Sekhmet

Sekhmet is an ancient Egyptian goddess of war, destruction, and healing. She is a lioness-headed goddess associated with the sun god Ra. She embodies fierce, protective power, and her name is often translated as 'the Powerful One' or 'she who is mighty'.

In art she is depicted as a lioness-headed woman, sometimes seated or standing; she wears a solar disk with a uraeus on her head. She is sometimes shown with red skin to emphasize her fierceness, and is associated with symbols of kingship and healing.

Sekhmet's origin is linked to the sun and the Memphis cult. She is described as the daughter of Ra and as the wife of Ptah and mother of Nefertem in Memphis tradition. She forms the Memphis triad with Ptah and Nefertem; later she is sometimes identified with Hathor.

Her roles include war and pestilence as well as healing and protection. She guards the pharaoh and sustains order, invoked by physicians and healers. In the Destruction of Mankind myth, Ra sends Sekhmet to punish humanity, but beer dyed red pacifies her and she becomes Hathor.

Her principal cult center was Memphis, where she had a temple and formed part of the local triad with Ptah and Nefertem. Rituals, processions, and offerings emphasized her dual power as healer and warrior.

Sekhmet appears frequently in Egyptian art and inscriptions from the Old Kingdom through the New Kingdom, reflecting her central role in royal ideology and religious practice. She remains a notable example of the dualities in Egyptian religion: fierce protector and healer.