The Powerful Women of Ancient Egypt: Exploring Kemetic Goddesses

Ancient Egyptian Kemetic Goddesses

Akussa – An Egyptian goddess of sunset, revered for her beauty and her role in marking the passage of time.

Ament – An ancient Egyptian hawk goddess who lived at the edge of the desert and watched over the gates of the underworld. She was associated with the afterlife and often depicted with an ostrich feather on her head.

Anuket – An Egyptian goddess personifying the yonic source of the Nile flood, known for her role as the bringer of food and the creator of good things. She was also the patroness of the poor and needy and often depicted wearing a feather headdress.

Au Set (Isis) – The oldest of the old, from whom all things arose, and the eternal savior of humanity. She was the throne of Egypt and was worshiped as the Lady of the Moon, the Mother of the Crops, and the protectress of the pharaohs. She held dominion over life and death, marriage, healing, handicrafts and writing, fertility, and immortality.

Bast – An ancient Egyptian cat goddess associated with pleasure, music, and protection against contagious diseases and evil spirits. She was the mother of all cats and her temple in Bubastis was home to the greatest temple in the land.

Bau – A mother goddess of the sky worshiped in Babylonia and Phoenicia.

Hathor – The great celestial cow goddess of ancient Egypt, known as the creator of the world and the protectress of women. She was associated with love, joy, music, and dance and was often depicted with a lion head as the Sphinx.

Hepat – An Egyptian goddess of midwives, often associated with the frog.

Maat – The goddess of truth, judgment,

Neith – An ancient Egyptian warrior goddess skilled in domestic arts, who was also the weaver of the world. She was the oldest of the Egyptian deities and was associated with the acacia tree.

Nekhebet – An Egyptian vulture goddess who protected women in childbirth and was the protectress of ancient Upper Egypt. She was also the goddess of death and rebirth and the oldest oracle was the shrine of Nekhebet.

Nephthys – The goddess of the dead and the underworld in ancient Egypt.

Nut – An ancient Egyptian sky goddess who formed the vault of the heavens and protected the earth beneath. She was the mother goddess personifying the night sky.

Renenet – The Lady of the Double Granary in ancient Egypt, who gave each baby its secret name-soul along with its mother’s milk.

Sekhmet – The powerful lion goddess of battle and fire, who was also the healer of broken bones and fractures.

Selkhet – An ancient Egyptian scorpion goddess.

Seshat – The Egyptian mistress of the house of books, who was the goddess of writing, history, measurements, calculation, record-keeping, and architecture.

Tait – The title of Isis as the weaver and knotter of the threads of fate, governing all happenings with her magical manipulation of strands.

Taueret – The Egyptian mother goddess of the Nile and the great hippopotamus goddess of childbirth and nursing.

Tefnut – The lion goddess of the underworld in ancient Egypt.

Uadjit – An ancient Egyptian snake goddess and the protectress of the Pharaoh and Lower Egypt, often represented as a winged, crowned cobra.

Other Caribbean & African Goddesses:

la – Earth Mother Goddess of the Ibo tribe in Nigeria, revered as the creator of life and queen of the afterlife. She is also seen as the provider of communal loyalty and lawgiver of society.

Anansi – A spider goddess worshiped by the people of Ghana, known for her wit and wisdom.

Asase Yaa – The earth goddess of the Ashanti people of western Africa, credited with giving birth to humanity and reclaiming her children at death. Farmers in the Ashanti tribe pray to her and their ancestors during planting season.

Astraea – A Libyan goddess symbolizing holy law, often depicted holding the scales of judgment. She was believed to dispense the fates of men.

Bahuba – Mother goddess of Zaire, revered for her nurturing and protective qualities.

Imama – A Bahiman goddess associated with growth and nourishment.

Lamia – A Libyan serpent goddess, daughter of heaven and considered a great lady. She was often depicted as a woman with a serpent’s head and breasts.

Mawu – The great earth goddess of the Dahomey tribe in northwest Africa, believed to have created humanity with clay and water.

Medusa – A serpent goddess of the Libyan Amazons, representing female wisdom and power.

Ngame – A moon goddess worshiped by the Akan people of Ghana, believed to have given human beings their souls at birth by shooting lunar rays into them.

Nommo – A cosmic mother-father deity revered by the Mali tribe, associated with creation and the origin of life.

Oya – A Yoruban goddess of music and dance, wind and fire. She is also the ruler of the Niger river and the patroness of female leadership, childbirth, fertility, and women’s health and careers. She is often portrayed as a mermaid or beautiful woman and is associated with the moon.

Eshu – An African deity associated with trickery and mischief, often depicted as a messenger between the gods and humanity.

Mami Wata – A water goddess from West Africa and the Caribbean, revered as the protectress of fishermen and seafarers. She is also associated with beauty, wealth, and prosperity.

Oshun – An African-Caribbean goddess of love, fertility, and sweetness, often depicted as a beautiful woman with a golden crown and a gourd filled with sweets.

Yemoja – An African-Caribbean goddess of the ocean and motherhood, often associated with water and the moon.

Oya-Inyanshango – A Yoruban goddess of transformation, associated with death and rebirth, storms, and change.

 

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top