Hathor

Hathor is the daughter of Re and one of the oldest cow goddesses. The pre-dynastic cow goddess appearing on the Narmer palette could have referred to Hathor or to another cow goddess, Bat. But certainly Hathor was well established by the era of the Old Kingdom. She was the mother of Horus in the old versions of the legends and her name literally means "house of Horus." It symbolizes Hathor as the "lady of the sky," whose womb protected the hawk-god. She has many forms, including a slender, beautiful woman with attractive curls, wearing a crown of cow horns and a great sun disc. She is also often depicted as a great wild cow. Other forms include a lioness, a snake, and a sycamore tree.

Her importance as a funerary goddess is as the protectress of the necropolis. She is also a guardian of the king. And in the Tomb of Queen Nefertari, in her Book of the Dead, seven cows are shown, each with a name of Hathor. Their role is to determine the destiny of a child at birth.

Her best known role is that of the goddess of sexual love, music, and dance. In this role, the ancient Greeks identified her as Aphrodite. As a goddess of love she is called "golden" and "lady of heaven." Music is important in the worship of Hathor, and she and her followers always carry the sistrum, a bronze rattle with little cymbals. Often the dancers also carry a menat, a long necklace thick with beads, which they shake as they dance.

Hathor was a universal goddess recognized in many of the foreign countries where Egypt traded. During the Middle Kingdom she was called "lady of Byblos." She was identified with Astarte, a goddess of the ancient Near East. She received gifts from Nubia during the Old Kingdom. And in the turquoise mines in the Sinai, she was called "nebet mefkat"—"mistress of turquoise."

Small Hathor Capital, Probably Dynasty 18 (1539 - 1292 b.c.), Painted Limestone, 25.4 x 15.2 x 10.6 cm (10 x 6 x 4 1/8 in.), University of Pennsylvania Museum