Pakhet ‘Night Huntress’: Egyptian War-Like Lioness Goddess Associated With Artemis

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - In the Egyptian pantheon, Pakhet is a fierce lioness (or panther) goddess of war.

Her name means (‘she who scratches ‘ or ‘tearer’) and one of her titles is ‘Goddess at the Entrance of the Wadi’ probably referring to the lion’s habit to appear in places with water located at the edge of the desert.

Seti I and Pakhet in the sacred shrine Speos Artemidos. Image source

More exactly, as a lioness goddess, Pakhet ruled the Eastern part of Sahara Desert, located east of the Nile river, between the river and the Red Sea. Referred to as “She Who Opens the Ways of the Stormy Rains”), Pakhet was linked to rapid flooding taking place in the region and desert storms, in the same way as another Egyptian lioness and aggressive hunter of the desert, Sekhmet.

Amulets Of Pakhet Were Believed To Protect

She was not frequently portrayed in ancient Egyptian art, but her most usual depictions show her in the form of a lioness-headed woman or as a feline, killing snakes with her sharp claws. Pakhet’s claw amulets were worn by royal women to provide protection and fertility and happy motherhood.

Other amulets usually depicted the lion goddess standing over her fallen captives and prey – a representation of the subdued chaos she signified.

While merged into a three-headed deity with Mut (Egyptian mother goddess) and Nekhbet (associated with Ra and Osiris), Pakhet kept the deceased from coming to harm.

Sacred Shrine Of Pakhet In Speos Artemidos

This goddess was worshiped in Speos Artemidos, an ancient Egyptian rock shrine, situated in a lonely desert valley south of the tombs at Beni Hasan, on the east bank of the Nile. It is believed the shrine was carved out of the limestone in  the 18^th Dynasty during the reign of Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis the 3^rd.

In Hellenistic times, Pakhet was identified with Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt, forests, archery, wild animals. This explains Greek name of the rockshrine, ‘Speos Artemidos’ - Artemis Sanctuary or Cave of Artemis.

See also:

Sokar – Patron Deity Of Ancient Necropolis Of Memphis In Lower Egypt

Geb – Egyptian God Of Earth And Member Of The Ennead – His Laughter Created Earthquakes

Neith – Fearsome Egyptian Mother Of The Gods – Creator Of Sun God Ra, His Archenemy Serpent God Apophis And The Universe

Khepri – Egyptian Progenitor God, Spirit Of Life, Resurrection And The Rising Sun

More Myths And Legends

At Speos Artemidos, there is an inscription by the Pharaoh Hatshepsut that credits Pakhet, "mistress of the desert plateau... who roams the wadis in the midst of the East with having "opened the roads for the water-torrent without drenching me, in order to catch the water…'

The rock cut temple of Pakhet by Hatshepsut in Speos Artemidos. Image source

One more ancient temple dedicated Pakhet was at this particular location; however, the structure has not survived. The pharaoh Hatshepsut was known to have restored temples in the region, which was badly damaged by the Hyksos invasion in 1650 BC.

In 'Coffin Texts', spell 470, Pakhet is introduced as a night huntress - "Pakhet the Great, whose eyes are keen and whose claws are sharp, the lioness who sees and catches by night."

Other titles and epithets of Pakhet include 'Horus Pakhet', due to many mummified hawks unearthed at the site, as well as 'Pakhet-Weret-Hekau' (“She who has great magic), implying her association with Hathor or Isis.

Written by – A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

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