|
In early Egyptian mythology,
Mafdet (also spelt Maftet) was the deification of legal justice,
or rather of execution. Thus she was also associated with the
protection of the king's chambers and other sacred places, and
with protection against venomous animals, which were seen as
transgressors against Ma'at.
Since venomous animals such as scorpions, and snake, are
killed by felines, Mafdet was seen as a feline goddess, although
it is uncertain whether she was meant to be a cat, panther,
or mongoose. In reflection of the manner in which these animals
kill snakes, her name means (she who) runs swiftly, and she
was given titles such as slayer of serpents.
In art, Mafdet was shown as a feline, or a woman with a feline
head, or a feline with a woman's head, sometimes with braided
hair which ended in the tails of scorpions. She was also depicted
as a feline running up the side of an executioner's staff.
It was said that Mafdet ripped out the hearts of wrong-doers,
delivering them personally to the pharaoh's feet, in a similar
manner as domestic cats present people with rodents or birds
that they have killed or maimed. During the New Kingdom, Mafdet
was seen as ruling over the judgement hall in Duat.
Her cult was eventually replaced by that of Bast,
another cat-goddess, who was seen as the pharaoh's protector.
Gods
and Goddesses Menu
This article is copied from
an article on Wikipedia.org
- the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user
community. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia
articles provide accurate and timely information please do
not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article
is distributed under the terms of GNU
Free Documentation License.
|
