Neith

۸۴ طرفدار

۵۳ انتشار • فعال از ۲۰۱۳

Neith (Koine Greek: Νηΐθ), also spelled Nit, Net, or Neit, was an ancient Egyptian goddess, possibly of Libyan origin. She was associated with warfare, symbolized by her emblem of crossed bows, and with motherhood, as texts refer to her as the mother of deities such as the sun god Ra and the crocodile god Sobek. As a mother goddess, she was sometimes described as the creator of the world in Egyptian creation myths and referred to as the "Great Mother". She also played a role in funerary religion. Over time she became one of the four goddesses who protected the coffin and the internal organs of the deceased. Neith is among the earliest Egyptian deities attested in the archaeological record. Evidence of her worship dates to the Naqada II period (c. 3600–3350 BC). Her main cult center was the city of Sais in the western Nile Delta. She was particularly important during the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3100–2686 BC) and had a major sanctuary at Memphis. Later, other goddesses such as Hathor rose in prominence, though Neith remained important, especially during the Twenty-sixth Dynasty (664–525 BC), when Sais became Egypt's capital. During the Greek and Roman periods she continued to be worshipped in temples including Esna, and Greek writers identified her with the goddess Athena.