Hethert
From Wepwawet Wiki
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Name
Hethert
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House of Heru or House Above
Names - Alternate
Mehturt, Mehet-Weret, Mehet-uret
Greek: Hathor
Appearance
Usually depicted as a beautiful woman wearing a heavy wig and a headdress of cow horns cradling a sun disk; She is also shown as a woman with a curled wig and cow ears. She may also appear as a cow, a lioness, and less often as a cobra or a hawk.
Image Gallery
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Parents
Consorts
Children
Epithets
- Beautiful of Face
- Golden One
- Gold of the Gods
- Lady of Cheerfulness
- Lady of Gold
- Lady of the Sky
- Lady of the Southern Sycamore
- Lady of the Vulva
- Mistress of Joy
- Mistress of the Desert
- Mother of Mothers
- The Great Wild Cow
- The One Whose Face Shines Without Anger
- The Unique One
- Wandering Goddess
Roles
Hethert is a complex goddess with many areas of influence, but She is most well-known as the patroness of women, a goddess of love and beauty. She is also a Name associated with music, dancing, drunkenness, sexual pleasure, prosperity, and joy and contentment in general.
Hethert is a celestial Name, seen as the container of the universe and everything in it. She is a Name Who protects mothers and children. She is a patroness of Queens, who were sometimes equated with Her during their lives. As a Lady of the West, Hethert in Her form of Amentet stands at the gates of the Duat and welcomes the newly-dead with fresh bread and cool water.
Hethert is an expansive and joyful Name, though somewhat subtle, which may make Her hard to get to know at first. She will help you understand how to love yourself and others without restraint. She enjoys seeing Her children selflessly and joyfully serve others and interact with the world in a compassionate way. She is also a humorous Name, and will help you to appreciate the immense power of laughter and levity.
Worship Centers
Ta-Netjer (Dendera)
Festivals
- The Feast of the Beautiful Reunion
- The Feast of the Return of the Wandering Goddess
- The Feast of Hethert's Birthgiving to Ihy
Creation Story
Myths
In the tale of the Destruction of Mankind, the god Ra sees how wicked human beings have become and despairs ever creating them. He calls His Eye, the goddess Hethert, and bids Her to wipe out those who blaspheme against Him. Hethert obeys Her Father's command, going hither and thither throughout the land of Kemet, slaughtering and spilling blood, enjoying Herself immensely. Thus was the goddess Sekhmet, Lady of the Blood-Red Garment, born from Hethert. Ra sees Sekhmet's actions from on high, and realises that She is taking things much further than He had ever intended. He gathers together His servants and commands them to stain hundreds of jars of beer red with ochre. The servants then pour the red beer onto the fields where Sekhmet is sleeping after a day of killing. When the goddess awakes, She sees the beer all around Her and, thinking it to be blood, starts to drink. She drinks greedily, getting sleepier and sleepier, until suddenly She falls to the ground in a stupor. Through drunkenness She has become the gentle Hethert once more, and the servants of Ra take Her back to Her father's house, where She sleeps off what one assumes is a hangover of monstrous proportions.
Art
Ancient
Modern
Hymns
Ancient
Modern
Offerings
Food/Drink
- Beer
- Chai tea
- Cherries
- Cheese (soft/mild)
- Chocolate
- Daifuku
- Dates
- Figs
- Honey
- Lassi (mango or sweet)
- Marzipan
- Milk
- Oranges
- Pears
- Plum wine
- Pomegranates
- Raspberries
- Red wine
- Sweet liqueurs
- Tangerines
Items
- Beauty products
- Clothing
- Cosmetics
- Cowrie shells
- Dance
- Florida Water
- Jewelry
- Menat necklaces
- Mirrors
- Musical compositions
- Perfume
- Sistra
- Watches
- Willow Water
Stones
Scents
- Acacia
- Amber
- Gold Copal
- Frankincense
- Jasmine
- Lavender
- Lily
- Myrrh
- Nag Champa
- Neroli/Orange Blossom
- Patchouli
- Peony
- Rosewood
- Sandalwood
- Wild rose
Colours
- Blue (especially turquoise)
- Copper
- Gold
- Green
- Orange
- Pink (especially coral)
- Purple
- Red
Flowers
- Cherry blossom
- Chrysanthemum
- Daisy
- Daffodil
- Jasmine
- Lavender
- Lilac
- Lily
- Lotus
- Magnolia
- Mimosa
- Orchid
- Rose
- Sunflower
- Violet
- Water lily
Prayer Associations
The Names of Netjer are not static divinities like their counterparts in other cultures (i.e., Goddess of Love, God of War, Goddess of Sex, etc). They are not simply relegated to their specific spheres of influence and are therefore not powerless beyond those realms. The ancients had a healthy and regular relationship with their gods and thus asked of their particular deity anything they may have needed or wanted. However, there are many things within Hethert's spheres of influence that She may be very proficient in helping you with:
- Finding and expressing love
- Cultivating inner and outer beauty
- Learning to take good care of oneself
- Bearing and rearing children
- Sexual passion and pleasure
- Proficiency in music and dance
- Experiencing joy and contentment
- Comfort during hard times
- Untroubled sleep and pleasant dreams
