View source for Hesat

{{short description|Ancient Egyptian cow goddess}}
{{Ancient Egyptian religion}}
[[File:Hathor cow.svg|thumb|Basic image of [[Hathor|Hathor's]] portrayal as a cow, to whom Hesat is closely related.]]
'''Hesat''' is an [[ancient Egyptian deities|ancient Egyptian goddess]] in the form of a [[cow]]. She was said to provide humanity with milk (called "the beer of Hesat") and in particular to suckle the [[pharaoh]] and several ancient Egyptian [[bull (mythology)|bull gods]]. In the [[Pyramid Texts]] she is said to be the mother of [[Anubis]] and of the deceased king. She was especially connected with [[Mnevis]], the living bull god worshipped at [[Heliopolis (Ancient Egypt)|Heliopolis]], and the mothers of Mnevis bulls were buried in a cemetery dedicated to Hesat. In [[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Ptolemaic]] times (304–30 BC) she was closely linked with the goddess [[Isis]].<ref>[[Richard H. Wilkinson|Wilkinson, Richard H.]] (2003). ''The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt''. [[Thames & Hudson]]. pp. 173–174</ref>
In [[Egyptian mythology]], [[Hathor]] is one of the main cattle deities as she is the mother of [[Horus]] and [[Ra]] and closely associated with the role of royalty and kingship.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Hathor/|title=Hathor|work=[[World History Encyclopedia]]|access-date=2018-12-03}}</ref> Hesat is one of [[Hathor|Hathor's]] manifestations, usually portrayed as a white cow representing purity and the milk that she produces to give life to humanity.<ref name=":0" />  Other feminine bovine deities include Sekhat-Hor, [[Mehet-Weret|Mehet-Weryt]], and Shedyt.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Von Lieven|first=Alexandra|author-link=:de:Alexandra von Lieven|date=2012|title=Book of the Dead, Book of the Living: BD Spells as Sample Texts|journal=[[Journal of Egyptian Archaeology|The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology]]|volume=98|pages=249–67|doi=10.1177/030751331209800114}}</ref> Their masculine counterparts include [[Apis (deity)|Apis]], [[Mnevis]], Sema-wer, Ageb-wer.<ref name=":1" />
==Artistic representations==
While there are not many images of Hesat that are recorded and published, there are a few representations on pieces that belong to major museums worldwide. The [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] has in its collection ''Scarab with the Representation of Hathor as a Cow''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/553356?searchField=All&amp;sortBy=relevance&amp;ft=hesat&amp;offset=0&amp;rpp=20&amp;pos=1|title=Scarab with the Representation of Hathor as Cow|last=Metropolitan Museum of Art staff member|website=www.metmuseum.org|access-date=2018-12-03}}</ref> The hieroglyphs on this late period piece read ḥȜst or ḥsȜt determined with a recumbent cow with the following hieroglyphs:<hiero>
HA V17 t
</hiero>This spelling of her name is using [[Substitution cipher|cryptographic substitution]], which became established in the New Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Earth|last=Roberson|first=Joshua Aaron|date=2014-06-23|publisher=Lockwood Press|isbn=9781937040253|pages=93|doi = 10.2307/j.ctvvncvt}}</ref> Traditionally phonetic spellings of Hesat's name from earlier periods were usually written as follows:<ref>{{Cite book|title=A concise dictionary of Middle Egyptian|last=Faulkner|first=Raymond O.|author-link=Raymond O. Faulkner|date=1962|publisher=[[Griffith Institute]]|isbn=9780900416323|location=Oxford|pages=177|oclc=4466599}}</ref><hiero>
V28 O34 G39 G1 t E4
</hiero>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Ancient Egyptian religion footer}}
[[Category:Egyptian goddesses]]
[[Category:Animal goddesses]]
[[Category:Cattle deities]]
[[Category:Hathor]]