Waset

This goddess, whose name (often written Wosret) means ‘the powerful female one’, is associated primarily with the Theban area and was possibly the earliest consort of the god Amun before the rise to power of Mut. Her name is that of the city of Thebes and she appears in the names of the three Middle Kingdom pharaohs of Theban origin called Senwosret (Sesostris) which means ‘man of Wosret’. Waset may have originally been a form of the goddess Hathor, but she certainly took on her own identity as time progressed. She was depicted in anthropomorphic form as a goddess holding her symbol, the was ‘power’ sceptre to which a plume and ribbons were attached.

Female Anthropomorphic Deities

(Left) A tree goddess,

Symbolized by her fruit-tree headdress, bestows offermgs on the deceased. 18th dynasty. Tomb of Nakht, western Thebes.

(Below left) The deceased worships before a tree goddess who offers gifts. Canopic box. 19th dynasty. Egyptian Museum, Berlin.

(Left) TIte goddess Waset, as personification of the dty of Thebes, could be depicted in a martial guise with bow, arrows and axe which symbolized the military might of the Theban pharaohs. Detail, New Kingdom relief carving. Western Thebes.

Tree goddesses. These deities were represented in a -. ariety of ways. Images of trees labelled as goddesses are known and fully anthropomorphic personifications of tree goddesses are also found, though the most usual depiction consisted of a composite of the upper body of the goddess rising from

Mammalian Deities