Hathor
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The cow Hathor
The goddess Hathor has several iconographies: a woman crowned with stylized horns surrounding a solar disc, a woman with the head of a cow, or simply a cow. Of course, the choice of the representation depends on the function of the goddess, the artist wanted to emphasize: the nurturing Hathor will be depicted as a cow; Hathor assimilated to Isis as protector of the dead will be depicted as a woman. Among the many personalities of this goddess, there is Hathor with the little of "Mistress of the Theban necropolis," and as such, she is often represented as a cow. Sometimes she appears coming out of a high mountain symbolizing the Libyan cliff where the tombs are dug and where the "Castles of Millions of Years" are located. In Deir el-Bahri, in her funerary temple, Hatshepsut reserved a special space for her. Sometimes she manifests herself as protector of the necropolis, sometimes she adopts the qualities of a cow nursing the future queen.
Temple of Queen Hatshepsut Deir el-Bahri,
New Kingdom,
West Thebes, Upper Egypt.
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Daughter of Re·. considered to be the eye of the sun, Wife of Horus (sometimes mother of Horus)
Goddess with several functions: celestial deity. lady of Far lands. Goddess of joy. Mistress of the Theban necropolis. lady of the sycamore ...
Principal place of worship: Dendara (Upper Egypt) Representation: a woman with two horns surrounding the solar disc. a cow or a woman with a cow's head
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Hathor's origins go back to the earliest times in Egypt's history, as her name appears in the oldest historical document known to this day, the "Palette of Narmer," a votive palette made out of schist, that recalls the unification of the two kingdoms of Egypt by Narmer, first pharaoh of the first dynasty. For the country, this event marks the passage from prehistoric times to history and inaugurates the pharaonic era. On the top part of the palette, both sides are adorned with heads of cows that symbolize the goddess Hathor. What is the justification of her presence on this document? The palette was found in Hierakonpolis, the antique city of Nekhen, of which the patron god was Horus. He appears here under a particular form: "Horus the Younger," son of Hathor, which makes the predominant location for his mother on the palette more understandable. Later, in the 6th Dynasty, Pepy I calls himself "son of Hathor," which seems reasonable since the king is considered to be the representative of Horus on earth. If Hathor is the mother of Horus, the king becomes son of Hathor.
In hieroglyphic writing, the name Hathor is read "Hut Hor," "the home of Horus" or the "cosmic dwelling of Horus" according to Plutarch. Hathor symbolizes the celestial space in which the solar Horus moves. As centuries go by, her cosmic functions are so expanded that she quickly becomes a universal goddess,
a role she shares with Isis. In fact, from the New Kingdom on, the two goddesses finally merge and adopt each other's iconography; in many cases, only the texts and legends can tell them apart. Very often, such a deity is displayed on the walls of tombs and temples: a woman wearing a crown with two horns stylized into a lyre, ~ enc1o,sing the solar disc. Is it Hathor or Isis?
The answer to the question can only be given by reading the name of the deity, generally inscribed over her head. Sometimes the context gives an idea on the real identity of the goddess. For instance, if she appears with Osiris and Horus, it is certainly Isis. On the contrary, if she is depicted in a scene where she nurses the king, it can only be Hathor in her role as a nurturing deity.
The list of her attributions is very impressive: she is the goddess of love, lady of music, lady of Byblos and Punt, mistress of far lands, lady of the turquoise, lady of inebriation, mistress of ballets and gay songs ... She nurses the royal child: in this case she is depicted as a woman or a cow feeding the young heir. She protects the necropolis of Thebes: she appears as a cow coming out of a high mountain symbolizing the Libyan cliff where the tombs are dug. She appears as goddess of dance, music and joy: she then has the aspect of a young woman waving a sistrum, which is a musical instrument that looks like a rattle, the sound of which is said to excite the gods. She is also lady of the sycamore in Memphis: in this case, she rises from a sycamore, which is a tree that feeds the souls of the deceased in the netherworld.
From an iconographical point of view, her most interesting appearance is the one where she is depicted as sovereign of the four comers of the sky and mistress of the cardinal points: she is represented on specific pillars, since they are crowned with "hathoric" capitals, with a cow's head engraved on each side. Each of these four faces symbolize a facet of her personality: Hathor the lioness as the eye of Re' slaying the enemies of the sun, Hathor the cow as goddess of love and rebirth, Hathor the cat as protector of homes and royal nurse, Hathor the cobra as the incarnation of beauty and youth.
Her main sanctuary is in Dendara, in Upper Egypt. The presently visible temple is the work of the last of the Ptolemies and several pharaohs of the Roman period, but if one is to believe the texts, this holy place goes back to the earliest times: it is very probable that the plan of the building was inspired from documents of the Old Kingdom, especially the reigns of Khufu and Pepy I. Every year, a celebration enlivened his part of Egypt: Hathor left her sanctuary in Dendara to visit her husband Horus Behedety, a form of Horus worshipped in Edfu. This town is about ninety miles up the Nile.
For this trip, Hathor leaves her home for three weeks: the "Mistress of Dandera is brought up the river, so that she can have a joyous reunion with Horus. " For this long trip, the solemn procession travels by river; the statue of Hathor is placed on a majestic boat, "the Beautiful in Love," that sails up the Nile for four days. For its part, the clergy of Edfu makes preparations for the meeting of the spouses that is to happen outside the shrine, in a little chapel north of the town, at a very precise moment: the eighth hour of the day of the new moon of the eleventh month of the year. There Horus stands ready for his wife. As soon as she arrives, the festivities start, and the people living all around join in. She is acclaimed, she is greeted, her qualities are praised, music is played for her; she is Hathor "the Golden," "the Lady of Goddesses," "the Mistress," "the Lady of inebriation, music and dance. " Then everyone gets into his own boat, and the procession makes for the main shrine. Once there, the priests pull the boats out of the water and bring them within the walls of the temple. Hathor makes the most of the occasion to see her father again, the sun, who manifests himself in Edfu by the side of Horus Behedety.
The ancient texts present Hathor as the uraeus, one of the manifestations of the solar eye, and explain how here "she meets her father Ne', who exults to see her, for it is his eye that is back. " The mythical wedding can at last take place; it is accompanied by great rejoicing, at the end of which the two spouses are left alone together for their wedding night. The festivities in Edfu really start the next day, and they last the fourteen days of the crescent moon. Fourteen days during which rites, sacrifices, commemorations, visits to the shrine take place ... The priests specifically organize a set of ceremonies for the divine souls and "the gods that died in Edfu. " These are the primeval gods, created by the demiurge to assist him in his creation, but called to disappear after the creation. It is said that "their souls flew to heaven, where they live amongst the stars," and that "the necropolis of Edfu contains the bodies of those ancestral gods. " Every year, "Re' goes there, accompanied by the Majesty of his uraeus (Hathor); he takes care of his children, the divine and respectable bodies who rest forever in Edfu, leaves them offerings and listens to their prayers." The festivities end with a great banquet at the end of which each goes back to his own sanctuary: Hathor to Dendara and Horus to Edfu.
Need to read more:
Akhet Hwt-Hrw - An Educational Resource for
Ancient Egyptian Religion and Esoteric studies:
Hathor: http://www.cassandraeason.co.uk/ancient_egypt_hathor.htm
Temple of Hathor
http://www.planetnetopia.com/forum/posts/id_739/title_temple-of-hathor/
