Who the Goddess Hededet was

There were many deities in ancient Egypt who were worshipped in the form of invertebrates & insects. Hededet was one of them. Hededet was known to be a goddess who was worshipped in the form of a scorpion.

Her functions were very similar to the functions of another popular scorpion goddess Serket. In ancient hieroglyphs, her name is spelt as ‘Hedjedjet’. She was considered as the daughter of the Sun God Ra.

Scorpion in Ancient Egyptian Myths

If we discuss the key elements of ancient Egyptian myths, we can easily point out the important place of scorpions in their ancient myths. It was known to Egyptian that scorpions were venomous.

Although, scorpions were also considered to be divine entities who have the power to protect. This may have been the reason why scorpions were depicted in ancient Egyptian monuments specifically in tombs.

The Protector Goddess

Hededet was believed to be a great protector goddess. According to ancient Egyptian myths, Hededet was one of the many deities whose main purpose was to serve for the protection of the Sun God Ra.

Thus, her main duty was to protect Ra from the ferocious, malevolent and evil-spirited serpent deity Apep or Apophis in the underworld. She was also believed to have the healing power against the bites of snake & scorpion.

Iconography of Hededet

The very common and standard iconography o Hededet is reflected through her representation. She is usually depicted in the form of a seated goddess with a scorpion on her head. In this type of representation, she is shown nursing a child. This also symbolizes the motherly qualities in her. This representation is predominant in her depictions in amulets.

It is mentioned in the ‘Book of the Dead’ that in the later times, she was merged with the scorpion goddess Serket and later on with another popular goddess Isis.

Cult Centre of Hededet

The second district of Upper Egypt was known as Nekhen. Hededet was mainly worshipped around this region.