Mut sokhmet. Egyptian goddess Sekhmet. Goddess Sekhmet in ancient art

A character in ancient Egyptian mythology, patroness of the city of Memphis, goddess of the scorching sun and war.

Mythology

The name Sekhmet translates to “Mighty One.” The goddess was also called “Lady of the Desert,” “Great” and “Powerful.” The lioness was considered the goddess's sacred animal, and Sekhmet herself was depicted as a woman with a lion's head. Other felines were also considered initiates of Sekhmet. Because of the lion's head, the goddess was identified with Bastet - the goddess of beautiful women, fun and fertility, who was depicted as a woman with a cat's head or a cat. Bastet was also depicted with the head of a lioness, but in this form she began to express an aggressive beginning.

The center of the cult of the goddess was the city of Memphis. In the middle of winter, when the sunny day began to increase, a holiday was dedicated to the goddess Sekhmet.

Sekhmet's "duties" extend to war and the destructive heat of the sun. The disk on Sekhmet’s head is evidence of the goddess’s connection with the energy of the Sun and heat. The goddess is also responsible for healing and has the ability to heal and cause diseases with the help of magic, and doctors in Ancient Egypt were considered priests of Sekhmet.

The goddess is called the menacing eye of Ra, the sun god. According to legend, Sekhmet was originally the goddess Hathor - the patroness of femininity, love, dancing and fun. However, then Amon Ra became angry with the people because they stopped obeying him, and decided to punish the disobedient. To do this, Ra turned Hathor into Sekhmet - an evil lioness.

In this form, the goddess began to exterminate people en masse and drowned the earth in blood. Ra was horrified by this sight and changed his mind about killing all people. The next day, God made Sekhmet drunk with a thousand jugs of blood-red beer, which the lioness goddess mistook for blood, and thereby saved the human race from final destruction.

The character of the goddess Sekhmet was unpredictable, and it was impossible to control her. At the same time, the furious Sekhmet was considered the pharaoh’s bodyguard. The pharaohs themselves were compared to Sekhmet. This goddess was engaged in the extermination of the enemies of the gods, and the pharaoh was also considered the defender of Egypt from external opponents. Burning arrows were depicted as an attribute of Sekhmet the Slayer.

Despite the fact that Sekhmet brutally dealt with people on the orders of Ra, the goddess is considered the protector of the human race and the guardian of the world. In moments of danger, the ancient Egyptians turned to Sekhmet. Epidemics and pestilence were attributed to Sekhmet's anger. When a plague epidemic swept through Egypt during the time of Amenhotep III, the pharaoh ordered the production of seven hundred statues of Sekhmet so that the goddess would change her anger to mercy.

Egyptian creation myths claim that Sekhmet created the Asians and Libyans. Temples of the goddess were built on the edge of deserts inhabited by wild lions - the animals of Sekhmet. In Heliopolis there was also a temple of the goddess, and the sacred lions lived right inside this temple.

Details of the goddess’s biography are revealed in many ancient Egyptian texts, including the “Book of the Earth”, “Book of Gates”, “Book of Caves”, “Pyramid Texts” and others.

Family

Sekhmet's husband is Ptah, the creator god. Ptah was depicted as a tightly wrapped man with a staff in his hands. Ptah was believed to be beyond the created world. Ptah was considered the creator of souls, the ruler of the other gods, the ruler of earth and sky. The center of the cult of Ptah, like the cult of Sekhmet, was in Memphis. The Temple of Ptah in Memphis was located outside the city walls, thereby emphasizing the mysterious nature of the god himself.

From Ptah, the goddess Sekhmet gave birth to Nefertum, the god of vegetation. This god was depicted as a young man with a lotus flower growing from his head, or as a baby sitting on a lotus flower. God was also depicted in the form of a lion or a youth with the head of a lion.

• Sekhmet is a character in the animated series "Egyptus". There the goddess is depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness. The heroine has clawed metal gloves on her hands, and her legs are protected by knee pads. She is wearing a purple skirt with a train and a top. The animated series also depicts other gods of Ancient Egypt, for example, and, whom Sekhmet dislikes according to the plot.

• The temple of the goddess Sekhmet is present in the computer game “Assassin Creed” in the Imau location. There you can take on the quest “Bringer of Death”, upon completion of which the hero receives the Sekhmet costume. Also in this game you can pass a test, during which you will have to fight with the goddess Sekhmet herself.
• Due to the prevalence of the image of Sekhmet in popular culture, the goddess has many fans. Fans create art depicting the goddess in all sorts of ways, and even write fan fiction featuring Sekhmet.

• The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg houses a huge temple statue of the goddess Sekhmet, carved from black granite. The statue dates from the mid-14th century BC.

The Hermitage is one of the largest art museums in the world, with exhibitions located in more than 350 halls. It contains about three million monuments representing the culture and art of various eras and peoples. The collection of Ancient Egypt occupies a special place. The Hermitage houses a number of significant everyday and religious sculptural works, in particular the monumental statue of the goddess Mut - Sokhmet. It was the first ancient Egyptian sculpture acquired by the Hermitage, brought in 1837 by the Russian traveler A. S. Norov from the temple of the goddess Mut in Thebes and first located at the Academy of Arts. Egypt has always attracted Russian people. Pilgrims were drawn to the holy places of Palestine, Jerusalem and Sinai. Among the pilgrims and travelers there were many enthusiastic and sincerely religious people, such as Academician A.S. Norov.

Avraham Sergeevich Norov - poet and writer, brave warrior, even climbed to the top of the Great Pyramid, which is not easy for a healthy person who arose in Russian society from the beginning of the 19th century. The travel of A. S. Norov, and his purchase of a monumental statue of the ancient Egyptian goddess, undoubtedly stood in close connection with the widespread interest in the monuments of ancient Egypt; we owe to A. S. Norov the appearance in the Hermitage of the priceless statue of Mut-Sokhmet (XV century BC era), discovered in Karnak among the ruins of a small temple.

From here, from the temple in Karnak, Abraham Norov brought a colossal granite statue of the goddess Sekhmet. In his work, Norov mentioned the place where the statue was found, the famous complex of the goddess Mut on the shore of the horseshoe-shaped Lake Isheru, although he was mistaken in identifying the statue of the deity: “The Obvodny Canal, three fathoms wide, is still filled with water; In many places, stone porches leading into the canal have been preserved. All four frames of the peninsula were lined with statues made of black porphyry, depicting a life-size seated goddess Neith, with a lion’s head... Of all these statues, overthrown and broken, I found only one that had survived, and I decided to purchase it and transport it to my native north.” While transporting the statue, back in Egypt, not far from Qena, an interesting incident happened to Norov. “Returning to my Dagabiya, I learned from my people a curious incident. One young Arab lady, accompanied by several sais, rode on a luxuriously decorated hinny near the shore where my dagabiya was moored; she was amazed at the sight of the statue of the goddess Neith, which I acquired in Thebes, which occupied almost the entire deck; stopping, she sent to ask permission to climb the Dagabia, and my people hastened to invite her. Approaching the statue, she looked at it for a long time in great thoughtfulness; then she knelt down, piously kissed her chest and left with tears in her eyes... One old woman from this lady’s retinue said that she prayed for an end to her infertility.”

This two-meter statue was carved from a basalt monolith in the 15th century BC in Thebes. 574 statues of Sokhmet decorated the temple of the goddess Mut-Sokhmet under Amenhotep. In the first third of the 19th century. Russian traveler Abraham Norov saw one surviving statue among the broken ones and bought it. The statue was transported by sea to Odessa, and then by sleigh to St. Petersburg. The porphyry statue lay half-buried with sand, and Norov bought it from the local authorities in order to take it “to his native north, not to anger Isis and Osiris, but out of pity for the precious remains of the great Thebes.” The granite statue of the goddess Mut-Sokhmet is a good example of monumental temple sculpture. It comes from the Temple of Mut at Karnak, built by Amenhotep III, whose titles and names are inscribed on the front surface of the throne. The temple contained many hundreds of statues of the goddess, now scattered throughout museums around the world. Mut-Sokhmet - lion-headed goddess, daughter of the god Ra, deity of war. She was considered the protector of Ra and Osiris, as well as the patroness of medicine and doctors.

The statue was kept under the stairs at the Academy and after Mut-Sokhmet’s 15-year stay, it was transported to the Hermitage, where it found its second life surrounded by works of art that were close to it, from the land of the pharaohs, far from us. Sokhmet, Sekhmet - “mighty”, “possessing strength and power” - a terrible goddess of war, the goddess of scorching solar heat, her anger brought epidemics and pestilence. The sacred animal is the lioness. She was depicted as a lioness or as a woman with a lion's head. Usually her robes were red.

Sekhmet translates as “mighty” and is considered the goddess of the scorching sun and war. She also seems to be the formidable eye of the Sun god - Ra, a healer who has the magical power to induce diseases and also cure them. Sekhmet patronized doctors, who were considered her priests at that time. Her temper was uncontrollable. The goddess with the head of a lion was the personification of the destructive energy of the sun and solar heat, for this reason she had a disk depicted on her head. The goddess was considered quite severe. In one late myth, which told about the destruction of rebellious humanity by the god Ra, the goddess Sekhmet took pleasure in the sight of beating people. This image reflects the desire to emphasize the power of man, comparing it with the power of the beast. According to the myth, angry at the people who stopped obeying her decrepit father and doing evil, the goddess decided to incinerate them with the heat of drought. And only the intercession of the compassionate gods saved people from complete extermination. On their advice, beer tinted red was poured out at night, which, mistaking for blood, the goddess drank. The myth was born of reality: the red waters of the Nile, during the flood period, relieve the Egyptians from drought. The formidable goddess holds in her hands an “ankh” - a sign symbolizing life.

In some myths about the creation of people, the goddess is called the creator of Asians and Libyans. She was a protector of people and a guardian of peace. The Egyptians believed that Sokhmet's anger could bring epidemics and pestilence. The worship of Sekhmet took place in the temple of Heliopolis, in which the priests kept sacred lions.

And in our time, legends about the goddess Sokhmet arouse interest among visitors to the Hermitage. An eerie museum legend advises taking a closer look at the statue of the lion-headed goddess of war and scorching heat, Mut-Sokhmet. According to myth, one day this bloodthirsty goddess decided to exterminate the entire human race. People were saved by the intervention of the other gods, who decided to deceive Mut-Sokhmet. At night they poured red-tinted beer in front of her. The next morning, the goddess, mistaking the beer for human blood, drank it and calmed down. Millennia have passed. However, as the modern Hermitage legend tells, the threat to humanity has not yet disappeared. True, the forces protecting him have not disappeared either. According to legend, once a year, on the full moon, a reddish puddle appears on the basalt knees of the lion-like goddess, very reminiscent of human blood or tinted wine. But shortly before the first museum visitors arrive, the puddle disappears without a trace. Undoubtedly, the statue of Mut-Sokhmet is one of the brightest exhibits and is a source of pride for the Hermitage.

Daughter of Ra, wife of Ptah, mother of the god of vegetation Nefertum. The sacred animal of Sekhmet is a lioness. The goddess was depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness and was revered throughout Egypt.
Center of cult: the capital of ancient Egypt, Memphis.
January 7 is a day dedicated to the goddess and associated with the increase in solar days.
Also Sekhmet is associated with Upper Egypt, as opposed to Bast, which is associated with Lower Egypt.

Sekhmet (“mighty”) - the goddess of war and the scorching sun, the formidable eye of the sun god Ra, a healer who had the magical power to induce diseases and cure them, patronized doctors who were considered her priests. Guarded the pharaoh. She had a character that could not be controlled. She was depicted with the head of a lion, which caused her identification with Pakht, Tefnut and Bast. She was the personification of solar heat and the destructive energy of the Sun, which is why a disk was depicted on her head. As the goddess of heat, Sekhmet seemed quite severe. In the late myth about the extermination of rebellious humanity by the god Ra, Sekhmet (in other versions of the myth - Hathor, Tefnut, Bast), as the eye of Ra, enjoyed beating people, and only the red wine spilled on the ground by the gods, which Sekhmet attacked, mistaking for blood, and from who was intoxicated, forced her to stop the massacre. Sekhmet was considered the destroyer of the enemies of the gods.

During the Middle Kingdom, the pharaohs, as protectors of Egypt from enemies, were often compared to Sekhmet; therefore, the goddess was sometimes depicted with burning arrows. Some versions of the creation myth call her the creator of the Libyans and Asians. She bore the epithet “mighty” or “powerful.” She bore the names “Great” and “Lady of the Desert”. She was a guardian of peace and a protector of people. They turned to her in moments of danger. It was believed that her anger brought pestilence and epidemics, and when a plague epidemic broke out in Egypt, Pharaoh Amenhotep III ordered the production of seven hundred statues of the goddess to appease the angry gods. The goddess was worshiped in the temple of Heliopolis, where the priests kept sacred lions. Temples were also erected on the edge of the desert, where wild lions roamed.

Together with the cobra goddess Uto and the goddess of royal power, Nekhbet Sekhmet guarded the pharaoh, and during the battle she brought down enemies at his feet. Her appearance terrified the enemy, and her fiery breath destroyed everything. Possessing magical powers, Sekhmet could kill a person or give him illness; The goddess's anger brought pestilence and epidemics. At the same time, Sekhmet is a healing goddess who patronized doctors who were considered her priests. The Egyptians identified Sekhmet with many goddesses - Bast, Uto, Mut, etc.

In the northern part of the Karnak complex, in memory of his victories in Asia, Thutmose III erected a special temple dedicated to the so-called Memphis triad - the lion-headed war goddess Sekhmet, her husband Ptah and their son Nefertum. In the dark sanctuary of the temple, the cult statue of Sekhmet still stands, slightly taller than a man, crowned with a massive solar disk. In the hands of the goddess is the scepter-papyrus waj, a symbol of eternal youth, and the ankh, a symbol of eternal life. The sun's ray, entering the sanctuary through a special hole in the ceiling, touches the seemingly incredibly alive, and at the same time, granite lion's face of the goddess. The lioness goddess Sekhmet was very often identified with the Theban Mut, who was also sometimes depicted as a lionhead.

Also, according to some sources, Sekhmet is the dark side of the cat goddess Bast.

Goddess Sekhmet in ancient art

Modern art, although not completely consistent with the ancient concept, is no less interesting

Sekhmet, a lion headed Egyptian Goddess

Sekhmet (Sokhmet; Sakhma, Sakhmi, Sakhma, Sakhme, Sekhme) - in the Egyptian pantheon, the goddess of the destructive energy of the Sun (heat), war, healing and healers, protector of people, patroness of kings. Identified with the flaming eye of Ra, or the outgoing forces of Solar energy.

The wife of one of the demiurge gods, the mother of Nefertum, the god of vegetation, and Imhotep. Part of the Memphis divine triad: Ptah, Sekhmet, Nefertum - the temple in the north of Karnak is dedicated to them.

She was depicted as a slender woman with the head of a lioness and a solar disk on her. Sometimes she was depicted with burning arrows. In other versions, her attributes also include the cross of life “Ankh”, the scepter “Uaj” in the shape of a papyrus stem - a symbol of eternal life, the sword - a weapon of war against the enemies of the gods.
She is characterized by such qualities as severity, strength, belligerence, aggressiveness, focus, concentration. Her main animal, as follows from the image, was a lioness - another symbol of fire.

Divine functions according to ancient ideas:

1. It represents the power of controlling the destructive influences of the spiritual principle, which resists darkness. Sekhmet not only directs the punishing hand, but also neutralizes destruction. Myths describe her warlike traits.
2. Protector of people.
3. Healing role in the form of destruction and fight against enemies (external and internal). She is considered the patroness of doctors and priest-healers. She was an assistant in the barge in battles with the destroyer serpent Apep.

Sekhmet Energy Channel

The powers that this channel gives:

• Is a women's channel.
• Helps you become stronger physically and mentally. Those around her will feel this and treat such a woman with respect or fear, depending on her inclinations.
• This energy will be especially useful for women performing male duties (soldiers, law enforcement agencies, police officers, lawyers, judges and other professions).
• On the one hand, the channel helps to get ready, be restrained, focused and active, but at the same time not lose your valuable feminine qualities.
• Suitable for women who are going through a difficult period of loneliness or who are divorced, single mothers, women whose husbands are constantly acting out.
• It is well suited for the development of many personality traits if you want to develop them, but for some reason do not have them. Qualities are cultivated: concentration, activity, strength, determination, certainty, rationality, quick decision-making, psychological stability.
• The sacral center (Svadhisthana chakra), solar plexus chakra (Manipura chakra), and throat center (Vishuddha chakra) are activated and opened.
• Develops well-spoken, reasoned speech, disciplines thoughts.

Possible signs of connection with the channel: intense vibration in the body, clots of energy in the hands, descending energy from above, filling with energy.

Additional Information: Works only with women, preferable for strong-willed, strong and active, punchy individuals.

Energy connection occurs using technology. The channel is given forever.

Cult of Sekhmet

It was distributed throughout Egypt, but the main centers of veneration and prayer were Heliopolis and Memphis. Temples to the goddess were located at Karnak. They were built on the edge of the desert in the habitat of prides of lions. It was identified with the star Regulus in the constellation Leo.
During a plague epidemic, Pharaoh Amenhotep III ordered the production of seven hundred statues of the goddess to appease her anger - to stop disease and death.
The Sekhmet holiday was considered the day of January 7, which falls during the period of increasing sunny days. Often identified with the goddess Mut.
In one of the sanctuaries of the temple there is one of the most expressive statues of Sekhmet, slightly taller than a man, with a solar disk at the top.

Epithets:“Mighty”, “Great”, “Mistress of the Desert”, “Mistress of Life” - as the mistress of diseases and their healing.

The Myth of Sekhmet's Fury

God Ra did not like the fact that people behaved too willfully - they did not honor the gods, they killed each other. Angry, he tore his eye out of its socket and threw it towards the people. In the air, the eye of Ra changed its shape and turned into the goddess Sekhmet. This goddess began a bloody massacre of mortals, she killed people and devoured them. Seeing this, Ra was afraid that she could destroy the entire human race.
He injured himself with a sharp stone, released blood from himself, mixed it with strong wine and poured it on the ground. Sekhmet flew past and saw a lake of blood, she fell down to it and began to drink, after which she fell asleep.

Even when a lion is in a cage, it is capable of causing awe. Therefore, it is not surprising that in ancient times people often deified this animal. One of the most striking lion cults arose in Egypt. Its image is the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet.

“The Terrible Eye of Ra” is the main title of the goddess Sekhmet. It cannot be said that she personified evil, but it was in her image that everything that the ancient Egyptians could fear was combined: war, the scorching sun of the desert and epidemics. Hot winds and scorching rays of the sun were considered the breath of Sekhmet.

The character of the deity was not subject to control. According to mythology, it was Sekhmet who created the Libyans - one of the main enemies of the Egyptians. This goddess was considered the daughter of Ra and the wife of Ptah. Egyptologists also identify the so-called Memphis triad, which included Sekhmet, her husband Ptah and their son Nefertum.

It is not surprising that it was this formidable goddess who guarded the pharaoh. Ramses II claimed that during the Battle of Kadesh, Sekhmet helped him by destroying his enemies with fire. The goddess also did not favor the enemies of Osiris and Ra. Myths describe her as so strong that even Set and Anubis could not resist her. “Great” and “mighty” are the main epithets that were used to characterize Sekhmet in hieroglyphs. She was also called "the knife wielder."

It is worth noting that Sekhmet not only caused illnesses, but could also cure them; for this reason, the goddess was considered the patroness of doctors, and they were also considered her priests. For this reason, the goddess was sometimes called the “mistress of life.” During the period of treatment, prayers to Sekhmet were considered obligatory. Amulets with the image of the goddess were also supposed to contribute to recovery.

How was the goddess Sekhmet portrayed?

The woman with the head of a lioness is the canonical image of Sekhmet. The goddess's head is often decorated with a solar disk, thus artists emphasized her power over the destructive energy of the sun. The goddess is dressed in a long red dress, which emphasizes her warlike character. The color of the goddess was considered bright orange. The Egyptians associated it with the sultry sun at its zenith.

Another attribute of Sekhmet were flaming arrows. The “7 arrows of Sekhmet” symbolized terrible epidemics and destruction. As a protective goddess, Sekhmet sometimes holds knives in her hands. Sculptural images of the goddess were usually supplemented with such attributes as the ankh, uraeus and papyrus sprout, the latter being a symbol of health. The deity received the listed signs during the New Kingdom.

In the Book of the Dead, the goddess is often depicted in a solar boat next to Ra. This emphasizes her role as a protector. The dead were usually buried with scrolls containing such images. The Egyptians believed that Sekhmet would protect the deceased from supernatural enemies.

How was the goddess Sekhmet revered?

The veneration of Sekhmet was of a pan-Egyptian character. This goddess was revered in Egypt from the time of the Old Kingdom to the Greco-Roman period. Sekhmet was the patroness of Memphis. The main temple to the goddess was located in Heliopolis, where lions dedicated to the deity were kept.

Temples of Sekhmet were usually built on the edge of the desert, since wild lions often roamed these places. One of these cult centers was built by Pharaoh Sakhur in Abusir. It was believed that the image of the goddess in this temple had healing properties.

Flint was considered the stone of the goddess. It was from flint that surgical instruments and embalming knives were made in Ancient Egypt. Ancient medicine developed at the temples dedicated to Sekhmet.

The ancient Egyptians were afraid of Sekhmet, but in case of danger they turned to her. When a plague broke out in Egypt during the reign of Amenhotep III, the pharaoh, in an attempt to appease Sekhmet, ordered the production of 700 statues of the goddess. They were installed on the shores of Lake Asheru and in the mortuary temple of the mentioned ruler, located in Thebes. The sculptures were carved from black granite and reached 2 meters in height. Now these statues can be seen in many major museums around the world.

During the Greco-Roman period, it was believed that the goddess could be appeased through special rituals that included drinking alcohol, in particular beer. Interestingly, the goddess's feast coincides with the date of modern Orthodox Christmas, that is, it was celebrated on January 7th. The ancient Egyptians scrupulously observed the movements of celestial bodies and noticed that during this period the length of the solar day began to increase. For this reason, January 7 was dedicated to the goddess responsible for the solar heat.

The goddess Sekhmet was feared by the Egyptians even after her worship had faded into oblivion. This is evidenced by an incident that occurred already in the 20th century. Local residents mutilated one of the statues of the goddess, fearing that it would harm children.