Papyrus Paintings depicting Egyptian Goddesses
Egyptian Art of Ancient Egyptian Goddesses, many copied
from original paintings found on the walls of tombs.
These beautiful works of art are available to purchase
from Egyptian Dreams, a company specialising in supplying
gifts
from Ancient Egypt.
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Hand
Painted Papyrus of the Egyptian Goddess Hathor
Hathor was the goddess of joy, motherhood, and love. She
was also the goddess of music and dancing. Dead women
were identified with Hathor, as men were identified with
Osiris. Hathor is usually depicted entirely as a cow or
as a beautiful, slender woman wearing a head-dress of
a pair of cow's horns with a sun disc between them. Hathor
was thought of as the mother of the pharaoh.
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Hand
Painted Papyrus of the Egyptian Goddess Maat
Ma'at was the personification of the fundamental order
of the universe, without which all of creation would perish.
The primary duty of the pharaoh was to uphold this order
by maintaining the law and administering justice. To reflect
this, many pharaohs took the title "Beloved of Maat,"
emphasizing their focus on justice and truth. At any event
in which something would be judged, Ma'at was said to
be present, and her name would be invoked so that the
judge involved would rule correctly and impartially. Ma'at's
presence in all worlds was universal, and all the gods
deferred to her. |
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Hand
Painted Papyrus of the Egyptian Goddess Bastet
Bastet, the cat goddess, was worshipped in the ancient
city of Per-Bastet (Bubastis). Although Bastet was a local
deity, she was of great importance to the kings of Egypt.
Cat-like, she had both gentle and fierce aspects to her
nature. To the ancient Egyptians, the cat epitomized the
protective aspects of motherhood, so Bastet was honoured
as one of the mothers of kings. |
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Hand
Painted Papyrus of the Egyptian Goddess Isis
Isis was a winged goddess who represented all that was
visible, birth, growth, development and vigour. Having
wings, she was a wind goddess. The kite was sacred to
her, and she could transform herself into this bird at
will. She brought the heavenly scent with her through
the land, leaving lingering scenes of spices and flowers
her wake. She brought fresh air with her into the underworld
when she gave food to the dead. She represented both the
life-giving spring winds of Egypt and the morning winds
that hailed the arrival of the sun each day.
The ancient Egyptians saw Isis as a benevolent goddess,
good and kind. Each pharaoh was her son and Isis loved
all creatures like a mother. She was the chaste and
devoted wife and as a result most highly regarded among
the Egyptian gods. Isis was the daughter of Nut and
Geb and the sister and wife of Osiris. Isis aided her
husband during his reign as the king of Egypt and searched
madly for his body after his death so that he might
be given a proper burial. Isis conceived her son Horus
either through magic or by resurrecting Osiris. Isis
raised Horus in the papyri and lotus thickets of Chemmis,
in the delta area of Lower Egypt to protect the child
from his uncle Seth. Seth wanted to murder Horus, but
Isis hid the child so that some day he might avenge
his father’s death.
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Hand
Painted Papyrus of the Egyptian Goddess Amentet
Amentet was the Egyptian goddess and friend of the dead,
and the personification of the Land of the West, 'Amenti'.
It was she who welcomed the deceased to their new dwelling
place in the netherworld. She was also a goddess who helped
with the rebirthing process, and thus a goddess of fertility
and rebirth, who regenerated the deceased with food and
water.
She was depicted as a beautiful woman as wearing the
standard of the west on her head, carrying a scepter
and the ankh of life in her hands. She is occasionally
seen as a winged goddess, when linked to the goddesses
Isis and Nephthys. The standard of the west is usually
a half circle sitting on top of two poles of uneven
length, the longer of which is tied to her head by a
headband. Often a hawk or an ostrich feather is seen
sitting on top of the standard. Occasionally, she is
shown wearing just the hawk on her head.
She was believed to live in a tree at the edge of the
desert, a place where she could watch the gates to the
underworld. She was often shown not only in tombs, but
on coffins, being a goddess of the dead.
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