Product info

<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>A comprehensive and thought-provoking study of one of the most important Ancient Egyptian deities, exploring Hathor's different roles and titles, her associations with other deities, alter-egos and assimilations, her temples, worship, festivals and subsequent decline in popularity towards the end of the Greco-Roman period.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><p><em>"Her cult, and encounters with her, was full of music, love and laughter. No stern, demanding deity, she rejoiced in her followers' happiness and many could say 'she placed joy in my heart'." </em>- Lesley Jackson</p><p>Hathor: A Reintroduction to an Ancient Egyptian Goddess is a comprehensive and thought-provoking study of one of the most important Ancient Egyptian deities. Primarily a Cow Goddess, Hathor was multifaceted, and her importance was emphasised through the many titles and roles she held. She was the goddess of the sky, sun, love, sex, dance, music, fertility, precious metals and gemstones, as well as being Protectress of Foreign Lands, Eye Goddess, Goddess of Desire, Lady of Drunkenness, and Lady of Fragrance.</p><p>Present in all aspects of life, Hathor was a goddess of childbirth, who protected her worshippers during life and offered protection on the journey into the afterlife. Daughter of the Sun God Ra, she was linked to other cow goddesses, as well as other major deities such as Isis, Bastet and Horus. She was intimately associated with the lioness goddess Sekhmet, who was both an aspect of Hathor and a significant and powerful goddess in her own right. The Seven Hathors, a seven-fold manifestation of Hathor, predicted the destiny of newborn children and the time and manner of a person's death and were invoked in love spells and protection charms.</p><p>This extensive work provides a welcome and much-needed exploration of one of the most influential goddesses of the ancient world. It explores Hathor's different roles and titles, her associations with other deities, alter-egos and assimilations, her temples, worship, festivals and her subsequent decline in popularity towards the end of the Greco-Roman period.</p><p>Author Lesley Jackson draws on a wide range of historical sources, including magical papyri, stelae, statues, jewellery, ritual objects and archaeological evidence, employing these to reveal the captivating history and numerous functions of this mesmerizing goddess. In doing so, she succeeds in reintroducing Hathor to us as a sovereign, powerful, beautiful and lovely goddess, she 'whose ba is powerful'.</p><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><p>A comprehensive guide to the ancient Egyptian goddess Hathor. This is a comprehensive collection of material relating to the huge range of aspects and attributes of Hathor covering the whole period of ancient Egyptian history.<br /> <br /> Perhaps the most familiar of her forms is the human-headed goddess with cow's ears, but she also had aspects as a tree goddess, a sky deity, a solar deity, the lady of drunkenness, the patron of music and dance, goddess of trade and protector of women, particularly in matters of fertility and childbirth and many others. The book covers all these and also catalogs all the names and epithets applied to Hathor at various periods and locations.<br /> <br /> Those listed on pages 15 to 19 alone number more than forty. This gives some idea of the vast amount of research which has gone into this book. As a source of material for researchers this is an impressive piece of work and the ten page bibliography would be well worth using selectively.</p><p>It is not an easy book to read straight through because of its wide range and scope. It is divided into short portions.<br /> <br /> Readers looking for material on particular aspects of the subject would find the material accessible using the sub-titles for each section. There are studies of objects and rituals associated with Hathor, temple sites both directly connected and containing references to Hathor and a section on the alter egos of the goddess. The book ends with a discussion of why Hathor's popularity waned. Jackson's answer is that Isis replaced Hathor in the popular mind. In Western tradition cows are not treated with the same religious respect as they are in the east so a cow goddess would not receive the love and respect offered to Hathor in ancient times.<br /> <br /> Perhaps it would be helpful to conclude this review with some of the author's final words: "Hathor's energy continues unabated and unimpeded. It is up to us to recognise it and acknowledge it, and having done that to enjoy the pleasure which she brings". - <em>Reviewed by ancientegyptmagazine dot com 5.0 out of 5 stars </em></p><br>

Price History