The Ancient Egyptian Goddess Hathor. (Also Hather)

'One of Egypt's most ancient and revered goddesses, Hathor was a sky goddess and the wife or mother - depending on the particular myth - of Horus the Elder (the sky god). She was also known as the daughter or mother of Ra, and carried the sun between her horns. Her name meant the temple of Horus and one myth related that Horus entered her mouth each evening to rest and re-emerged each morning. She was represented as a cow, which was her savred animal, or as a woman with horns or with cow's ears.

Her favourite musical instrument was the sistrum, which she played to drive away evil spirits. The sistrum had a small frame on the end of a short handle. Across the frame were strung metal discs that rattled when the instrument was shaken. The head of the goddess was often part of the instrument's design.

Hathor was the guardian of women. She presided at their toilet. She was also the goddess or joy and love, music, song, dance, and merriment. The living were nourished by suckling the milk from her breasts, and the king especially gained strength from it so that he could perform his duty of protecting Egypt. As Queen of the West, Hathor welcomed the dead on their arrival into the other world, and protected the Theban necropolis. Known also as the Lady of the Sycamore, she hid in the sycamores on the edge of the desert to provide bread and water for those who were newly dead and to help them climb the ladder to heaven.

Her most important temple was at Dendera where there were great festivals, particularly on New Year's Day, which was her birthday. Her image was brought out of the temple onto the terrace before dawn so that it would catch the first rays of the rising sun. Later in the day there was much singing, dancing,and drinking. Drinking was always associated with Hathor after the time when Ra had supposedly gotten her drunk in order to stop the slaughter he had instructed her to make of those who had plotted against him.'

Egyptian Mythology by Simon Goodenough

(Please forgive any typos I missed. I was reading and typing at the same time - I rarely looked at the keys. I love touch typing. ^^)

I've been wanting to do a series of Ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses for a long time.

Used Spartan Sitting-3 by loosely as a reference.