Notes: HetHert/Hathor

* Hapshetsut Nebet

Notes: HetHert/Hathor

An ongoing repository of notes drawn from various sources for EGEL

August 4 , 2003

Behaviour/Interactions with other netjeru

Posted at 03:16 EST

Sexuality, polygamy, adultery, gods behaving badly...high times had by one and all in ol' pantheon on high.

Hathor partnered by Horus/Heru who had also had 7 concubines; 'goddess of love', she was also 'goddess of inebriation'; her devotees would drink to commune with her, also mixing in small quantities of narcotic substances.

Investigate law court/judgement of Seth on trial for Osiris' murder/behaviour of assembled gods ~ in order to resolve? the deadlocked trial, Hathor lifts her shirts to expose herself to her father to put him in a better mood, the act enabling the trial to progress/resolve. (p42) Look at role of Thoth.

Litigation between Seth and Horus due to Seth's rape of Horus/held on an island from which Isis was barred but who nonetheless managed to trick Nemti (boatman) in ferrying her across...

Horus decapitates his mother Isis (p55); Isis cuts off Horus's hands (see Seth's rape of Horus)

Horus/Heru, a warrior, liked to drink water into which grapes had been squeezed, to give courage in combat and ease pain.

Seth partnered by childless Nephthys but dallied with Astarte and Anat (acts like a warrior, dresses like a man); Seth was an excessive drinker (Setekh=the inebriated)

The gods' "flesh was gold, their bones silver, their hair lapis lazuli. . . robed in brilliance, wrapped in turquoise"/gods with black or blue skin had power to regenerate; eye colour could indicate a god's attributes and character - Re's eyes electrum, Seth's black eyes association with darkness; Atum's green eyes reflect his origins as a serpent; red eyes for feline/predatory gods to indicate dangerous, aggressive characters.

TBC

Daily Life of the Egyptian Gods, Dimitri Meeks & Christine Favard-Meeks, Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London

July 28 , 2003

Attributes & associations

Posted at 03:24 EST

'Golden One', 'The Gold', 'Mistress of the West' - epithets of Hathor

The imperishable metal was seen as symbolic of the sun, therefore symbolic of Re. Daughter of Re, Hathor was also his consort - the reference to her as the 'Golden One' indicates this link; the solar god Re had the epithet, 'The Mountain of Gold'.

Golden mirrors, symbolically associated with the sun, were offered to Hathor; some depicting her cow-eared face.

Hathor was a celestial or cosmic cow (Hassan) ~ closely linked to the sky; may have related to her role as one who provided nourishment to the souls of the dead.

The title 'The Golden Horus' was adopted by the first king of the First Dynasty (?) ~ a reference to the king's divinity as the son of Re.

Hathor is one of the three goddesses closely associated with kingship in early Egypt. (Hassan)

Hathor: "...Mansion of Horus designates the closed space through which Horus travels as sun-god. . .She plays the role of protective, regenerative containor. . .represented from ancient periods onwards was a female countenance seen face-on, she symbolises the face-to-face encounter between the sun and the element in which he appears at the moment of creation. Thus Hathor can represent the solar eye, incarnating it more precisely in its appeased aspect. Daughter of Re..." (p236 Meeks)

Ideogram for Hwt-Hrw "Hathor"
Meaning of name: Mansion of Horus

Hathor was also identified with the sycamore fig tree; entitled 'Lady of the Sycamore' and often represented offering food and water to the deceased, her depiction an arm extending from a tree. 'Burial in a wood coffin was viewed as a return to the womb of the mother tree goddess.' (Hassan)

As with other netjeru, Hathor's body had a distinctive 'divine scent' - this preceded the goddess/ scent was a sign by which other gods could recognise one another. A particularly soothing scent was said to emanate from Hathor and fragrant substances such as terebinth resin or olibanum were considered the equivalent. The scent was said to confer divine status on those who breathed it during ritual fumigations. (Meeks)

Hathor 'was born of the liquid that oozed from the sun-god's eyes and fell onto the sands of the very first land to emerge from the Primeval Ocean.' (Meeks)

Son Harsomtus conceived during the new moon of the month of Epiphi; Hathor gave birth in the month of Pharmuthi almost ten months later which was often the case with infant gods. (more info: p183, Meeks)

Association with tree=green may explain Hathor's link with the colour green and turquoise.

Sinai quarries under her patronage.

July 23 , 2003

Myths/Legends

Posted at 21:43 EST

The Destruction of Mankind

The Destruction of Mankind in hieroglyph form

July 22 , 2003

Hymn/s from Dendera

Posted at 20:24 EST

Or more correctly Iunet ~ translated by H. Junker, the collection of hymns are located in the Hall of Offerings and focus on that aspect of Hathor which, according to Lichtheim, links her to Aphrodite: Hathor is "...the 'golden' goddess of love who is worshipped with wine, music and dancing."

The King, Pharaoh, comes to dance,
He comes to sing;
Mistress, see the dancing,
Wife of Horus, see the skipping!

He offers it to you,
This jug;
Mistress, see the dancing,
Wife of Horus, see the skipping!

His heart is straight, his inmost open,
No darkness is in his breast;
Mistress, see the dancing,
Wife of Horus, see the skipping!

O beauteous one, O cow, O great one,
O great magician, O splendid lady, O queen of the gods!
The King reveres you, Pharaoh, give that he may live!
O queen of gods, he reveres you, give that he may live!

Behold him, Hathor, mistress, from heaven,
See him, Hathor, mistress, from light land,
Hear him, flaming one, from ocean!
Behold him, queen of gods, from sky, from earth,
From Nubia, from Libya, from Manu, from Bakhu,
From each land, from each place, where your majesty shines!

Behold what is in his inmost,
Though his mouth speaks not;
His heart is straight, his inmost open,
No darkness is in his breast!
He reveres you, O queen of gods,
Give that he may live!

p107, Miriam Lichtheim, Texts in the Classical Language, Ancient Egyptian Literature ~ Volume III: The Late Period.

In Lichtheim's notes, she makes reference to the title of Hathor as being itn.t or the 'sun-goddess (one of her titles?); two other hymns here, one makes reference to the king's accoutrements as 'he comes to dance...comes to sing' - a sistrum of gold and a necklace of malachite, both of which are associated with the goddess, 'mistress of music'.