#Tefnut the Lioness

[khadgar]

FINALLY!!! All the sapphic gals are obtained for our kings! (Me, my wife, me). We definitely have a theme LOL

[apiswitchcraft]

altars for kemetic/egyptian gods

hi yall, another purely based in UPG, new agey post! historically, deity offerings for the ancient egyptians often took the form of art/sculpture/hymns, incense (like frankincense or myrrh), or offerings of food (especially meat and bread) and drink (wine/ale, mostly). dialogue with the gods was often facilitated through the pharaohs or funerary rites, but your average person had access to daily magic and regular temples as well.

RA

Colors: yellow, orange, red for the sun

Offerings: eye of ra, dates, figs, grapes, apricots, sunflowers, morning glories, chocolate, pastries, orange juice, honey

Crystals: sunstone, yellow/red jasper, citrine, carnelian, honey calcite, angelite, kyanite

Animals: falcon

SHU

Colors: white, blue for the air/sky

Offerings: feathers (especially ostrich), sandalwood, gardenia, anise, paper fans, cornflower

Crystals: white/clear quartz, angelite, selenite, blue calcite, fluorite, blue lace agate

Animals: lion, ostrich

TEFNUT

Colors: white, blue for water

Offerings: sea salt, reeds, shells, water, coral, water (especially dew), lotus root/flower

Crystals: blue calcite, sodalite, lapis lazuli, amethyst, larimar, ocean/blue lace agate, aquamarine

Animals: lioness

NUT

Colors: blue, black for night. white for stars

Offerings: amber, sandalwood, sycamore, moonflowers, morning glories, milk

Crystals: lapis lazuli, star jasper, azurite, obsidian, smokey quartz, black tourmaline, labradorite, sodalite, moonstone (especially black)

Animals: boar, cow, sow

GEB

Colors: green, brown for earth. black for the underworld

Offerings: grain, beans, yarrow, cinnamon, coffee, egg shells, foliage, dirt, rocks, snake shed, milk

Crystals: jasper (various types), aventurine, moss/tree agate, unakite, obsidian, jade, malachite

Animals: snake, goose, rabbit, bull

OSIRIS

Colors: green for renewal, black for death, white for rebirth

Offerings: bandages, dark chocolate, dried fruit (especially oranges or dates), dark chocolate, coffee, cedar, vetiver, bones

Crystals: lapis lazuli, moss agate, jasper (various types), malachite, obsidian, smokey quartz, pyrite, jade, howlite, star jasper (for his astral form)

Animals: heron, ram, cow

ISIS

Colors: white, grey for the moon. blue, black for the night. green for life and resurrection.

Offerings: the tyet symbol, cow horn, milk, sycamore, feathers, dried fruit (such as raisins or dates), pomegranates, nuts, pastries

Crystals: star jasper, moonstone, rose quartz, amethyst, fluorite, bloodstone, red jasper, carnelian, labradorite, aventurine

Animals: birds (especially a kite hawk or vulture), cow, cat, scorpion, sow

HORUS

Colors: blue, purple for insight and intuition. white and red for pharoahship.

Offerings: eye of horus, weaponry/iron, lotus flower/root, feathers (especially hawk or falcon), yarrow, chocolate

Crystals: malachite, aventurine, pyrite, amethyst, lapis lazuli, jasper (various), howlite, sunstone, aquamarine, labradorite, hematite

Animals: falcon

NEPHTHYS

Colors: black for darkness and funerary rites

Offerings: beer, linen, feathers (especially of a crow or vulture), bones, coffee, nuts, milk

Crystals: obsidian, smokey quartz, black moonstone (because of association with Isis), black tourmaline, red jasper, bloodstone

Animals: vulture, crow

SET

Colors: red, black for chaos and storms

Offerings: lettuce, sand, alcohol, dragon's blood, patchouli, yarrow, vetiver, charcoal, dark chocolate, black pepper

Crystals: red jasper, black tourmaline, howlite, obsidian, labradorite, sodalite, bloodstone, malachite, pyrite

Animals: the set animal (which resembles a canine, giraffe, and aardvark), donkey

THOTH

Colors: grey, blue for intuition/intelligence. white for the moon

Offerings: quill, ink, pieces of writing/books, feathers, rosemary, citrus, sage, moon water, lavender, nuts

Crystals: amethyst, lapis lazuli, malachite, moonstone, selenite, howlite, angelite, sodalite, fluorite

Animals: ibis, baboon

ANUBIS

Colors: black, grey for funerary rites/death

Offerings: bones, ash, charcoal, red/black peppercorns, marigold (associated with the dead), linen, yarrow

Crystals: hematite, obsidian, black tourmaline, howlite, jasper (various, but especially red), smokey/rutilated quartz, bloodstone

Animals: canines, especially a jackal

BASTET

Colors: white, red for pharaohship

Offerings: ointments/perfumes of most types, cedar, anything cat related, rosemary, black salt

Crystals: tiger's eye, cat's eye quartz, bloodstone, red jasper, black tourmaline, howlite, milky/smokey quartz, pyrite, carnelian

Animals: lioness, cat

SEKHMET

Colors: red for war. grey for justice

Offerings: sand (especially red), scales of justice, iron, cypress, red pepper, black salt

Crystals: bloodstone, red jasper, carnelian, garnet, ruby kyanite, jade, smokey/clear, hematite

Animals: lioness

HATHOR

Colors: pink, red for love/sexuality

Offerings: dancing, dried fruits (especially figs/dates), pomegranates, sycamore, milk, honey, pastries

Crystals: rose quartz, amethyst, citrine, carnelian, fluorite, jade, aquamarine, garnet/ruby

Animals: cow, lioness, cobra

KHONSU

Colors: white, grey for the moon. blue, black for the night.

Offerings: lavender, sage, mugwort, dried fruit, moon shaped items, moon flower, ash

Crystals: moonstone, selenite, sodalite, obsidian, black tourmaline, smokey/milky quartz, jasper (various), blue lace agate, lapis lazuli

Animals: falcon

[coinandcandle]

Hathor Deep Dive

One of the most popular deities in Ancient Egypt and still popular among Kemetic followers today, Hathor (𓉡) is the Egyptian Goddess of women, love, and many other things.

Let’s get to know this Kemetic queen!

Parents and Siblings

Ra is her father in most mythology

Shu (brother)

Tefnut (sister)

Sekhmet (sister)

Mafdet (sister)

Bastet (sister)

Satet (sister)

Anhur (brother)

Ma'at (sister)

Mut (sister)

Lovers or Partners

Due to her role as a “queen” goddess, she often subsumed the role of other goddesses and was commonly said to be the wife of whoever the ruling god of the city was.

Horus the Elder - The most popular version

Thoth - in Hermopolis

Atum

Amun

Khonsu

Children

Ihy

Neferhotep of Hu

Horus the Child (sometimes)

Epithets

Being as popular and ancient comes with many names, here is a non-exhaustive list of some:

Lady of Dendera

Eye of Ra (an epithet shared with other goddesses)

Lady of the sky

Ruler of all gods

Lady of the Two Lands

Lady of bread, who brews beer

Lady of Dance

Ruler of the jba-dance

Lady of drunkenness

Lady of making music

Lady of jubilation

Ruler of joy

The Primeval

The Lady of All

Lady of the West

Lady of the Holy Country

The Foremost One in the Barque of Millions

The Distant Goddess

Hathor of the Sycamore

Lady of the Southern Sycamore

Hathor of the Sycamore in All Her Places

Hathor in All Her Places

Hathor Mistress of the Desert

Hathor Mistress of Heaven

Notes

Hathor’s worship likely started in the early dynastic times.

Her name means “Estate/House of Horus”--referring to both the sky and the royal family.

She is one of the oldest gods in the comedic pantheon.

She is depicted as a woman with a bull's head, a woman with cow ears, a cow, a woman with cow horns and a sundisc.

She was also portrayed as a lioness, a serpent, a papyrus plant and a sycamore tree.

She is associated with the constellation Ursa Major or Mesketiu.

She is regarded as a goddess of love, fertility, marriage and motherhood.

She was also known as a goddess of gratitude and as a sky goddess.

She also represents a vengeful aspect protecting Ra from his enemies.

She would be considered a psychopomp helping deceased souls transition to the afterlife.

In Greco-Roman times, she was seen as a manifestation or another version of Aphrodite.

She is also the goddess of pleasure and music with the sistrum being an important part of her worship.

Her imagery was found often on beer or wine containers, and she is linked to alcohol.

She is often seen wearing a menat, which is a beaded necklace representing rebirth.

Hawthorne's cult became popular in the 4th and 5th dynasty, and her cult believed that she played a huge role in the creation of the universe. They also believed due to her role in the creation of the Earth that she is her own mother.

She was considered to some as being connected to foreign lands.

She is often misrepresented and conflated with Isis.

She was the main deity in Gebelein, Denderah, and had separate temples in Memphis and Heliopolis.

Her most prominent temple was located in Denderah.

In Imu/Kom el-Hisn she was fused with Sekhmet.

Daily offerings were common in Ancient Egypt.

Goods such as incense, semi precious stones and other votive offerings were a part of her worship.

She is connected to the dead and said to nourish those in the afterlife by providing food and milk from her seven sacred cows.

These these seven cows were called the Seven Hawthorns and were named in the Book of the Dead: 

Lady of the Universe

Sky-storm

The Hidden One-Presiding Over her place

“You from Khemmis”

Red-hair

Bright-red

"Your Name Prevails Over the West."

The Seven Hathors may or may not also represent the Pleiades constellations. The Seven Hathors were said to have a red ribbon that binds evil.

She was often depicted wearing red, the color of passion.

She is honored in the festival of sacred marriage, which is 18 days into the month of Paoni.

As mentioned earlier, she often absorbed the roles of other goddesses as her popularity grew. Some of these roles included Seshat's role of a witness at the judgment of the dead.

While she was worshiped among all social classes. She was especially popular among the poor.

She had both priests and priestesses, which was uncommon since most clergy had to be the same sex as the god they served.

In the funerary text known as the Book of the Heavenly Cow, her father, Ra, sends her to punish humans for plotting against his rule. She is sent as Sekhmet, the lioness goddess, and massacres the rebellious humans relentlessly. But in order to prevent the wiping out of all of humanity, Ra orders that beer be dyed red and poured all over the land to mimic blood for the (literally) blood-thirsty goddess. Sekhmet then sees the “blood” and drinks all of it. In an inebriated state she passes out and reverts to a benign and calm Hathor.

Correspondences

Rocks/crystals/metals

Selenite, hematite, gold, turquoise

Plants

Papyrus, sycamore tree, lotus flower

Animals

Bull, cow, snake

Symbols

Sistrum, Bull horns with sundisc

Offerings

Milk

Gold

Makeup

Mirrors

Beads

Incense

Stones, especially those worn by royalty in Ancient Egypt such as turquoise or carnelian.

Jewelry

Acts of Devotion

Read the Book of the Heavenly Cow

Daily prayers

Show and share gratitude

Donate either money, clothes, or time to those less fortunate

Dance

Play music

Create a song for her (or a playlist!)

References and Further Reading

Ancient Egypt Online - Hathor

Britannica - Hathor

Hathor and Music

Hathor Epithets

Music and Dance in Ancient Egypt

Mythopedia - Hathor

The Complete Gods And Goddesses of Ancient Egypt by Umair Mirza

The Pleiades: the celestial herd of ancient timekeepers. By Amelia Sparavigna

Wikipedia

[leodraws3]

NAMIVIVI AU

Vivi is a princess of ancient Egypt in times of drought and prays to Tefnut (Nami), the goddess of rain, as a last resort. Nami comes down from the heavens to visit her secretly at night and even takes human form just to hang out with her. Crocodile along with his subordinates conspires against her and the Pharaoh Cobra, they take advantage of Vivi's situation to turn the population and the government against her and sentence Vivi to death for religious blasphemy/witchcraft.

Nami is tefnut a lioness goddess that was often described with a solar disc above her head, which I decided to turn into zeus/prometeus, its basically zeus that can shapeshift and stays with the same personality. Nami's tatoo is optional.

the rest of the strawhats are gods or demons, this is what we have for now:

Luffy (Nika) visiting Nami and playing lightning-pong with her.

Robin demon gossiping and having fun with Nami.

Zoro (Asura) appears in the story because he is lost and ends up becoming friends with them, he hangs out with Luffy and Robin.

Usopp helps Vivi talk to Nami secretly (ally 🌈).

Brook is with Robin and Zoro just chilling, sometimes he pretends that he is a mummy to scare people and create a distraction for vivi.

Yamato is also a demon who is kind of in the background with Ace who is the god of fire.

I'm attempting to write a fanfic, but for now this is all I give you 🤭

[starsthewitch]

its time for!! (after like 3 days)

🥁🥁🥁…

STAR! DOES! FACTS!

you miss me? because i did too!!

todays facts will be…

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY!!

yippee!!

now, let’s get into the facts, shall we?

1. Who were the 9 main gods of Egypt? The nine Ennead gods of Egypt are Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys. They are the family of Atum the god of the sun, and are the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the sun god, Ra

2. Since Anubis is the god of death, does that make him evil? Actually it doesn’t! The Egyptian people viewed him as a good, protective deity. Anubis was portrayed with the color black, symbolizing regeneration and the Nile river's fertile soil

3. How many total gods were worshipped? There were well over 2,000 gods and goddesses worshipped in Ancient Egyptian mythology!

4. Most gods had the body of a human and the head of an animal! For example, Lady Bastet with her cat head and Sekhmet with her lioness head.

5. Who is the most well known God? That title goes to Amun-Ra, the sun god and also the god of creation. Amun-Ra is also the protector of the pharaoh, who is often depicted as an embodiment of Amun-Ra

6. Are there any lesser known gods? Yes! One of the more lesser known ones are Geb, who is the personification of the earth, god of healing colds, fevers, and scorpion stings. It is said that his laughter supposedly caused earthquakes. 

that is all folks for…

STAR! DOES! FACTS!

tomorrows facts will be about

ROMAN MYTHOLOGY !!

one of my personal favorites

see you all tomorrow!

[mamamoon92]

Major Egyptian deities✨

Male

Aker – A god of the earth and the east and west horizons of the Underworld

Amun – A creator god, patron deity of the city of Thebes, and the preeminent deity in Egypt during the New Kingdom

Anhur – A god of war and hunting

Aten – Sun disk deity who became the focus of the monolatrous or monotheistic Atenist belief system in the reign of Akhenaten

Atum – A creator god and solar deity, first god of the Ennead

Bennu – A solar and creator deity, depicted as a bird

Geb – An earth god and member of the Ennead

Hapi – Personification of the Nile flood

Horus – A major god, usually shown as a falcon or as a human child, linked with the sky, the sun, kingship, protection, and healing. Often said to be the son of Osiris and Isis.

Khepri – A solar creator god, often treated as the morning form of Ra and represented by a scarab beetle

Khnum (Khnemu) – A ram god, the patron deity of Elephantine, who was said to control the Nile flood and give life to gods and humans

Khonsu – A moon god, son of Amun and Mut

Maahes – A lion god, son of Bastet

Montu – A god of war and the sun, worshipped at Thebes

Nefertum – God of the lotus blossom from which the sun god rose at the beginning of time. Son of Ptah and Sekhmet.

Nemty – Falcon god, worshipped in Middle Egypt,[18] who appears in myth as a ferryman for greater gods

Neper – A god of grain

Osiris – god of death and resurrection who rules the underworld and enlivens vegetation, the sun god, and deceased souls

Ptah – A creator deity and god of craftsmen, the patron god of Memphis

Ra – The sun god

Set – An ambivalent god, characterized by violence, chaos, and strength, connected with the desert. Mythological murderer of Osiris and enemy of Horus, but also a supporter of the king.

Shu – Embodiment of wind or air, a member of the Ennead

Sobek – Crocodile god, worshipped in the Faiyum and at Kom Ombo

Sopdu – A god of the sky and of Egypt's eastern border regions

Thoth – A moon god, and a god of writing and scribes, and patron deity of Hermopolis

Wadj-wer – Personification of the Mediterranean sea or lakes of the Nile Delta

Cite error: The opening  tag is malformed or has a bad name

Amunet – Female counterpart of Amun and a member of the Ogdoad

Anuket – A goddess of Egypt's southern frontier regions, particularly the lower cataracts of the Nile

Bastet – Goddess represented as a cat or lioness, patroness of the city of Bubastis, linked with protection from evil

Bat – Cow goddess from early in Egyptian history, eventually absorbed by Hathor

Hathor – One of the most important goddesses, linked with the sky, the sun, sexuality and motherhood, music and dance, foreign lands and goods, and the afterlife. One of many forms of the Eye of Ra.

Heqet – Frog goddess said to protect women in childbirth

Hesat – A maternal cow goddess

Imentet – An afterlife goddess closely linked with Isis and Hathor

Isis – Wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, linked with funerary rites, motherhood, protection, and magic. She became a major deity in Greek and Roman religion.

Ma'at – Goddess who personified truth, justice, and order

Menhit – A lioness goddess

Mut – Consort of Amun, worshipped at Thebes

Neith – A creator and hunter goddess, patron of the city of Sais in Lower Egypt

Nekhbet (Nekhebit) – A vulture goddess, the tutelary deity of Upper Egypt

Nephthys (Neb-t kha-t) – A member of the Ennead, the consort of Set, who mourned Osiris alongside Isis

Nepit – A goddess of grain, female counterpart of Neper

Nut – A sky goddess, a member of the Ennead

Pakhet – A lioness goddess mainly worshipped in the area around Beni Hasan

Renenutet – An agricultural goddess

Satet – A goddess of Egypt's southern frontier regions

Sekhmet – A lioness goddess, both destructive and violent and capable of warding off disease, protector of the pharaohs who led them in war, the consort of Ptah and one of many forms of the Eye of Ra.

Tefnut – Goddess of moisture and a member of the Ennead

Wadjet (Uatchit) – A cobra goddess, the tutelary deity of Lower Egypt

Wosret – A goddess of Thebes

Both male and female forms

Heh – Personification of infinity and a member of the Ogdoad

Kek – The god of Chaos and Darkness, as well as being the concept of primordial darkness. Kek's female form is known as Kauket.

Nu – Personification of the formless, watery disorder from which the world emerged at creation and a member of the Ogdoad

Ra (Re) – The foremost Egyptian sun god, involved in creation and the afterlife. Mythological ruler of the gods, father of every Egyptian king, and the patron god of Heliopolis.

Tatenen – Personification of the first mound of earth to emerge from chaos in ancient Egyptian creation myths

Anubis/Anput – The god/goddess of embalming and protector of the dead

[milky-rozen]

Tefnut, the fierce lioness goddess of humidity, was, alongside her twin brother and husband Shu, the first ever Sky user of the world. Despite her delicate appearance, she can be pretty dangerous if provoked.

Being the first ever being to have experienced love, she can be very passionate and often driven by her emotional side rather than her intuition.

Being the first ever Queen of Kemet as well, she often guides the new kings and queens with her precious wisdom.

[ketrin1607]

Tefnut is the Egyptian goddess of moisture and rain. At first I thought of making a white tigress out of her (with the head of a white tigress) If you look at her lioness mask on Wikipedia, there are several black stripes on her muzzle, so at first I decided that she could act as a tigress)

But after looking through the information on the Internet, I discovered that tigers at that time, in principle, could not live in Africa, so I changed it to a white lioness. However, pure white would not be suitable for the goddess of moisture, and I decided to make a bluish shade of wool.

[litcest]

Incest on the Nile, Part One

Oh, the Egyptians. One of the greatest ancient civilizations. Remembered by their mummies, pyramids and well, incest. Not only in the myths but in the man pharaonic lines.

"It's incest! Like the Kings and Queens of Ancient Egypt!"

As said by Melanie, from The Magic Toyshop, upon seeing a brother and sister kissing. I had full intention of making a gif from this scene in movie, but the version I can find on youtube is of such bad quality that I decided it's not worthy.

Either way, the point is, the Egyptian Pharaohs were famous for inbreeding, and their gods reflect that. Specially because the Pharaohs were seen as being an incarnated god, so it makes sense they do as the gods did and marry their sisters. Besides, incest helps with the concentration of power, which is something monarchs love.

According to the The Bremner-Rhind Papyrus, which recounts the Heliopolis Creation Myth. There was the first god, who narrates the text and is left unnamed, but through other sources we can assume to be Atum, who is often associated with Ra, and through that association, to Amun. This first god created Shu and Tefnut and this lineage created all the other major gods. The texts says:

"I came forth from the roots, I created all reptiles and all that exists among them. Shu and Tefnut begat Geb and Nut, and Geb and Nut begat Osiris, Horus Mekhantenirti, Seth, Isis, and Nephthys from the womb, one after the other, and they begat their multitudes in this land."

Shu and Tefnut

Shu, god of air, and Tefnut, goddess of moisture, are the children of Atum. An account of their birth, in which they are said to be twins, is given in the pyramid text of Pepi I, who ruled between the 24th and 23rd centuries BC:

"Atum is the one who came into being as one who came (with penis) extended in Heliopolis. He put his penis in his fist so that he might make orgasm with it, and the two twins were born, Shu and Tefnut."

In the pyramid text of Unis, who ruled circa 2345–2315 BC, the two are mentioned to be, together, considered the "Dual-Lion":

"Dual-Lion, who made their two gods and their body themselves—that is Shu and Tefnut, who made the gods, begot the gods, and set the gods."

Tefnut and Shu were frequently represented as a dual-headed being, so I would dare to say they are quite co-dependent, like those couples to never leave each other side. Execpet that one time Tefnut left Shu to go on a killing spree in Nubia. A text known as the Leyden Papirus narrates "the mission imposed by R[a] on Thoth and Shu to conciliate Tefnut, his daughter, who as a result of a quarrel has assumed the form of a lioness and withdrawn to the Nubian desert; the two gods transform themselves into apes, pacify the goddess by the magic and eloquence of Thoth, and return with her to Egypt" (West, 1969).

Geb and Nut

Geb, god of earth, and Nut, goddess of the sky, were the children of Shu and Tefnut, and they were in love. However, the sun god (be it Ra, Amon or Atum) feared that the children of this union would usurp the throne of from, so he placed a curse that forbid her from giving birth in any day of the year, which had 360 days. Luckily for Nut, Thoth helped her, by getting the light from the moon god, Khonsu, and using this light to make 5 extra days in the year. On each day, Nut gave birth to a different child: Osiris, Horus, Set, Isis and Nephthys. The sun god didn't like this a bit and ordered Shu to physically hold Geb and Nut apart so they could no longer have children.

Geb and Tefnut

Some traditions, starting in the 30th dynasty, claim that Geb married his mom, Tefnut, after his father forcefully split him from Nut. In the Shrine of Ismailia, better known as the Shrine of El Arish, there's an inscription that recounts Shu's battle against Apep, and that Geb used his father's absence to take control of the Kingdom. The problem is that most translation of this text are in German, I don't speak German. The little I could translate, with Google's help said something like:

"Geb looked at his mother; he desired her very much, and his heart longed for her, and therefore he travelled the earth in great suffering [...] he found her in that place called Pecharti; then he seized her by force. Now there arose a very great uproar in the palace."

However, other version don't include the rape. According to Jørgensen (2014) the Tebtunis Mythological Manual, which dates to the 2nd century CE, says that:

"He lay with his mother Tefnut, so that they were doing harm to Shu."

Maybe Tefnut consensually had sex with Geb, since the text describes "they" both a doing harm to Shu. But, more likely than anything else, considering that this is such a late myth, this story shouldn't be considered as reflective of Geb and Tefnut's relationship. Scholars speculate that Geb taking Tefnut as his wife is a way to symbolize the transfer of kingship of Egypt, with Geb taking both the crown and the wife of Shu.

The Curious Case of Hathor

I think that it's a well established fact that myths tend to change with time. Hathor is the victim of many of theses changes. It seems that initially, in the Old Kingdom, she was thought of as being the wife of Ra. In this position, she was the mythological mother of the Pharaoh, a role that later would be filled by Isis. However, she is also conflated with Sekhmet, daughter of Ra, and fills the role of the Eye of Ra. You know the story about Teftnut going on a murder spree? Sometimes, it's Hathor who is the one to cause devastation. On the complete polar opposite, she's also said to be the mother of Ra, but in a solar cycle type of deal that each day she births him and each night he births her and so they are forever reborn.

Hathor is also credited as being the mother of Horus, possibly having had this role for even longer than Isis, but after Isis rose to prominence, she appeared in the ole of a care taker to Horus, nursing him with her milk (she's a cow goddess) while he was hidden from Set. However, in some locations, she is linked to Horus not through motherhood, but through marriage, being his wife.

Interestingly, Hathor never seem to occupy two of these roles at the same time. She's never a mother-wife to Ra or Horus. Her role seems to change accordingly to what is 'popular' at the time. This is why I'm including this as a curious case of incest, because as far as I can find, she's never married to her son. She just happens to be married to two someone who are sometimes said to be her son.

In my own personal syncretisation of all this versions of Hathor, I would say she's the daughter and consort of the Ra, who dies every night and she rebirth him every day, making her his mother too. Then, when kingship passed to Horus, she married him, having also have nursed him in his infancy (or maybe he is her biological son from her union with Ra). This would be a nice and neat way to make sense of it all, but mythology is rarely nice and neat.

References

Allen J. P. (2015). The ancient Egyptian pyramid texts (Second). SBL Press.

Faulkner, R. O. (1938). The Bremner-Rhind Papyrus: IV. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 24(1), 41–53.

Jørgensen, J. K. B. (2014). Egyptian Mythological Manuals: Mythological structures and interpretative techniques in the Tebtunis Mythological manual, the manual of the Delta and related texts. Det Humanistiske Fakultet, Københavns Universitet.

Wilkinson R. H. (2003). The complete gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson.

West, S. (1969). The Greek Version of the Legend of Tefnut. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 55, 161-183.

[mask131]

Egyptians gods: Bastet

Bastet is without a doubt one of the most famous goddesses of Ancient Egypt today.

Everybody heard of the cult and worship Ancient Egyptians dedicated to cats. Cats were sacred animals for them. Originally domesticated around two thousand years before our current era, they were loved due to their habit of hunting, killing and eating rats. When you had cats around, plagues were less likely to break out AND the harvest and fields were safe! Through time, this love took on a religious and sacred aspect, and cats became honored, respected and pampered members of every household. When a pet cat died, the humans that lived in its house had to shave their eyebrows to signify their grief. When the cat of a temple died, the entire town mourned. Each pharaoh had a personal cat, dressed in jewelry and that shared their master’s meal. Cats were mummified, just like humans, and were placed inside a necropolis – showing how important they were for Ancient Egyptians. Egyptians even had a firm belief that when a fire broke out somewhere, cats would just jump in the flames and stop the fire by their sheer power! Cats were a BIG deal in Ancient Egypt.

And the goddess of all cats, the cat-goddess, was Bastet (or Bast), the goddess of the city of Bubastis (a name that means “the house of Bastet”, Per-Bastet in proper Egyptian), in the Delta. However, originally Bastet wasn’t a cat goddess: in her oldest incarnations, Bastet appeared as a woman with the head of a lioness, usually wearing the ankh and a scepter. It was only later that she became a cat – somewhere around the Third Intermediate Period. Sometimes a full cat, wearing jewels or nursing her kittens, other times a cat-headed woman holding a sistrum.

Bastet was, just like several other goddesses (Maat, Hathor, Sekhmet, Tefnut), considered one of the “daughters of Ra” – which meant more than just her having the god as her father. The daughters of Ra were goddesses that embodied the power of the sun, each one reflecting a different side of the sun’s light. Each of them was another identity of the “Eye of Ra”, whose function was to help create and re-create life on Earth, by bringing light and by fighting off the darkness. While sometimes merely depicted as sisters, for many others Bastet and Sekhmet were actually one and the same: a same feline goddess, that when angered or triggered, became the furious lioness embodying the destructive and killing aspect of the sun, while Bastet was rather the benevolent and kind side of the solar light. It was for example written in some texts that Bastet became Sekhmet for the night, to protect ferociously Ra during his journey throughout the dangerous and demon-filled underworld, only to return to being Bastet in the morning. Starting in 2500 BCE, many lioness statues were replaced by cat statues in Sekhmet temples, which with time became Bastet temples. [It is theorized that maybe Sekhmet and Bastet began as one same entity, which was later split into two]

But who was Bastet, by herself, on her own? Bastet was, as I said, the kind and benevolent aspect of the light of the sun. Bastet was the embodiment of sweetness, gentleness and tenderness. People depicted her as calm, peaceful and loving. She was a benevolent and very popular deity associated, just like Hathor, with music and dancing – her rites in Bubastis included musical ceremonies, religious dances and ritualized sex. The festivals of Bastet also included a LOT of alcohol – which was justified by the need to prevent Bastet from becoming Sekhmet, putting the burning lioness to sleep by making her drunk. Bastet also embodied maternal love: she was often depicted taking care of kittens, either breast-feeding them, or keeping them in a basket. She was a goddess prayed to at every birth, so that she would protect the newborn. In fact, Egyptians had the habit of making a small cut in the inside of the elbow of the baby, and place in it a few drops of cat blood – this was to make sure the child would attract the favors of Bastet. Keeper of peace, protectress of the house, Bastet was also believed to prevent the spreading of contagious diseases, and to protect humans from evil spirits. No need to say that her cult was practiced more intensely by women, since Bast was the goddess that helped them give birth and take care of the home.

A fun fact: when the Greeks established a correspondence between their gods and the Egyptian ones, they decided that the goddess corresponding to Bast would be… Artemis! It might be surprising to choose the goddess of the hunt and the wilderness for a goddess of peace, maternity and home, but this is actually easily explained by Bast’s “primitive” form as a lioness goddess, which made the Greeks confuse her with another lion-goddess, Tefnut (who they also identified with Artemis).

[ascendingaeons]

My Reiki Attunement Ceremony

"When you see the Southern Cross for the first time You understand now why you came this way Cause the truth you might be running from is so small But it's as big as the promise The promise of a coming day"

Crosby, Stills & Nash - "Southern Cross"

On March 24, 2022 I drove from the house of a friend I was living with at the time to Karen Wilson’s house on Padre Island. I was talking to my husband-then-boyfriend on Google Duo as I drove over the bridge towards Flour Bluff. I felt calm yet vibrated with excitement. As I parked in front of Karen’s house I told my boyfriend I loved him and said I’ll call him afterwards. I would be a very different person the next time we talked.

Karen led me into her office and we spoke for a bit before proceeding to her Reiki room. As I laid down on the table she invited any Guides who wished to be present. Immediately the room was full as many Netjeru visibly manifested for me. I impulsively said, “holy crap, there’s a lot of Them!” Karen backpedaled a bit and with a laugh explained that this was a sacred ceremony that required a bit of decorum. I laughed nervously and laid back down as she began working on my Crown.

To the far left I saw Set and Heru-Wer (Horus the Elder). Standing side by side, They looked very much like brothers. Set was cocky and proud, His smile toothy and wide. Heru-Wer was stoic and severe, yet He had a small smile on His beak. To the far right I saw Yinepu (Anubis) and Wepwawet (Upuaut). They have been shamanic guides for me in the past. In the center stood Aset (Isis), Djehuty (Thoth), Sekhmet, Bast, and Mafdet. I was very surprised then to see Aset as I felt estranged from Her husband Asar (Osiris). I assumed She didn’t like me very much. And Mafdet was a surprise as well, for I wasn’t quite sure how She related to me. Shu and Tefnut were in the back against the wall. Geb was the floor below and Nuit was the ceiling above. They were all practically beaming and it felt like a graduation, though it took me a while to begin to understand just what that meant.

As I lay on the table my mind began to wander. Quickly, Djehuty appeared in the forefront of my vision with an admonishing glance. He explained that this was a sacred ceremony and demanded I give it the proper respect it deserved. Sheepishly, I apologized with a glance. Djehuty gave me a very curious look, the knowing sort of look a patient schoolteacher gives the student who apologizes after getting a reprimand for misbehavior, a kind of feigned way of saying, “I’ve got my eye on you.” With a cheeky smile He returned to the rest of the group and I immersed myself back into the experience.

About halfway through Bast and Sekhmet had stepped forward. Bast held my left hand and Sekhmet my right, each looking down at me with a smile. They soon each put their free hands on my shoulders. Their touch was warm and soft and I saw nothing but love and pride in Their eyes.

As Karen began speaking Light Language at my feet I was immersed in a series of visions. I was shown my room as it was when I was a baby. I had forgotten the off-white color the walls used to be before my dad painted it sky blue. I was on my back in my crib and Aset was leaning over the rails, singing to me. She appeared as the Divine Mother, wearing a flowing white gown with long, flowing black hair and an ample bosom. She wore the Uraeus crown on Her forehead, made of gold inlaid with blue and green stones of rectangular cut.

The scene shifted to the first dark day of my life. My mom had a cerebral aneurysm a month before my third birthday. As the paramedics took her away, Aset and Her sister, Nebt-Het (Nephthys) had wrapped Their arms around me as Sekhmet and Bast looked on. In Bast I saw love and a twinkle in Her eye. In Sekhmet I saw fierce devotion, a mother lioness determined to protect Her cub.

Again the scene shifted to a few days later. After my dad picked me up from staying with a neighbor, we found a litter of kittens in the side yard. We kept one cat that I named Jimmy and gave the others to family friends. As a grew, I suspected Bast had something to do with it. In that moment, I saw Her speaking to the kittens with that feisty glint in Her eye. I was too young to know it but Jimmy and I needed each other.

Again the scenes shifted, more rapidly. When I was being mischievous or too smart for my own good, Set was there egging me on. When I was writing in the workbooks my dad made me do before starting preschool (thank you for that, dad), Djehuty was looking over my work and pointing out corrections. These were affirmations that throughout my entire life They were with me. I was never, ever alone. Even when my higher senses were shut down and during every dark night of the soul, They never left my side. That is why I have the utmost loyalty and respect for the Netjeru.

After the ceremony, Karen laid on the table and had me practice Reiki on her. I could feel it, the energy coursing through my bloodstream. It felt like a miniature River of Light coursing through me, a holographic emanation of the very soul of the Cosmos. Karen told me to relax a bit, to open up my Heart and Crown chakras. I did so and the flow began to surge. I had performed my role as a Reiki Practitioner for the very first time.

I realized something profound at the end. As I got in the car and called my boyfriend, I told him everything that happened. And I told him what I had realized; it was so simple, but it had eluded me my entire life. If Reiki is the Light of the Source, the First Energy called Love, and the Source is the Pythagorean Monad, what the Gnostics called the Godhead or what some today call the Divine, the One or the Self, then there is utter truth in the statement “God loves us.” I felt like a lifetime of weight, from my upbringing in Texas to being abused and bullied by those claiming to be devout Christians, just disappeared. In that wonderful Light, their actions didn’t matter. I was given a profound gift that can never be taken away.

Image is a painting in the tomb of Sennedjem, in Thebes, Egypt depicting Yinepu preparing a mummy for burial. The way His hands are placed on the mummy just feels… familiar.

[tawaubast]

Bast-Mut of Nekhen Neferues her Isheru

Bast-Mut of the Shrine of Her Beauty upon the Sacred Lake is a pure white lioness, aside from Her slightly pointed ears. She is regal, large, full of love and warmth. She is the Bast that has been cooled by the waters of the Isheru. She is the Wandering Goddess that is led back and renewed within those same waters. Her crowns shift between the circle of cobras and the double red and white.

Her domain is Purity, Rejuvenation, Renewal, and Beauty.

She has a connection with Tefnut and with Raet. Queen of the Gods.

[witchberries]

Akhtober #9

9.) Nekhbet/Wadjet

Nekhbet is the vulture goddess of Upper/southern ancient Egypt, and Wadjet is the cobra goddess of Lower/northern ancient Egypt. Together, They represent a united kingdom of Egypt, oft pictured in a heraldic fashion. Nekhbet is even more closely identified with vultures than Mut is, who I’ve said before I like to imagine as a white lioness woman (in a vulture headdress), meanwhile Nekhbet Herself is entirely vulture or at least vulture-headed in my UPG. She was invoked for childbirth and healing, could wield arrows, and functioned as Ra’s guide during His daily journey to the West. Wadjet is the uraeus or iaret, “the risen one,” a symbol of royal power; She was one of Heru-sa-Aset’s wet-nurses, and She is the personified Eye of Ra in the world, enacting His will onto it. She was the one who brought back Shu and Tefnut to Atum, and the one who grew angry with Atum enough that He had to appease Her by placing Her on his forehead as the uraeus.

Not for the first time, I wonder what the Netjeru think of the fact most of their hardcore worshipers these days aren’t actually Egyptian in nationality, or even by heritage. I bring this up because Nekhbet and Wadjet are so importantly tied to the idea of the ancient kingdom of Kemet, but it just plain doesn’t exist anymore; I do not know a ton about modern-day Egypt as a country and people, other than I’ve heard they’re very warm and welcoming folks, but I’m pretty sure the majority of them are Muslim now. Were any of the Netjeru ever sad about how their followers left them behind? I know they must have adapted to the times, I don’t see how any god can’t (except for the Christian god; one of the most irritating things about Christianity while I was part of it was that everyone kept insisting the Bible isn’t outdated, or isn’t misinterpreted, when it clearly fucking was...but I won’t start ranting about that right now).

I hope the Netjeru know and understand how much I adore Them. I’m sure They must...

[medusaden]

Nyasi, 11BO Nacarat

Lore under the cut! I haven’t written any lore before so forgive me if it’s shit lmao

Nyasi is a compassionate healer, and a devoted mother. One of the most peaceful lions you could ever meet, her upbringing couldn’t be anything further from the fact. She was born into a pride riddled with plague, of which Nyasi was the sole survivor. The sickness caused lions to foam at the mouth and muscle spasms to wrack their body before leading to an agonising death, wiping out thousands of lions across the continent. It took her pridemates one-by-one, until it was only her mother and her left. Her mother forced Nyasi out of their home in search of a cure, but secretly to try and keep Nyasi safe from catching the disease which ailed her. Nyasi went from pride-to-pride in search of something, anything, to save the last of her family. She came across Sangoma Tefnut, a lioness blessed by the ancestors in the art of healing. Desperate, Nyasi begged the shaman for something to help her mother, to which Sangoma Tefnut replied, “sometimes death is the kindest cure you can offer a lion.” Nyasi’s search was futile, and she returned home. Upon entering her territory, Nyasi found her mother’s corpse, still warm and soft. She had missed her chance to say goodbye, and Nyasi felt a piece of her soul die with her mother that day.

Nyasi stayed at her homeland for many more months alone, plagued by grief and visions of dying lions. She was thin and weak, unable to sleep from nightmares and unable to hunt from exhaustion. She knew that the life of a loner was a dangerous one, and decided that she would not let this happen to anyone else when a particular vision showed herself dying the same gruesome way her mother did. Determined to save lions from losing their loved ones like she did, she embarked on another journey to find Sangoma Tefnut, yearning to be trained under her wise authority. Now a young lioness, Nyasi found the shamans in a land untouched by the sickness, and was offered sanctuary with them. Unbeknownst to Nyasi, the shamans knew she was coming, the ancestors sending them omens of a blessed lioness about to cross their path. Knowing her potential, it was a joint effort by the shamans to train Nyasi, teaching her old and new ways of healing, and guiding her through spiritual journeys that came with the title of healer. Sangoma Sphinx particularly helped Nyasi understand the visions she was experiencing, embracing them rather than running from them.

After months of tutoring, Nyasi was ready to become a shaman. Saying goodbye to her tutors, she was assigned to a pride in need of a healer. She adapted to her role and fit in perfectly, bonding with the pride's leader, Faven, and becoming a trusted friend and adviser.. Eventually, Nyasi fell pregnant. The father was unknown, Nyasi choosing to keep his identity hidden. The pregnancy went smoothly, and Nyasi birthed a strong female, Alala. Unlike Nyasi, her now adult daughter revels in bloodshed, earning the title of barbarian. Extremely paranoid about losing her family again, Nyasi coddles her daughter and shelters her from her traumatic past, taking care of her every want and need in hopes of keeping her safe. Wherever one went, the other followed, their bond unbreakable. , and instead focused solely on her job as a healer and mother, protecting her daughter however she can. With whatever power Nyasi holds over life, her daughter holds over death. The duo are complete opposites, and yet so similar it is uncanny. Two sides of the same nacarat coin, they are each other’s salvation.

[keeperartwork]

OC_Tober Icon Edition Day 9 - Tefnut The hilariously unfortunate thing about Tefnut's design with this style and this color is she just looks like Winnie the Pooh

[anbcomics]

@yadedaj: What did Shu look like before he was a mummy? Tefnut: Oh, Oh! I can help out with this one! He used to be tall, not a lot of hair, he could actually talk and...and...uh...I can't remember a lot besides that...Do you remember anything? Sorry, I guess we don't remember as much from our past lives ~~ To be honest, I don't know much about their past lives either. I just know what Shu could have looked like if he wasn't a mummy