Looks: Hathor took the form of a very attractive female in her mid 20’s. Her face was very youthful, almost childlike. She would sometimes have the head of a cow. If she had a girls head, she would always have horns. She was depicted with a sun disk between the horns. Her hair was long and elegant. It extended to her mid back. Hathor was sometimes shown with no shirt or dress on, and her hair would be covering her chest. She was shown holding items of stature, like crooks or pikes. In some pictures she carried a goblet of her own milk. In her hair she wore many decorative hair clasps. Hathor was always shown wearing the finest jewelry of her time. Her dresses were a light color, whites, and cool tones, with complex embroideries.
Significance: She was the sky goddess of joy and love. She had the symbol of a cow because she was thought of as a milk provider. Her milk would cure ailments, poisons, stomach aches, and other impairments. It was also used as on ointment on rashes, and different types of bug bites. She was the protectress of all women, and was supposed to reside at their toilet. She was very concerned with her popularity, so she occasionally held big dances to improve her status with the public. She was proclaimed the sovereign of dance, and song. She was also a god of merriment and music. Her temple was the home of intoxication and a place of enjoyment. Hathor was well known to nourish the living with her milk. She was shown in statue form breast feeding kings, and men of stature. She was a provider to all her people. She was the sole protector of the Theban necropolis, land of the afterlife. From this she was known as the Queen of the Afterlife. Hathor was seen rising from the Libyan Mountains as half human half cow. This vision was often seen by the Vignettes in the Book of the Dead, symbolizing a safe passage to the afterlife. She was also called “the Lady of the Sycamore.” She would often hide in these trees, and appear when the dead passed, to offer them an everlasting meal of bread and water. She was believed to hold the long ladder the deserving used to access the heaves. She was so involved in the funeral process that she surpassed Anubis, and Osiris’s name in dealings with the dead.
Family: She was originally described as the daughter of Ra and wife of Horus. However, sometimes she was called the mother of Horus. Her name signifies “The dwelling of Horus.” It was explained that every night the sun god would reside in her bosom, until and he was reborn the next morning. Hathor was associated with Wadjet, the protector of Egypt. She was also known in conjunction with Mut and Naunet. She was also associated with the other cow god Bat. She had a son Ihi, “The Sinister Player.” She was born on New Year’s Day, and forever after this was her day of worship. Many pictures show Hathor bringing Horus to bathe in the rays of light known as Aten.
Name In Hieroglyphics:
