a symbol also associated with construction.

Another reason for Seshat's association with Nephthys was probably that the Coffin Texts mentions that Seshat is angry with the child she gives birth, just as a later tradition made Nephthys angry with her son in some versions of the myths, Anubis.

In other "Texts of the sarcophagi" Thoth and Seshat help the deceased person to strengthen his spirit and overcome the threats of the underworld (criminal) world. That is, Seshat could in some cases act as a form of Nephthys.

Cult of Seshat

In her most characteristic features, Seshat was a deity associated with writing, measuring, and drawing designs. She rarely appears outside of these contexts.

She apparently did not have her own sanctuaries, but on the basis of her role in the ceremonies and magical rituals that were carried out in the construction of temples, each of such buildings was associated with her.

Similarly, she, without playing an important role in popular religion, was a kind of patron goddess of scribes and builders.

The goddess of writing Seshat: features of iconography

Seshat is usually depicted in anthropomorphic form as a woman with a sign on her head, consisting of a symbol that looks like a star of seven rays on a twig-base, and two curved lines above the "star".

Neither the seven-pointed star nor the curved lines above have yet been unequivocally interpreted by Egyptologists. With regard to the second element, there is an opinion that these are “inverted horns”, but the meaning of this is also not clear. Moreover, sometimes in the images the two lines close, forming a kind of jagged arc, which is sometimes interpreted as a “bow”.

The author of this material (kamt) looked at many images of the goddess Seshat. One of them, perhaps, gives some clue to the interpretation of curved lines. This is an image of the goddess on a mummy mask from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

The goddess is depicted with a seven-pointed symbol, but the curved lines above are missing. But on the twig-stand of the "star" we see the goddesses Uto and Nekhbet in the form of snakes.

The fact that this is Seshat is confirmed by a hieroglyphic inscription, in which, by the way, there is both a seven-pointed star and curved lines above.

Hence this assumption: the curved lines are not inverted horns, but two snakes facing each other with their heads.

That is, presumably, the mysterious Seshat sign includes a stylized image of Uto (a cobra with a Red crown of Lower Egypt) and Nekhbet (a cobra with a White crown of Upper Egypt) in the form of two curved lines.

Since in this image these two goddesses are depicted on the basis of the “star”, there was simply no need to draw them (repeate or duplicate) above.

In the hands of Seshat, as a rule, she holds a stick for writing.

Also, since the time of the New Kingdom, it has been characterized by a kind of staff - a jagged curved palm branch. The serrations on the staff are marks that reflect the length of time. Often the base of the staff ends with the sign "shem" - a symbol of eternity.

Often she wears a panther (leopard) skin thrown over her dress. In this sense, she is similar to the god Inmutef, for whom robes of leopard or cheetah skin are common.

In the temple of Seti I at Abydos, there is a relief where Seshat and Inmutef, dressed in leopard skins, stand next to each other.

Seshat(Egypt. sS.t, from sS, "sesh", "scribe") - the goddess of writing in Egyptian mythology. She was considered the daughter or sister (rarely wife) of the god of wisdom Thoth. The panther was considered a sacred animal of Seshat, so the goddess was represented in the skin of this animal. Often Seshat acted as a manifestation of other goddesses - Mafdet, Tefnut, Nephthys. In the era of the New Kingdom, the goddess Seshat was sometimes called Sefkhet-Abui.

Initially, Seshat was the local goddess of Sais, but then Hemenu (Great Hermopolis) became the center of her cult. The goddess was revered as the head of the "house of life", that is, a collection of manuscripts, an archive. One of her functions is to record on the leaves of the shed tree (her fetish) the years of the life and reign of the pharaoh. In addition, she was in charge of the art of counting (trophies of war, prisoners, gifts, tribute), as well as the preparation of building plans, and patronized construction work.

Seshat's duties also included astronomical observations and the associated orientation of the pyramids and temples, the so-called. the ceremony of "stretching the cord", which involved observing the position and movement of circumpolar stars. This explains such Seshat epithets as "Lady of Builders", "Goddess of Construction", "Founder of Architecture", "Mistress of Stars". Those. Seshat can be imagined as a royal librarian, royal scribe, royal astronomer, royal architect all rolled into one. Egyptologist George Hart explains: "As far back as the Second Dynasty, Seshat assisted the ruler... in hammering the boundary pegs during the cord-pulling ceremony. This is an important part of the temple-laying ceremony."

Evidence that such a ceremony existed even in the era of the pyramids can serve as fragments of a bas-relief found in the temple of the sun of the pharaoh of the Fifth dynasty Niuserra, which depicts the king and the priestess personifying Seshat, each holding a wooden mallet and a peg with a measuring cord tied to it. This scene is fully consistent with the text from the temple in Edfu, which conveys the words of the king: "I take a peg and a hammer handle. I hold a cord from Seshat ..."

In numerous images of the "stretching the cord" ceremony found in Egypt, Seshat always faces the king, and both of them hold a peg in one hand and a hammer in the other. A short cord is tied to pegs, and the main characters determine the axis of symmetry of the temple or pyramid by pulling the cord, orienting it to some distant object, and then fixing the direction with two stakes driven into the ground. Below are some inscriptions from the temples at Edfu and Dendera describing this rite:

"[The king says:] I hold a peg. I squeeze the handle of the hammer and take the cord for measurement together with Seshat. I turn my gaze to the movements of the stars. I direct my gaze at the thigh of the bull [Egypt. Meskhetiu, Ursa Major] ... I set the corners of the temple ... "

"[The priest says:] The king joyfully stretches out the cord, turning his head to the thigh of the bull, and lays the temple, as in ancient times."

"[The king says:] I hold a peg and a hammer; I stretch the cord with the goddess Seshat; I watch the movement of the stars, and my gaze is fixed on the thigh of the bull; I was the god who tells the time with the Merket instrument. I set the four corners temple."

"[The priest says:] The king... watching the sky and the stars, turns his gaze to the thigh of the bull..."

Robert Bauvel points out that the orientation of the pyramids occurred simultaneously along two landmarks: the North Pole and the constellation Orion.

"The constellation Plow [Great Bear] crosses the northern meridian at the moment when Orion's belt rises above the eastern horizon. That is, the ancient builders oriented the Great Pyramid to a star from the constellation Plow, not because it indicated the true direction to the north (although at that time time was exactly that), but because it was used as a time marker, indicating exactly when Orion's belt was rising in the east. They were interested not in the northern sky itself, but in the circumpolar stars as indicators of the rising of Orion's belt in the east.

Name origin: Egyptian

Seshat is the goddess of the art of writing, akin to Thoth. On the head is a symbol of the crowning, in the hands of writing instruments. Identified with the Greek goddess Muse.

Numerology Of The Name Seshat

Soul Number: 9.
Owners of the name number 9 are dreamy, romantic and impulsive. They are cheerful, love big noisy companies, they tend to make grand gestures, they love to help people. However, the "nines" are prone to inflated conceit and often flirt, and turn into arrogant egocentrists. "Nines" are cheerful, amorous and romantic. However, their feelings are far from always constant, which is often expressed in "frivolity" in their personal lives. "Nines" are quite selfish. Only a very strong personality can build a strong family with a "nine".

Hidden Spirit Number: 7

Body number: 2

Signs

Planet Neptune.
Element: Water, cold-humidity.
Zodiac: Sagittarius, Pisces.
Colour: Aquamarine, sea green.
Day: Thursday, Friday.
Metal: Rare earth metals, platinum.
Mineral: Topaz, aquamarine.
Plants: Grapes, poppies, roses, saffron, weeping willow, algae, mushrooms, water lily, henbane, hemp.
Animals: Deep sea fish, whale, seagull, albatross, dolphin.

The name Seshat as a phrase

C Word
Ye Esi (Is, Be, Exist)
Sh Sha (From the Hebrew square letter; Shin - primordial fire)
A Az (I, Me, Myself, Myself)
T Firmly

Interpretation of the meaning of the letters of the name Seshat

C - common sense, the desire for a strong position and material security; in irritation - imperiousness and capriciousness. It is important for a person to find his own way in life.
E - the need for self-expression, the exchange of ideas, the tendency to act as an intermediary, insight due to the ability to enter the world of secret forces. Talkativeness is possible.
Ш - attentiveness to life, the ability to assess the situation at the slightest hint, whisper, rustle. Modesty and the ability to arrange your affairs in a quiet way. Developed sense of humor.
A - a symbol of the beginning and the desire to start and accomplish something, the thirst for physical and spiritual comfort.
T is an intuitive, sensitive, creative person, a seeker of truth, who does not always measure desires and possibilities. The symbol of the cross is a reminder to the owner that life is not endless and that one should not put off until tomorrow what can be done today - to act using every minute effectively.