Neith, a goddess from one of the oldest Egyptian cultures, was the patron of war, impartiality and the funeral bier and mummification wrappings. Neith was seen as a woman who carried weapons of war, which were usually the bow and arrow. Neith was also a Goddess of the domestic arts and weaving. During Old Kingdom times Neith was a deity of war and would be invoked by soldiers for the protection of their weapons. These weapons were generally consecrated to the Goddess Neith.
During the New Kingdom though Neith was more closely associated with the Funerary rites,as mummy wrappings were called “Gifts of Neith”. At times Neith was considered the Creator Goddess who gave birth to the Universe even though she had no consort, she is one of only a few Goddesses who was to be given this ability.
When depicted in human form she wears the red crown of Lower Egypt, and in ancient times her preanthropomorphic symbol was a shield bearing crosses because she also was a local war goddess. This goddess of war also blessed hunters' weapons. The practice of placing weapons around the coffin in ancient Egyptian times could be traced to the goddess' protective functions.
No comments:
Post a Comment