Serket
Serket (also known as Serqet, Selkis, and Selket) is an Egyptian goddess of protection associated with the scorpion. She was worshipped widely in Lower Egypt as a great Mother Goddess in the Predynastic Period (c. 6000- c. 3150 BCE) and so is among the older deities of Egypt.
She is associated with healing, magic, and protection, and her name means “She Who Causes the Throat to Breathe”. Her symbols are the scorpion, the Ankh, and the Was Sceptre, all of which convey her benevolent aspects. In the Predynastic Period, she was the protector of the Kings as evidenced by archaeological finds linking her by the name Serqet to the Scorpion Kings, defeated at some point around the reign of Narmer (r. c. 3150 BCE). During that period she was already closely associated with protection and her worship had grown from the Delta Region of Lower Egypt to the cities of Upper Egypt.
By the time of the First Dynasty (c. 3150-2890 BCE) she was associated with the god Nun (also known as Nu), the Father of the Gods. Nun was the watery abyss from which the primordial hill (the ben-ben) rose on which Atum (Ra) stood at the dawn of creation. It is unclear what role she played, if any, in the creation of the world, but evidence suggests she may have been the wife of Atum, the first son of Nun, or even the wife of Nun himself. Later, she is represented as one of the deities aboard the barge of the sun god Ra, who watch out for the serpent Apophis as the boat sails through the night sky.
She is associated with healing, magic, and protection, and her name means “She Who Causes the Throat to Breathe”. Her symbols are the scorpion, the Ankh, and the Was Sceptre, all of which convey her benevolent aspects. In the Predynastic Period, she was the protector of the Kings as evidenced by archaeological finds linking her by the name Serqet to the Scorpion Kings, defeated at some point around the reign of Narmer (r. c. 3150 BCE). During that period she was already closely associated with protection and her worship had grown from the Delta Region of Lower Egypt to the cities of Upper Egypt.
By the time of the First Dynasty (c. 3150-2890 BCE) she was associated with the god Nun (also known as Nu), the Father of the Gods. Nun was the watery abyss from which the primordial hill (the ben-ben) rose on which Atum (Ra) stood at the dawn of creation. It is unclear what role she played, if any, in the creation of the world, but evidence suggests she may have been the wife of Atum, the first son of Nun, or even the wife of Nun himself. Later, she is represented as one of the deities aboard the barge of the sun god Ra, who watch out for the serpent Apophis as the boat sails through the night sky.
She is the goddess of venomous creatures, most notably the scorpion, and is depicted as a beautiful woman, arms outstretched in a gesture of protection, with a scorpion on her head. The scorpion is purposefully shown without a stinger or claws to represent Serket’s role as protector against venomous stings. Serket was eventually absorbed into the Cult of Horus where she became closely associated with death and the souls of the deceased. She was then known as “Lady of the Beautiful Tent” which referred to the tent of the embalmers. She is best known for her golden statue and the alabaster canopic jar from the Tomb of Tutankhamun.
Early Role in Religion
There are no mythological tales extant of Serket’s origin as there are for most of the other Egyptian gods. She is referenced as being present at the creation of the world but no mention is made of her role. She was seen as a mother goddess in the prehistoric period of Egypt and was already associated with the scorpion which “was a symbol of motherhood in many areas of the Near East” (Wilkinson, 234). She is depicted as nursing the kings of Egypt in the Pyramid Texts, which date to the Old Kingdom (2613-2181 BCE), and one of the protective spells from those texts – known as PT 1375 – reads, “My mother is Isis, my nurse is Nephthys…Neith is behind me, and Serket is before me” (Wilkingson, 233). These four goddesses would later be represented famously in Tutankhamun’s tomb on the canopic chest and as gold statues protecting the gilded shrine.
There is no evidence of temples to Serket in any region of Egypt suggesting to some scholars that she either never had any or, more likely, that she was absorbed into the figures of other deities such as Hathor or Neith, who are equally ancient. Neith was the patron goddess of the Delta city of Zau (later known as Sais). Like Hathor, Neith was originally a fierce goddess associated with destruction who later came to be related to weaving and then to wisdom (just as Hathor was originally a blood-thirsty destroyer who became a benevolent protectress). It is possible that Serket followed this same pattern first arising as a mother goddess with a slightly swollen womb and then coming to be associated with scorpions and venom because scorpion bites were so often fatal to Egyptian children. Scholar Geraldine Pinch writes:
Early Role in Religion
There are no mythological tales extant of Serket’s origin as there are for most of the other Egyptian gods. She is referenced as being present at the creation of the world but no mention is made of her role. She was seen as a mother goddess in the prehistoric period of Egypt and was already associated with the scorpion which “was a symbol of motherhood in many areas of the Near East” (Wilkinson, 234). She is depicted as nursing the kings of Egypt in the Pyramid Texts, which date to the Old Kingdom (2613-2181 BCE), and one of the protective spells from those texts – known as PT 1375 – reads, “My mother is Isis, my nurse is Nephthys…Neith is behind me, and Serket is before me” (Wilkingson, 233). These four goddesses would later be represented famously in Tutankhamun’s tomb on the canopic chest and as gold statues protecting the gilded shrine.
There is no evidence of temples to Serket in any region of Egypt suggesting to some scholars that she either never had any or, more likely, that she was absorbed into the figures of other deities such as Hathor or Neith, who are equally ancient. Neith was the patron goddess of the Delta city of Zau (later known as Sais). Like Hathor, Neith was originally a fierce goddess associated with destruction who later came to be related to weaving and then to wisdom (just as Hathor was originally a blood-thirsty destroyer who became a benevolent protectress). It is possible that Serket followed this same pattern first arising as a mother goddess with a slightly swollen womb and then coming to be associated with scorpions and venom because scorpion bites were so often fatal to Egyptian children. Scholar Geraldine Pinch writes:
Scorpion stings were a common hazard in Ancient Egypt. The female scorpion is larger than the male and has a greater supply of poison. Representations of Selket always show the tail raised in the stinging position. Scorpion stings cause a burning pain and shortness of breath and can be fatal to young children and the elderly. (189)
Her name, “She Who Causes the Throat to Breathe” comes directly from her association with the scorpion. Amulets were carried with her name on them to protect people from scorpion bites or to help them breathe if they were bitten.
Serket & the Osiris Myth
The Osiris Myth was the most popular story in ancient Egypt, gaining adherents steadily until, by the New Kingdom (1570-1069 BCE), it significantly informed the values of Egyptian culture. The Osiris Myth tells the story of the god Osiris and his sister-wife Isis who reign over the early paradise of the world. Their brother Set becomes jealous of Osiris and traps him in an ornate casket, killing him, and then hurls the box into the Nile.
Isis retrieves her husband’s body and brings him back to Egypt, hiding him in the swamps of the Delta region. She asks her sister Nephthys to stand guard while she goes to gather herbs to return him to life but, while she is gone, Set finds Nephthys and tricks her into revealing where Osiris’ body is hidden. He hacks the body to pieces and scatters them across Egypt and into the Nile, and when Isis returns, she only finds the weeping Nephthys who tells her what has happened.
Text Source.
Her name, “She Who Causes the Throat to Breathe” comes directly from her association with the scorpion. Amulets were carried with her name on them to protect people from scorpion bites or to help them breathe if they were bitten.
Serket & the Osiris Myth
The Osiris Myth was the most popular story in ancient Egypt, gaining adherents steadily until, by the New Kingdom (1570-1069 BCE), it significantly informed the values of Egyptian culture. The Osiris Myth tells the story of the god Osiris and his sister-wife Isis who reign over the early paradise of the world. Their brother Set becomes jealous of Osiris and traps him in an ornate casket, killing him, and then hurls the box into the Nile.
Isis retrieves her husband’s body and brings him back to Egypt, hiding him in the swamps of the Delta region. She asks her sister Nephthys to stand guard while she goes to gather herbs to return him to life but, while she is gone, Set finds Nephthys and tricks her into revealing where Osiris’ body is hidden. He hacks the body to pieces and scatters them across Egypt and into the Nile, and when Isis returns, she only finds the weeping Nephthys who tells her what has happened.
Text Source.