Sekhmet Responsible For * War * Fire * Heat * Vengeance * Enchantments * Mummification * Hunting and Wild Animals * C

Sekhmet

Also Known As: Sakhet, Sechmet, Nesert, Sacmis Responsible For War Fire Heat Vengeance Enchantments Mummification Hunting and Wild Animals Courage Totemic Form Lioness About Her Cult Cult Center: Memphis, Itjtawy (Fayoum region) When Upper Egypt in the South conquered Lower Egypt in the delta area, the Pharaoh brought the cult of Sekhmet with him. She was viewed as a replacement for Bast, who was deemed to be less powerful because Sekhmet's Pharaoh had conquered Bast's territory. Legends Sekhmet, the warrior goddess of Upper Egypt, was the wife of Ptah and mother of Nefertum. On the battlefield, Sekhmet embodied the strength and bravery of the lion, expressing unbounded delight in the prey that fell to her. She was believed to protect the Pharaoh in battle. She was sometimes known as "the scarlet lady" because of her lust for blood.
Sekhmet was sometimes known as "the eye of Ra". As the sun god Ra grew older, he became concerned about his enemies and asked Hathor to help him. She took on the job with a vengeance and turned into Sekhmet, the lioness goddess. She took delight in killing people and drinking their blood. Ra then worried that Sekhmet would wipe out the entire human race, so he arranged for red dye to be mixed into ale and spread about the land. Sekhmet, thinking it was blood, drank it and became so intoxicated that she forgot her assignment. As a result, humankind was saved. Pacified by the beer, she resumed her persona as the beautiful Hathor and returned to Ra.
Name in Hieroglyphics The first symbol in Sekhmet's name is the scepter, which means "powerful" or "violent". It is known as the sekhem. The loaf symbol (semicircle) indicates the female gender and is pronounced as "t". The seated woman represents the fact that this is a goddess, but does not have a pronunciation associated with it.
Depicting Sekhmet In art, Sekhmet, known as "The Powerful", was portrayed as either a lion or a woman with the head of a lion, often holding an ankh or a sistrum. If doing a theatrical portrayal of Sekhmet, these elements may be useful in building the character: Wear a headdress that looks like the sun disk, including the Uraeus (cobra). Wear a red dress in reference to her title of "the scarlet lady". Wear a menit necklace. Carry an ankh or a sistrum. Wear jewelry depicting the Eye of Ra. Depict a battle, representing Sekhmet as an archer.