Who the goddess Taweret is?
In ancient Egypt, Taweret was thought to be one of the most popular goddesses. She was believed to be a goddess of fertility & successful pregnancy. She was also thought to act as a protector of children.
Taweret family tree
There were different types of myths referring different family relationships of Taweret. Earlier, she was thought to be the wife of Apep. While she is represented in crocodile form, it denotes her marital relationship with Sobek.
Bes who is also associated with the childbirth sometimes is referred to as the husband of Taweret. On the other hand, in the Thebian mythology, she is believed to the wife of Amun.
How Taweret is represented?
Goddess Taweret is generally represented in a mixed form with the head of a hippopotamus, a lion’s claws, the tail of a crocodile & the body of a woman. Large breasts & big belly are also represented with the body of the woman. It denoted Taweret’s nature of protective goddess of a pregnant woman.
Association of childbirth & hippopotamus with the goddess
There is an interesting myth form which we can understand the association of the animal hippopotamus with Taweret. She helped Isis after the death of her husband Osiris by seizing Set in the northern side of the sky & blocking him from attacking Isis & her newborn baby.
If we look at this myth, we will clearly understand that this myth set the reason behind the protective nature of Taweret during childbirth. The reason why she is usually depicted with the head of a hippopotamus can be understood from the prevention of Taweret from Set & the destructive as well as the dangerous nature of this animal.
The main duty of Taweret
Ancient Egyptians believed that Taweret always helped women during to time of childbirth. She protected the newborn baby from any evil spirits who could cause harm to the child. She was also believed to be helpful in several aspects of female sexuality.
The path to the mountain of the west led to the underworld. She protects this world from the underworld by guarding the path. Apart from this, she also uses magic to help the deceased pass safely through the threatened & dangerous land.
Taweret as a fertility goddess
Apart from her protective nature towards the pregnant woman, Taweret was also believed to be a goddess of fertility. Thus, she was associated with the inundation of the Nile river.
Cult center
Earlier, Taweret was seen as an evil goddess in respect to her association with Apep. Later, from the period of Old Kingdom, she started to be believed to be a protective goddess of childbirth. Taweret was greatly worshipped in Karnak. In late temple scenes, she is depicted as a protective divinity.
Archaeological evidence of Taweret
From the site of Deir el-Medina, a number of wall paintings depicting Taweret have been recovered. On the other hand, a very large number of amulets depicting Taweret have been discovered during the excavations of the houses of El-Amarna which was the capital city of Akhenaten, a pharaoh of Egypt of the 18th dynasty.
