Mafdet, goddess of Egypt

Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses for kids - Mafdet

Mythology & History of ancient Egypt surrounding Mafdet, the cat goddess of justice, judgment and execution

Mafdet, goddess of Egypt

Discover the legends and myths and religious beliefs surrounding Mafdet, the Egyptian lion goddess of justice, judgment and execution was depicted in human form with the head of a lioness and a headdress of snakes !he was renown as a ferocious lion"goddess whose ferocity prevailed over snakes and scorpions Mafdet is believed to be the first of the #at $oddesses, predating %astet and !ekhmet Mafdet and was an early deification of legal justice in the form of executions and was believed to make rulings at judgment hall in the &nderworld where enemies of the pharaoh were decapitated with the lethal claw of Mafdet 'dditional facts & information about ancient Egypt, and its mysterious gods, is also available via(

Who was Mafdet?

Mafdet was the Egyptian lion god of the goddess of justice, judgment and execution Egyptian gods and goddesses closely resembled the appearance of humans, but many of their gods, such as Mafdet were also perceived as )human hybrids) depicted with human bodies with the heads of animals *hese symbols were used as a recognition aid and a device to visually convey the powers, identity and attributes of the deity Mafdet is depicted with the head of a lioness with a crown of snakes

Facts about Mafdet

*he following facts and profile provides a fast overview of Mafdet(

Mafdet Profile
Egyptian +ame( ,ole & -unction(

Fact File

Mafdet 'lternative +ames( Maftet or Mefdet *he function of Mafdet is described as being the goddess of justice, judgment and execution Mafdet was the first of the ancient Egyptian cat goddesses and lion gods %ig cats, snakes, executioner)s staff and the blade of execution *he ./ady of the #astle of /ife., .!layer of serpents., .!he who runs

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swiftly., .'venger of the 0ing. and the .$reat #at. Mafdet was also depicted as a wild cat, possibly a caracal a desert lynx, prowling up the side of an executioner)s rod to which a flint knife, called a 0hop, projects ' symbolic representation of an instrument of punishment1 Her name in hieroglyphics(

Mafdet in Egyptian Mythology - !he War Goddess

Mafdet, the Egyptian cat goddess of justice, judgment and execution, featured in the stories, myths and legends in Egyptian Mythology Depicted with the head of a lioness with a headdress of snakes she was revered for giving protection against snakes, scorpions and other dangerous animals *he name of Mafdet was therefore invoked in rituals of those afflicted by the deadly venoms Mafdet was also worshipped as the warrior goddess of sunset, destruction, death, rebirth and wisdom 2n the 3ld 0ingdom 45676 %# " 5878 %#9, Mafdet was depicted as the protector of the !un god ,a whose weaknesses included snakebites and scorpion stings Mafdet was described in the ancient :yramid *exts as killing a serpent with her claws *he scratch of her claws was lethal to snakes and such reptiles were rampant in the &nderworld 4Duat9 Her claws were therefore symbolically presented as the barbs of the king)s harpoon he used as a weapon as he sailed through the dangerous waters of the &nderworld before reaching the afterlife Mafdet was closely associated with the &nderworld and was seen as the protector of the pharaoh, his burial chambers, his tomb and his funeral bier

Mafdet and the Funeral "ier

' bier is movable frame on which a coffin, or a corpse, is placed before burial and carried to the grave 2n addition too her link with the pharaohs Mafdet, and other /ion headed gods and goddesses, were believed to guard certain halls and gates in the &nderworld /ion gods are therefore strongly associated with the dead and the &nderworld 4Duat9 *he heads of many biers bore the head of a lion or lioness and the foot of funeral biers were often ornamented with a cat)s tail *he following picture is believed to be the head of Mafdet as depicted on the funeral bier of an ancient Egyptian called !ennedjem !ennedjem was an artisan who worked upon the tombs built in the ;alley of the 0ings

Mafdet - !he First #at Goddess

Mafdet was the earliest recorded cat goddess 3ther cat goddesses followed including *efnut, <adjet, %astet, Menhit and!ekhmet Many of their ancient gods, including Mafdet, were subsumed 4meaning absorbed9 into new gods and goddesses *he practice of creating new deities by combining them with old gods is called )syncretism), meaning the fusion of religious beliefs and practices to form a new system 's *hebes rose to great prominence in ancient Egypt, the *heban triad of gods became a powerful political and religious force and the $oddess Mut absorbed aspects of other goddesses and was merged with <adjet, %ast, Menhit and Mafdet, who were all the warrior lioness goddesses *he power of Mafdet was at lasted abated " she was completely merged with Mut

$fferings to Mafdet
*he following picture shows a temple scene in which a cat goddess is being worshipped *he lotus flower, features strongly in the picture, as does the incense burner 2ncense offerings were made on a daily basis and scent played such an important part in temples, daily life and magical rituals 3nly priests, priestesses and royalty were allowed inside temples 3rdinary Egyptians worshipped and made offerings at small shrines in their homes ' statue of the goddess Mafdet might have been placed on the altar table and ancient Egyptians prayed and gave offerings to the god whilst kneeling on a reed mat

Facts about Mafdet in Egyptian Mythology

Discover interesting information and research facts about Mafdet, the Egyptian sun goddess of war *he facts about Mafdet provides a list detailing fascinating additional info to increase your knowledge about Mafdet in Egyptian Mythology

%istory, Mythology and Facts about Mafdet

-act 8( Mafdet became popularity started during the -irst Dynasty of the 3ld 0ingdom -act 5( /eontopolis was famous as the cult center of the lion gods and cat goddesses -act =( Mafdet was revered as a protector of royalty -act >( 2n +ew 0ingdom tomb scenes she was shown as executioner of evil creatures in the afterlife -act ?( Mafdet was also known to protect against scorpion stings and snakebites and was viewed as a mediator in healing rituals for those who were afflicted by such injuries -act 6( Mafdet was believed to ripped out the hearts of wrong"doers, delivering them to the pharaoh)s feet and was seen to protect the :haraoh against rebellion -act @( 2n the period of the +ew 0ingdom Mafdet was often identified with the goddess Mut, the consort of 'mun, and was eventually )absorbed) by the goddess -act 7( *he protection of Mafdet was invoked in an 'ncient Egyptian spell which repelled snakes(

"O cobra, I am the flame which shines on the brows of the Chaos-gods of the Standard of Years. Begone from me, for I am Mafdet!" -act A( Mafdet is a breed of !iamese cats