- "O Lion-Headed Lady of Flame, daughter of Ra, Queen of the Two Lands, Mistress of the House of Scales, Master of Apep and Ammit, She Who Mauls..."
- ―Inscription of Sekhmet on a prayer papyrus[src]
Sekhmet, also known as the Mistress of Dread and Lady of Slaughter, is an ancient Egyptian goddess associated with fire, war and healing. Often depicted as a lioness, she is also the goddess of fertility alongside her husband Ptah.
Influence and legacy[]
In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet and Ptah had a son named Maahes who, armed with the Sword of Ptah, faced the army of Artaxerxes at the House of Serqet.[1]
A temple in worship of her was located in Yamu,[2] where a festival was held, celebrating with a reenactment her triumph against Isfet.[3]
Sekhmet was also the patron deity of a cult of wab priests based in Letopolis, a city dedicated to Horus. However, sometime prior to 49 BCE, while Egypt was experiencing a period of desertification thought to have been caused by hubris, the priests conducted a ritual in the Temple of a Million Years, sacrificing themselves and giving the city to Sekhmet as appeasement. Under the goddess' protection, the priests believed she would safeguard the Nile and the rest of Egypt from the encroaching sands. However, in the years that followed, large parts of the city were consumed by the desert.[4]
In the 1st century BCE there was also a gang of bandits that called itself the Disciples of the Lioness, working together with another gang, Hungry Great Ones.[2] During this time, a spear was sold via the Nomad's Bazaar marketed as her spear.[5]
In 2017, whilst Layla Hassan was exploring Bayek of Siwa's memories in the portable Animus HR-8, an emotion sensor overload in the device resulted in a manifestation of Sekhmet that she needed to combat in order to protect Animus data.[2]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
References[]
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