Egyptian Goddesses: Amentet, Ammit, Anput, Anat, Anuket, Bast, and Bat · 11:16pm Apr 1st, 2017

Egyptian Goddesses: Amentet

The ancient Egyptian Goddess Amentet (also known as Ament, Amentit, Imentet and Imentit) was the consort of Aken (the ferryman of the dead). Her name means "She of the west". This was not just a geographical statement, although some scholars consider that she originated from Libya (west of Egypt). As the sun set in the west, it was associated with death and the netherworld. The name Amentet referred to both the west bank of the Nile and to the world of the dead, and the dead were sometimes known as "westerners". Originally, Amenti (or Amentet) was considered to be the place where the sun set at the entrance to the netherworld, but the name was soon applied to cemeteries and tombs across Egypt.

As a goddess of the dead, Amentet is thought to have lived in a tree at the edge of the desert overlooking the gates to the underworld. She was often depicted in tombs and coffins, protecting the dead. However, she was also a fertility goddess. She met the souls of the recently deceased and offered them bread and water before ushering them into the realm of the dead. This sustenance revitalized them and prepared them for the rebirth of their souls and the trials they would face on their way to the "field of reeds" (paradise).

She was sometimes merged with Hathor, Isis and Neith, Mut, and Nut. She was also closely related to Nephthys and Ma'at, and according to some myths was the daughter of Horus and Hathor.

She was often depicted as a queen occasionally carrying a scepter and the ankh of life. On her head she wears the sign representing the west (a semi circle on top of one long and one short pole) and a feather and or a hawk. In the depictions in coffins she is often given wings, and in her association with Isis and Nepthys she was depicted as a kite.

The goddess was sometimes paired with Ra-Horakthy, who represented the rising sun while she represented the setting sun. She also appears with Iabet, (the goddess of the eastern desert) in the Book of the Earth. Her main centers of worship were the western Delta, Memphis, Abydos and Luxor and Karnak.

Egyptian Goddesses: Ammit

The ancient Egyptian goddess Ammit (also known as Ammut and Ahemait) was the personification of divine retribution. She sat beside the scales of Ma'at ready to devour the souls of those deemed unworthy. Those unfortunate enough to fail the test would suffer the feared second death, and have no chance of the blissful life of the field of reeds instead roaming restlessly for eternity. Thankfully, the judge (Osiris) was not too harsh, and the prosecutor (Thoth) was a pretty enlightened guy. The deceased made a negative confession (i.e. they listed the large number of evil things they had never been guilty of) and then their heart was weighted against the feather of Ma'at (justice or balance). It was not necessary to be totally good, just reasonably well balanced. There were also a number of spells and amulets the deceased could use to increase their chance of success.

Her name, is generally translated as "Devourer", but could also be the chilling "Bone Eater", and she was known as "Devourer of Millions" leading to the suggestion that the god Am-heh was one of her aspects. Some scholars have linked Ammit with the Hippopotamus goddess Tawaret, because of the similarities in their appearance and their role in fighting evil. According to some traditions, she lived by the scales of justice, but other sources suggested that she (like Am-heh) lived by a lake of fire into which the souls of the guilty were thrown. According to these traditions, she did not devour the souls, but protected the lake. This has led some to suggested that she may be linked to Sekhmet due to her lionine characteristics and her role in protecting a lake of fire.

She was generally depicted as a demon with the head of a crocodile, the torso of a wild cat, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus. However, she also took human form.

Ammit was never worshiped, and was not strictly a goddess, but her image was thought to ward off evil. She was the personification of all that the ancient Egyptians feared and a reminder to live by the principles of Maat. Although she was referred to as a demon, she was in reality a force for order. Moreover, each person was at least given the chance to defend their life before being consigned to eternal damnation.

Egyptian Goddesses: Anput

Anput (Input) was the personification of the seventeenth nome of Upper Egypt. Her name is merely the female version of the name of her husband, Anubis ("t" is the feminine ending and Anubis was known as Anpu or Inpu to the Egyptians) and she is not often referred to except in relation to the seventeenth nome. However, Anput was thought to be the mother of Kebechet the goddess of purification.

She was depicted as a woman wearing a standard topped by a jackal, or as a large black dog or jackal. Probably the most notable example is that of the triad of Menkaure, Hathor and Anput. She was ocassionally depicted as a woman with the head of a jackal, but this is very rare.

Egyptian Goddesses: Anat

Anat (also known as Anant, Anit, Anti, Anthat and Antit) was an ancient Canaanite deity who became popular in ancient Egypt towards the end of the Middle Kingdom. She was particularly popular in the northern delta area during the Second Intermediate period (the Hyksos period) but her worship suggests that there had been a slow migration of people from the levant for some time before the Hyksos invasion.

Although the Pharaohs of the New Kingdom were hostile to the Hyksos culture, she was not rejected when the Hyksos were repelled and Egypt was reunified under Amose I. In fact, Ramesses II adopted Anat as his personal guardian in battle and expanded the shrine to Anat when he undertook the restoration of Tanis. He also named his dog "Anat in vigor" and had a daughter (who later became his wife) called "Bint-Anat" ("Daughter of Anat").

Anat was a goddess of fertility, sexual love, hunting and war, and as such was rather a paradoxical deity. She was considered to be the mother of the gods, but was also known as "the Virgin". She was sometimes known as "the Wanton" (because of her lust for sex and war), the Fairest daughter-sister of Baal, "the Lady", "the Destroyer", "Strength of Life", and "the Lady of the Mountain". She also had a number of epithets which seem to have been peculiarly Egyptian, most notably "Anat-her" ("Agreeable Anat"), "Herit-Anta" ("Terror of Anat") and around Elephantine (first nome of Upper Egypt) the hebrew "Beth-El" ("House of God").

The cuniform texts describe her as an aggressive and ruthless goddess who destroys the enemies of Baal and wades through pools of their blood. She even hunts down and kills Mot (death) when he slays Baal. However, she also had a more gentle side. As a goddess of sexuality she was considered to be the most beautiful of all of the gods, and as a fertility goddess she protected the people, animals and the crops.

She was originally considered to be the daughter of El, and the sister and wife of Baal. In Egypt she was regarded as the daughter of Ra and the wife of Set (who was associated with Baal) along with her sister Astarte. However, in Memphis she was also thought to be the daughter of Ptah, and the hebrew workers of the eighteenth dynasty (New Kingdom) considered her to be the wife of Andjety, who was associated with Osiris. The Egyptians also associated her with Neith (a war goddess from the Delta who was also associated with weaving). Like Neith, Anat was often depicted bearing either a spear or a spindle. She was also associated with the precious dye known as Tyrian Purple (which despite the name was sometimes almost blood red in colour) and the murex snail from which the dye was made.

She was worshipped in Memphis with all of the major gods and goddesses, but also had shrines in Tanis (the Hyksos capital) and Beth-Shan (in Palestine). Anat was also worshiped in the Temple of Yahweh by the Jewish settlers on the island of Elephantine.

The Phoenicians generally depicted Anat as a naked woman with exaggerated sexual organs bearing a bow and arrow (sometimes exchanged for a spear or a weaving spindle). She was often accompanied by a lion, her sacred animal. In Egypt she was often given a plumed crown which resembled the White Crown and carried either a spear, battle axe and shield or a scepter and an Ankh.

Egyptian Goddesses: Anuket

The ancient Egyptian Goddess Anuket (also known as Anket, Anqet, Anjet or Anukis) was a personification of the Nile as "Nourisher of the Fields". She was also a goddess of the hunt and was worshipped as a protective deity during childbirth.

She was associated with the lower cataracts (near Aswan) and probably originated in Nubia or Sudan. Specifically, she was associated with Setet Island (Sehel island) and Abu (Elephantine) 1st nome of Upper Egypt, and was goddess of everything south of the Egyptian border. She was widely worshiped in Nubia, and given the title "Mistress of Nubia". In southern Nubia, Khnum merged with the ram-headed Amun, so Anuket and Satet (Satis) in some places also appear as wives of Amun.

She was originally the daughter of Ra, but seems to have been associated with Satet since ancient times. In fact both these goddesses were called the "Eye of Ra" (along with Sekhmet, Bast and Hathor, amongst others). Similarly, both Anuket and Satet were linked to the Ureas (the royal cobra on the god's crown). During the New Kingdom she was placed in the Abu triad with Khnum and Satet. These three water deities protected the Nile cataracts and the area the Egyptians believed to be the source of the Nile. In later times she was identified with Nephthys at the temple "Per-Mer" due to Satet's links with the goddess Isis and Khnum's link with Osiris. However both Satet and Anuket are closely linked to Isis, who took on the attributes of the fertile waters of the Nile as well as being a form of the star Sirius.

Anuket was generally depicted as a woman wearing a tall headdress made either of reeds or of ostrich feathers, often holding a scepter and the ankh symbol, but was occasionally shown in the form of a gazelle.

Her name means "embrace" and may have originally referred to the embrace of the waters of the inundation. She was also depicted suckling the pharaoh during the New Kingdom, and became a goddess of lust during later periods. In this form, she gained association with cowrie shells, which resemble the vagina. The Festival of Anuket was held when the inundation began. People threw coins, gold, jewelry, and precious gifts into the Nile to please the goddess.

Egyptian Goddesses: Bast

Bast (known as "Bastet" in later times to emphasise that the "t" was to be pronounced) was one of the most popular goddesses of ancient Egypt. She is generally thought of as a cat goddess. However, she originally had the head of a lion or a desert sand-cat and it was not until the New Kingdom that she became exclusively associated with the domesticated cat. However, even then she remained true to her origins and retained her war-like aspect. She personified the playfulness, grace, affection, and cunning of a cat as well as the fierce power of a lioness. She was also worshiped all over Lower Egypt, but her cult was centred on her temple at Bubastis in the eighteenth nome of Lower Egypt (which is now in ruins). Bubastis was the capital of ancient Egypt for a time during the Late Period, and a number of pharaohs included the goddess in their throne names.

Her name could be translated as "Devouring Lady". However, the phonetic elements "bas" are written with an oil jar (the "t" is the feminine ending) which is not used when writing the word "devour". The oil jar gives an association with perfume which is strengthened by the fact that she was thought to be the mother of Nefertum (who was a god of perfume). Thus her name implies that she is sweet and precious, but that under the surface lay the heart of a predator. Bast was depicted as a cat, or as a woman with the head of a cat, a sand cat or a lion. She is often shown holding the ankh (representing the breath of life) or the papyrus wand (representing Lower Egypt). She occasionally bears a was-scepter (signifying strength) and is often accompanied by a litter of kittens.

Cats were sacred to Bast, and to harm one was considered to be a crime against her and so very unlucky. Her priests kept sacred cats in her temple, which were considered to be incarnations of the goddess. When they died they were mummified and could be presented to the goddess as an offering. The ancient Egyptians placed great value on cats because they protected the crops and slowed the spread of disease by killing vermin. As a result, Bast was seen as a protective goddess. Evidence from tomb paintings suggests that the Egyptians hunted with their cats (who were apparently trained to retrieve prey) and also kept them as loved pets. Thus it is perhaps unsurprising that Bast was so popular. During the Old Kingdom she was considered to be the daughter of Atum in Heliopolis (because of her association with Tefnut), however, she was generally thought to be the daughter of Ra (or later Amun). She (like Sekhmet) was also the wife of Ptah and mother of Nefertum and the lion-god Maahes (Mihos) (who may have been an aspect of Nefertum).

As the daughter of Ra she was one of the goddesses known as the "Eye of Ra", a fierce protector who almost destroyed mankind but was tricked with blood-coloured beer which put her to sleep and gave her a hangover, stopping the carnage. As a result, she is linked to the other goddesses who were known as the "eye of Ra", most notably Sekhmet, Hathor, Tefnut, Nut, Wadjet and Mut. Her link with Sekhmet was the closest. Not only did both goddesses take the form of a lioness, they were both considered to be the spouse of Ptah and the mother of Nefertum and during the feast of Hathor (celebrating man's deliverance from the wrathful "Eye of Ra") an image of Sekhmet represented Upper Egypt while an image of Bast represented Lower Egypt.

She was very closely linked to Hathor. She was often depicted holding a sistrum (the sacred rattle of Hathor) and Denderah (the home of the cult center of Hathor in the sixth nome of Upper Egypt) was sometimes known as the "Southern Bubastis". This association was clearly ancient as the two appear together in the valley temple of Khafre at Giza. Hathor represents Upper Egypt and Bast represents Lower Egypt. One of her epithets was "lady of Asheru". Asheru was the name of the sacred lake in the temple of Mut at Karnak, and Bast was given the epithet because of her connection with Mut, who occasionally took the form of a cat or a lion. Within Mut's temple there are a number of depictions of the pharaoh celebrating a ritual race in the company of Bast. In this temple Bast is given the epithet "Sekhet-neter" - the "Divine Field" (Egypt).

She was also associated with the lion-headed goddess Pakhet of Speos Artemidos (cave of Artemis) near Beni Hassan. The cave was given the name because Bast (and her aspect Pakhet) was identified by the Greeks with Artemis, the hunter. However, the two goddesses were not that similar as Artemis was celibate while Bast was associated with fun and sexuality. However, the connection with Tefnut and Bast's potentially warlike aspect probably contributed to this apparently strange connection. After all, even the smallest house cat is a skilled hunter. The Greeks thought that Bast should have a twin brother, as Artemis had her brother Apollo. They linked Apollo with Heru-sa-Aset (Horus son of Isis), so Bast's name was tinkered with to mean "soul of Isis" (ba-Aset) changing her into a form of this popular goddess. They also decided that Bast was a moon goddess, although she was originally considered to be the daughter of Ra and the "Eye of Ra".

Egyptian Goddesses: Bat

Bat (or Bata) was an ancient Egyptian cow goddess associated with Upper Egypt. She was originally a deification of the Milky Way (which was compared to a pool of cows milk). Her name is the feminine form of the word "ba", the name of one of the major elements of the soul. She was associated with the ankh (the symbol of life or breath) and with the sistrum (which was also associated with Hathor. Her cult center was in Sheshesh (the seventh nome of Upper Egypt) known as the "Mansion of the Sistrum".

Her worship certainly dates to the early period of ancient Egyptian history as she is mentioned in the Pyramid Texts as "Bat of two faces; the one who is saved who has saved myself from all evil things". Her dual faces may represent her ability to see both the past and future, but it is also possible that the two faces represent the two banks of the Nile or both Upper and Lower Egypt.

She is rarely depicted in ancient Egyptian art (she occasionally appears as a celestial cow surrounded by stars), however, her human face with bovine features often adorned jewelry and amulets. A cow goddess who is though to be Bat appears on a pectoral from the twelfth dynasty flanked by Horus and Set (representing upper and lower Egypt) implying that she was a force which unified the two lands. It is possible that it is Bat rather than Hathor who is depicted on the Narmer Palette and Gerzeh Palette (also known as the "cow palette" or the "Hathor Palette") as the name of the goddess depicted is not confirmed on either artifact.

It is possible that Hathor and Bat were once one and the same, and that differences emerged because the area was divided into two different Nomes. Her appearance with Hathor and Menkaure would appear to support this. Hathor was worshiped in the sixth nome while Bat was worshiped in the seventh nome. Alternatively, Bat was originally an entirely separate deity who merely shared many characteristics with her more illustrious neighbor. Unfortunately for Bat, her similarity to Hathor was so close that she was almost entirely assimilated into her by the New Kingdom.

Sources

Source One: http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/amentet.html

Source Two: http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/ammit.html

Source Three: http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/anput.html

Source Four: http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/anat.html

Source Five: http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/anuket.html

Source Six: http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/bast.html

Source Seven: http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/bat.html