The House of Life was a combination library, scriptorium, institute of higher learning, writers workshop, print shop/copy center, publisher, and distributor. ), Seshat barely appears outside of her official role as the recorder of construction and written projects and did not have a temple or cult dedicated to her. Seshat was also sometimes depicted helping Nephthys revive the deceased in the afterlife in prepration for their judgment by Osiris in the Hall of Truth. Seshat was known as the goddess of wisdom, knowledge and writing amongst other things. Egyptian Seshat Goddess of writing and wisdom Magic Wicca Pagan Wicca Pewter Men's Women's Unisex Pendant Necklace Safe Travel Prosperity Talisman Lucky Charm Protection Amulet w Black adjustable cord. Thank you! Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. She resides within the moon itself, and is the protector of those who might travel at night. "compareAt": { Thoth is the messenger much like the Greek god, Hermesa transmutation made from Egyptian to Greek mythology. (204-205). Thoth was the god of wisdom and Seshat is often viewed as his feminine counterpart. At this time, Thoth seems to have been considered a god of wisdom and knowledge - as he remained - and once a writing system was developed it was attributed to him. Thoth had given the gift of writing to humanity and it was a mortal's responsibility to honor that gift by practicing the craft as precisely as possible. This ritual is related to laying out the foundations of temples and other important structures in order to determine and assure the sacred alignments and the precision of the dimensions. Owing to the great value Egyptians placed on writing, however, and her part in the construction of temples and the afterlife, she was venerated widely through commonplace acts and daily rituals from the Early Dynastic Period to the last dynasty to rule Egypt, the Ptolemaic Dynasty of 323-30 BCE. "styles": { Egyptologist Rosalie David notes how she wrote the kings name on the Persea tree, each leaf representing a year in his allotted lifespan (Religion and Magic, 411). Ancient Egyptian cemetery with 40 MUMMIES and a necklace saying Happy New Year is found along with 1,000 statues in the Nile Valley. "margin-left": "-20px" In the famous story of Osiris and his murder by Set it is not Osiris who is the hero of the tale but his sister-wife Isis. at the best online prices at eBay! Rosalie David comments on the Egyptian ideal of writing: The main purpose of writing was not decorative and it was not originally intended for literary or commercial use. The spells the soul speaks help one to navigate through assorted dangers to arrive at the perfect paradise of the Field of Reeds. In addition to setting the foundation of the temple, Seshat also was responsible for the written works that temple produced and housed in its House of Life and, further, for gathering these works into her eternal library in the realm of the gods. In the Pyramid Texts, Seshat was given the epithet Lady of the House and she was given the title Seshat, Foremost of Builders. The institution served as a workshop where sacred books were composed and written by the ranking scholars of the times. She was seen as a scribe and record keeper; her name means "female scribe". So one cannot be sure that the scribal kit belonged to the woman. She was also an integral part of the temple through her supervision of the House of Life. It made the transitory world of change into one everlasting & eternal. The dead were not gone as long as their stories could be read in stone; nothing was ever really lost. } Thoth and Seshat. She first appears in the 2nd Dynasty (c. 2890- c. 2670 BCE) of the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150 - c. 2613 BCE) as a goddess of writing and measurements assisting the king in the ritual known as "stretching of the cord" which preceeded the construction of a building, most often a temple. It is also used elsewhere on the stone for God Seshu,[6] the male counterpart of Seshat (Seshait or Sesha-t). One needed to know how to avoid demons, how to transform one's self into various animals, and how to address the entities one would meet in the next world and so the spells had to be precise in order to work. The Egyptians referred to the institution as Per-Ankh (literally "House of Life") and it is first mentioned in inscriptions from the Middle Kingdom. var script = document.createElement('script'); Wilkinson notes how by virtue of her role in the foundation ceremony [Seshat] was a part of every temple building (Complete Gods, 167). } Bunson's theory is substantiated by the known structures identified as a Per-Ankh at Amarna, Edfu, and Abydos, all important cities in ancient Egypt, but this does not mean there were not others elsewhere; only that these have not been positively identified as yet. [5], The famous 24th century BC Palermo Stone has multiple uses of Seshat's emblem. Seshat was the essence of cosmic intuition, creating the geometry of the heavens alongside Thoth. [7], The reading is approximately: "YEAR: To create (a) Statue for Seshait, Statue for Mafdet." Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley writes: Although the only Egyptian woman to be depicted actually putting pen to paper was Seshat, the goddess of writing, several ladies were illustrated in close association with the traditional scribes writing kit of palette and brushes. "contents": { If there was a large group of literate women in ancient Egypt, they do not seem to have developed any surviving literary genres unique to themselves. . Its said that Seshat assisted the pharaoh by playing the role of both scribe and measurer. "variantTitle": false, amzn_assoc_region = "US"; She was variously considered to be the sister, wife, or daughter of Thoth. In some Egyptian accounts, Seshat is referred to as the wife of Thoth, the Egyptian God of science, literature, writing, and keeper of sacred books. It occurs on the obverse of the Palermo Piece (at Palermo Museum), 1 of the 2 large pieces of the 7piece Palermo Stone. }, As the goddess of the written word, Seshat took care of the library of the gods, and so became known as the Mistress of the House of Books. Seshat (also given as Sefkhet-Abwy and Seshet) is the Egyptian goddess of the written word. In some variations, she's just the female version of him. These depictions usually show the king performing the rite with the help of Seshat, the goddess of writing and measurement, a mythical aspect which reinforced the kings central and unique role in the temple construction (Symbol & Magic, 174). As the Mistress of the House of Books, she cared for each scroll with a heap of TLC. His name meant "sky-bearer". or write down information. Please donate to our server cost fundraiser 2023, so that we can produce more history articles, videos and translations. var scriptURL = 'https://sdks.shopifycdn.com/buy-button/latest/buy-button-storefront.min.js'; The scribes were most commonly associated with the sun god Ra in earlier times and with Osiris in later periods no matter which god resided in a particular temple. node: document.getElementById('product-component-3d475c3f992'), Seshat. World History Encyclopedia, 18 Nov 2016. "variantTitle": false, . It is well substantiated that women could be, and were, scribes in that we have names of female physicians and images of women in important religious posts such as God's Wife of Amun; both of these occupations required literacy. Seshat the Goddess was actually the sole true creator of the hieroglyph. loadScript(); View community ranking In the Top 50% of largest communities on Reddit SESHAT ANCIENT EGYPTIAN GODDESS. Even in the New Kingdom, where literature was more cosmopolitan, it still adhered to a basic form which elevated Egyptian cultural values. Among Seshat's responsibilities were record keeping, accounting, measurements, census-taking, and patroness of libraries & librarians. Seshat is the Goddess of Libraries, all forms. The goddess Seshat is known as Mistress of the House of Books, divine keeper of the sacred library and deity of the scribes. "styles": { Seshat (also given as Sefkhet-Abwy and Seshet) is the Egyptian goddess of the written word. Goddess of magic, marriage, healing, and protection: She is the wife and sister of Osiris and the mother of Horus. }, When translated, the name Seshat means female scribe. It is possible that many of the texts were not kept in the Per-Ankh but discussed there and debated. A cookie which helps me track how many visitors come to my site and what pages they look at. Ancient Egyptian Beauty: Seshat, the Goddess of Writing and Wisdom Statue: $260.00. Writing, as David notes, could bring concepts or events into existence - from a king's decree to a mythological tale to a law, a ritual, or an answered prayer - but it also held and made permanent that which had passed out of existence. Triple Goddess (Neopaganism) W. Werethekau; Y. Yumjao Leima This page was last edited on 31 May 2022, at 21:51 (UTC). Seshat was known by the epithet Mistress of the House of Books because she looked after the library of the gods and was the patron of all earthly libraries. Unfortunately there is no clear evidence to confirm which view is correct. Women in ancient Egypt enjoyed a level of equality unmatched in the ancient world. He was associated by the Egyptians with speech, literature, arts, learning. Dani Rhys has worked as a writer and editor for over 15 years. Egyptologist Richard H. Wilkinson notes how Seshat appears in reliefs and inscriptions in the Early Dynastic Period as a goddess of measurements and writing, clearly indicating she was already an important deity at that time: Representations show the king involved in a foundation ritual known as "stretching the cord" which probably took place before work began on the construction of a temple or of any addition. Scorpion goddess of magic. /*