Hathor
Hathor was the Ancient Egyptian Goddess of Love and pleasure, often equated with Aphrodite. Her feasts and processions were filled with dancers, music and incense. Although her cult centre at Dendera was built in 54BCE, by Ptolemy XII and completed by the Roman Emperor Tiberius, worship of Hathor goes back to very ancient times. She was a solar and a sky goddess, associated with Ra, the sun god, and Nut, the sky goddess. She was also Lady of the West, a guardian of the dead and their land. She had multiple names and multiple roles. So many, that some Egyptologists believe she wasn’t a single goddess, but a combination of different ones.
Hathor, Lady of the West,
who is in the great land,
lady of the holy land,
Eye of Ra in his brow,
beautiful of face in the boat of millions of years,
Seat of peace,
worker of truth within the boat of the praised ones,
She who will make the great sacred boat to sail forth in truth[1]
Despite her multiplicity, her image is always recognisable. This might be by her head dress, the red solar disk between cow horns, or due to the stylised head and face that adorned the top of many temple columns. She could also be represented in the form of the cow.
Hathor was one of the gods invoked during childbirth.
'Hathor will place her hand on this woman as a healing amulet.'2
Her priests and priestesses acted as oracles and were often consulted when a child was born. They were also interpreters of dreams. Dreams, throughout the ancient world, were regarded as messages from the gods.
Another hymn to her, from Dendera, connects her with the elements of light, fire, water and earth. This is done in an intriguing, almost alchemical way.
Hail Hathor
Golden One, Hathor,
mistress, from lightland
Flaming one, from ocean!
Queen of gods
From sky, from earth,
From many places
While Dendera was her cult centre, Hathor was a presence in many temples. Sometimes she’s depicted with human head, sometimes in the form of the cow. Hathor headed columns take both forms. The Romans adopted many aspects of Egyptian religion, but were uncomfortable with animal headed gods, so Dendera columns show her in stylised human form. Columns were a connection between earth and sky, human and divine. This reinforces the sense of Hathor as a more accessible, kindly god.
It was rare for a god to interact with ordinary people. There are two accounts of Hathor appearing in a vision, and speaking with her devotees. Both experienced ecstasy. Ipui, a craftsman from Thebes encountered her in a waking dream: “one is bathed and inebriated by the vision of her.” Djehutiemhab, the overseer of the Temple of Amun, recorded his dream in the entrance to his burial chamber. Hathor had appeared in the middle of the night. Amun “made lapis lazuli for her hair and gold for her skin.” 3.
Hathor was also helpful to humans in their journey through the underworld. As Lady of the West she was goddess of the Valley of the Kings and the surrounding land. As the sun set in the west, this was believed to be where the dead lived. Some of the most beautiful images of her come from the tomb of Queen Nefertari, the wife of Ramses II, who probably died young. She became the female equivalent of Osiris, the god who reigned in the underworld. While men might represent themselves in their coffins as Osiris, women could take on the form of Hathor.
Hathor's connection with death is difficult for modern minds to understand. We see life and death as separate and opposing realms. Sex and death even more so. The Egyptians believed life would continue if you were judged worthy and had made all the requisite preparations. All aspects of life would continue.
Her temple at Dendera is unusual in having so many rooms below ground. When I made my pilgrimage there in 1978 I only entered one. Even with my new torch, it was impossible to venture far into the darkness. Some writers speculate that the goddess lived underground, and that her statue was kept here. She is the only god or goddess to move so freely between worlds. She is clearly much more than an Egyptian version of Aphrodite.
[1] Papyrus of Ani
2. Riggs Ancient Egyptian Magic
2. Darnell, J. (1995). Hathor Returns to Medamûd JStor
Hathor, Lady of the West,
who is in the great land,
lady of the holy land,
Eye of Ra in his brow,
beautiful of face in the boat of millions of years,
Seat of peace,
worker of truth within the boat of the praised ones,
She who will make the great sacred boat to sail forth in truth[1]
Despite her multiplicity, her image is always recognisable. This might be by her head dress, the red solar disk between cow horns, or due to the stylised head and face that adorned the top of many temple columns. She could also be represented in the form of the cow.
Hathor was one of the gods invoked during childbirth.
'Hathor will place her hand on this woman as a healing amulet.'2
Her priests and priestesses acted as oracles and were often consulted when a child was born. They were also interpreters of dreams. Dreams, throughout the ancient world, were regarded as messages from the gods.
Another hymn to her, from Dendera, connects her with the elements of light, fire, water and earth. This is done in an intriguing, almost alchemical way.
Hail Hathor
Golden One, Hathor,
mistress, from lightland
Flaming one, from ocean!
Queen of gods
From sky, from earth,
From many places
While Dendera was her cult centre, Hathor was a presence in many temples. Sometimes she’s depicted with human head, sometimes in the form of the cow. Hathor headed columns take both forms. The Romans adopted many aspects of Egyptian religion, but were uncomfortable with animal headed gods, so Dendera columns show her in stylised human form. Columns were a connection between earth and sky, human and divine. This reinforces the sense of Hathor as a more accessible, kindly god.
It was rare for a god to interact with ordinary people. There are two accounts of Hathor appearing in a vision, and speaking with her devotees. Both experienced ecstasy. Ipui, a craftsman from Thebes encountered her in a waking dream: “one is bathed and inebriated by the vision of her.” Djehutiemhab, the overseer of the Temple of Amun, recorded his dream in the entrance to his burial chamber. Hathor had appeared in the middle of the night. Amun “made lapis lazuli for her hair and gold for her skin.” 3.
Hathor was also helpful to humans in their journey through the underworld. As Lady of the West she was goddess of the Valley of the Kings and the surrounding land. As the sun set in the west, this was believed to be where the dead lived. Some of the most beautiful images of her come from the tomb of Queen Nefertari, the wife of Ramses II, who probably died young. She became the female equivalent of Osiris, the god who reigned in the underworld. While men might represent themselves in their coffins as Osiris, women could take on the form of Hathor.
Hathor's connection with death is difficult for modern minds to understand. We see life and death as separate and opposing realms. Sex and death even more so. The Egyptians believed life would continue if you were judged worthy and had made all the requisite preparations. All aspects of life would continue.
Her temple at Dendera is unusual in having so many rooms below ground. When I made my pilgrimage there in 1978 I only entered one. Even with my new torch, it was impossible to venture far into the darkness. Some writers speculate that the goddess lived underground, and that her statue was kept here. She is the only god or goddess to move so freely between worlds. She is clearly much more than an Egyptian version of Aphrodite.
[1] Papyrus of Ani
2. Riggs Ancient Egyptian Magic
2. Darnell, J. (1995). Hathor Returns to Medamûd JStor