Hathor Goddess of Love, Beauty, Music, and Joy - Egyptian mythology

Hathor is one of the most renowned goddesses of ancient Egypt. Referred to as the Great One of Many Names, her vast array of titles and attributes highlights her significance in every aspect of ancient Egyptian life and death. Her worship is believed to have been widespread even during the pre-dynastic period, as evidenced by her depiction on the Narmer palette. However, some scholars argue that the cow-headed goddess shown on the palette might actually be an ancient cow goddess who was largely absorbed by Hathor or even Narmer himself. By the Old Kingdom, Hathor's worship was firmly established, as she is depicted alongside Bast in the valley temple of Khafre at Giza. Hathor represents Upper Egypt while Bast symbolizes Lower Egypt. Originally, Hathor personified the Milky Way, which was thought to be the milk flowing from the udders of a celestial cow, linking her with Nut, Bat, and Mehetweret. Over time, she absorbed attributes from many other goddesses and became more closely associated with Isis, who to some extent overshadowed Hathor as the most popular and powerful deity. Nevertheless, Hathor remained a prominent figure throughout Egyptian history. Hathor's festivals were numerous, and more children were named after her than any other deity in ancient Egypt. Her worship extended beyond Egypt and Nubia, reaching into Semitic West Asia, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Libya, with particular veneration in Byblos. As a sky goddess known as the Lady of Stars and Sovereign of Stars, Hathor was linked to Sirius, connecting her to the goddesses Sopdet and Isis. Her birthday was celebrated on the day Sirius rose in the sky, signaling the upcoming inundation. By the Ptolemaic period she was identified with Hethera, the third month of the Egyptian calendar. As the Mistress of Heaven, Hathor was associated with Nut, Mut, and the Queen. In her role as the celestial nurse, she nourished the pharaoh either in the form of a cow or as a sycamore fig, which exudes a milky substance. As the mother of mothers, Hathor was the goddess of women, fertility, children, and childbirth, wielding influence over all aspects of female life, from conception and childbirth to health, beauty, and matters of the heart. Unlike many other deities, she had both male and female priests. Hathor was also the goddess of beauty and the patroness of the cosmetic arts. Her traditional votive offerings included mirrors, and she was frequently depicted on mirrors and cosmetic palettes. While not considered vain, she was confident in her own beauty and appreciated beautiful and good things. Known as the Mistress of Life, Hathor was seen as the embodiment of joy, love, romance, perfume, dance, music, and alcohol. Her association with myrrh incense, which was highly prized and symbolized the finer qualities of femininity, was significant. Hathor was connected with turquoise, malachite, gold, and copper. As the Mistress of Turquoise and Lady of Malachite, she was the patroness of miners and the goddess of the Sinai Peninsula, home to famous turquoise and copper mines. Malachite was used in eye makeup for its protective properties, which were attributed to Hathor. The goddess was also a patron of dancers and was linked to percussive music, particularly the cistrum, which was also a fertility symbol. She was associated with the menet necklace, possibly a percussion instrument, and was often referred to as the Great Menet. Many of her priests were artisans, musicians, and dancers, contributing to the cultural life of Egypt and worshipping her through their artistic expressions. Hathor personified dance and sexuality, earning epithets such as Hand of God, a reference to masturbation, and Lady of the Vulva. One myth recounts how Ra, distressed and uncommunicative, was revived from his melancholy by Hathor's dance and exposure of her private parts, leading him to laughter and renewed vitality. As the Lady of the West and the Lady of the Southern Sycamore, Hathor assisted the deceased on their final journey. Given the rarity of trees in ancient Egypt, their shade was highly valued. She was sometimes shown offering water from a sycamore tree to the dead, a role previously associated with Amontet, often described as Hathor's daughter. Myth also tells of Hathor, or Isis, using sycamore tree milk to restore Horus's sight after he was blinded by Set. Due to her role in aiding the dead, Hathor frequently appears on sarcophagi alongside Nut, with Hathor on the lid and Nut beneath it. Hathor sometimes manifested as the Seven Hathors, who were believed to know the length of every child's life from birth and questioned souls as they journeyed to the afterlife. Her priests, skilled in reading fortunes and interpreting dreams, were sought for protection, assistance, and guidance. The Seven Hathors were worshipped in seven cities—Wasset, Thebes, Iunu, Onn, Heliopolis, Aphroditopolis, Sinai, Momemphis, Heracleopolis, and Dendera. They might have been associated with the Pleiades constellation. In her role as the Eye of Ra, Hathor was also a goddess of destruction. According to legend, when people criticized Ra, he sent his eye, in the form of Sekhmet, to punish them. Sekhmet's slaughter of humans was only halted when Ra tricked her into drinking red beer, which led her to become drunk and cease her rampage. Ra then renamed her Hathor, transforming her into a goddess of love and happiness. Consequently, soldiers prayed to Hathor-Sekhmet for strength and focus in battle. Hathor was linked with the pharaoh through her association with Horus the Elder, and her name translates to the House of Horus, referring both to the sky and the royal family. She had a son named Ahi, a god of music and dancing, with Horus-Bedeti, and the trio was worshipped at Dendera, Unet. Her familial relationships became increasingly complex over time. Initially considered the wife of Horus the Elder and daughter of Ra, Hathor's role evolved with the merger of Ra and Horus into the composite deity Re-Horakhty, making her both Ra's wife and daughter. This connection strengthened her association with Isis, the mother of Horus the Child by Osiris. In Hermopolis, Khmunu, Hathor was seen as the wife of Thoth and the mother of Re-Horakhty, a composite deity merging Ra with Horakhty. As Thoth had his own wife Sashat, Hathor assumed her role as a witness in the judgment of the dead. Hathor's role in welcoming the dead also led to her association with Nehebkow, the guardian of the underworld's entrance. Later, with the fusion of Ra and Amun, Hathor was viewed as Sobek's wife, although Sobek was also linked to Seth, Horus's enemy. Hathor's manifestations were diverse, including forms such as a woman, goose, cat, lion, malachite, and sycamore fig. Her most famous representation is as a cow, often with elegantly painted eyes and a red sun disk between her horns. Though she was frequently depicted in red, symbolizing passion, her sacred color was turquoise. Notably, only Hathor and the dwarf god Bees, also associated with childbirth, were depicted in portrait rather than profile. Isis borrowed many of Hathor's functions and adapted her iconography, making it challenging to distinguish between the two goddesses. Despite their similarities, Isis was more complex, having experienced personal loss and struggle, which allowed her to empathize with human suffering. In contrast, Hathor embodied power and success without doubt or hesitation. Her role as Sekhmet showed her unwavering focus, even when ordered to stop her destructive actions.