Cosmological HathorHathor is considered the foremost among the
female neters and the provider of food for the
dead in Tuat, the underworld. She is shown as a
cow walking out of the funeral mountain. As the
cosmic cow, her four legs were the pillars that held
up the sky and her belly the firmament. Each
evening the sun as Heru flew into her mouth and
was reborn the next day. In some guises, she was
the eye of the sun (i.e., the radiant heat and light
that emanates from the center of the sun). She was
also linked with the moon.
Hathor gets even more complex when consid-
ering her relationships with other neters of
ancient Egypt. As patriarchy emerged in the civili-
zation of Kemet, Hathor would become the con-
sort, wife, mother, or daughter of a masculine
Neter. At first she was consort to early sky bull
deities, keeping with her status as divine cow.
She was worshipped as part of the triad of
Hathor, Horus, and their son Ihi. She was the
mother of Heru, therefore the divine mother of
the pharaoh, which was shown by Hathor being
depicted as a full cow standing in Ra’s solar boat
with a young calve, the pharaoh, standing next
to her. As mother of Heru, she became wife of
Ra, Mistress of Heaven. Hathor was also said to
be the mother of Isis.
After the Middle Kingdom, Hathor was com-
bined with a neter of war from Upper Kemet
known as Sekhmet. In many ways the opposite of
Hathor, Sekhmet was bloodthirsty and enjoyed
the slaughter of humans. In this guise, Hathor was
the Daughter of Ra. When Thoth rose in promi-
nence and was considered the father of Ra-
Herakhty, Hathor as mother of Heru became his
wife and took on attributes of acting witness to
the judgment of souls. Hathor received the Dead
as the wife of Nehebkau, the guardian of the
entrance to the underworld. In later times, she
also was identified as Isis, and their attributes
would eventually fully merge.
WorshipHathor’s main temple is 37 miles north of Luxor
in Dendera, known in ancient times as Iunet. This
temple started as a shrine that dates from 5500
BC to 3100 BC and contains the remains of cows.
The structure was rebuilt during the time of
Khufu (2589–2566 BC). The structure that exists
today was initially built over a period from
332 BC to 395 AD. A ceiling in this temple contains
a detailed map of the heavens showing the hours
of the day and night, the regions of the moon and
sun, northern and southern stars, planets, and the
12 signs of the zodiac. Although rebuilt in the
Greco-Roman era of Egyptian history, scholars
suspect that the astrological information depicted
is much older.
Dendera was the principle location for the fol-
lowers of Hathor and was home to numerous
feasts, which included drink, dance, music, merri-
ment, and sexuality. There were other temples to
Hathor located throughout Kemet and were
collectively known as the seven Hathors: Hathor
of Thebes, Heliopolis, Aphroditopolis, Sinai
Peninsula, Momemphis or Ammu, Herakleopolis,
and Keset. These were actual physical structures,
as opposed to the Seven Hathors who were
mythological or perhaps priests from one of her
temples.
The merriment that often took place at
Hathor’s temples was officiated by her priests,
who were both male and female and often
dancers, singers, and musicians. She became the
patron of this population and a neter represent-
ing joy. This association could have originated
when Hathor was merged with another cow
goddess of fertility from earlier times who was
symbolized by a particular musical instrument.
Hathor is also known as a healer. In one of the
versions of the great battle between Set and
Heru, Set tore out one of Heru’s eyes, and it is
Hathor who restored it. The wedjat eye, which
would become a popular symbol of healing and
protection throughout Kemet, also belongs to
Hathor.Denise MartinSeealsoChildren; Fertility; SekhmetFurther Readings
Asante, M. K. (2007).The History of Africa. London:
Routledge.
Bunson, M. (1991).The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt.
New York: Facts on File.Hathor 307