Who the Goddess Serket is
Serket was believed to be the scorpion goddess of protection. She was a goddess who was believed to have both positive and negative sides. Role of Serket can be seen in several myths of ancient Egypt. One of her important duty was to guard deceased king. Serket is often seen to be paired with Neith, goddess of war and weaving.
The Meaning of the Name of the Goddess
The meaning of the full form of the Egyptian name of the goddess, ‘Serket hetyt’ is ‘she who causes the throat to breathe’. She was believed to be associated with healing, magic, protection etc. She was also known as Serqet, Selkis, and Selket.
Mother Goddess Serket
Serket was also believed to be a mother goddess. In fact, historically scorpion was regarded as a symbol of motherhood in many areas of Near East. In a scene came from the New Kingdom, Serket is seen in a supportive role in the divine birth of Amenophis III in Luxor Temple.
Mistress of the Beautiful House
In her funerary role, Serket is sometimes called ‘mistress of the beautiful house’. This title refers that she was believed to be a protector of embalming pavilion.
Both Protector and Punisher
Although Serket was known to be a protective goddess, she also had a harmful side where she gives punishment to those who do wrong. The mythological story of the birth of Horus can be mentioned here. In this story, seven scorpions who are emanations of Serket, protect Isis and her unborn child and also punishes a woman who refuses to give her shelter.
His protective nature can also be seen from the same myth where she along with Nephthys, another protective goddess assist Isis in guarding the infant god Horus after he was bitten.
Iconography of Serket
Serket is generally represented in an anthropomorphic form where she is depicted as a woman wearing a scorpion with a raised tail atop her head. In this depiction, the legs or claws of the scorpion are often omitted. For example, in the tomb of Tutankhamun, she is depicted as a protective goddess in the funerary context. This is the standard iconography of Serket.
In some cases in funerary context, she is also depicted in the form of a cobra or a lioness or a scorpion as well. When Serket is depicted as a divine mother, her iconography is very different. Here she is represented with a body of a woman, armed with knives along with the heads of both a lioness and a crocodile.
In the later period, this goddess often started to be depicted in a form of fusion with Isis. In this type of iconography, Serket is depicted with the body of a scorpion and the head of a woman wearing horns and solar disk.
The Cult of Serket
The antiquity of the worship of Serket can be traced back to the time period 1st dynasty. Her earliest image came from Saqqara where she appears on a funerary stela. This indicates that Serket was one of the oldest deities in the religious history of Egypt.
Serket was given a respected position while it came to magical spells. In many magical spells, She is said to protect and heal poisonous bites. She was regarded in an important position in those communities specifically who practised the discipline of magical medicine and dealt with such bites.
