Meretseger

Meretseger, also merit seger, Meresger, Meretsegeret, Mert - sekert is an ancient Egyptian goddess. She was the local goddess of the Theban necropolis and was particularly revered by the Nekropolenarbeitern in the workers' settlement of Deir el -Medina. She was an all-powerful goddess, help the population, punish or could forgive.

Name and designations

Your name is often loves with Those who silence, the silence from the makers or lovers Those who loves silence played. However, the name Meretseger is probably rather she loves the silence translate.

Due to their importance Meretseger also has numerous epithets ( epithets ): The large peak of the West of Thebes, the magic kingdom ( Weret Hekau ), mistress of the palace or bears the name of their " residence ", Dehenet - Imentet ( summit of the West). Meretseger was referred to as the eye of the Re.

Iconography

The presentation of the Meretseger was very diverse due to its numerous epithets. She was depicted as a woman with a snake head, snake or Sphinx with snake head. More pictures but they also show as a cow or a Löwinnenkopf. My headdress was a cylindrical Fruchtmaß ( modius ), which could be surrounded by a frieze of uraeus. In addition there were two springs Falk and sometimes the solar disk. But the Hathorkrone, the crown of Lower Egypt or a simple headband adorned the head of the goddess.

Cult and meaning

Originally Meretseger was so that their meaning was primarily the sole personification of the Theban necropolis in its function as the goddess of the necropolis of Thebes, where she was worshiped by the workers. Your most important places of worship were therefore on the Theban west bank. So was located near the village of Deir el -Medina, a rock sanctuary, enjoyed in the Ptah and Meretseger a cult. Stelae from Deir el -Medina (eg the stele of the craftsman Neferabu from the reign of Ramesses II, Turin CGT 50058 ) report on the dangerous nature of the goddess. In addition, she received several small chapels at the foot of the summit el- Qurn. She also found veneration in some private houses and were celebrated in her honor festivals. In Esna a goddess named Hathor Meretseger was worshiped.

In the New Kingdom, the worship of Meretseger changed. Especially in the Ramesside period ( 19th and 20th dynasty ), the goddess was worshiped as the personification of a mountain peak that dominates the western bank of Thebes.