Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we'll be discussing Sekhmet.

In the pantheon of ancient Egyptian deities, Sekhmet, the fierce and powerful lioness goddess, holds a unique position, one of great power and importance. Her name, derived from the ancient Egyptian word "sekhem" which means "power" or "might," captures the essence of her divine role as a protector and a punisher. Her head was surmounted by the sun disc encircled by the Uraeus. The sun disc symbolized the Eye of Ra, and the Uraeus was the rearing cobra that symbolized divine authority. Sekhmet embodied the dichotomy of life and death, wielding destruction and restoration as a person would a sword and shield - this making her a complex and enigmatic pattern in the tapestry of Egyptian mythology, for she was capable both of annihilating the enemies of the Sun God and of healing those fortunate enough to find succor beneath the bulwark of her protection.

While Sekhmet was a harbinger of death and did unleash carnage, when it came to royalty, particularly pharaohs, she was unequivocally a protective force, functioning as a sort of protective mother to the kings of Egypt. In Memphis, the capital city where the Pharaohs lived during the Old Kingdom, Sekhmet was worshiped as the consort of Ptah, who created the universe with his heart and tongue, and as the mother of Nefertem, the personification of the primeval lotus from which Ra, the sun god, emerged when creation commenced.

She was often associated with Ra, as his daughter and the manifestation of his destructive power. Her prowess as a warrior was legendary, her fiery breath and fierce gaze capable of either wiping-out her enemies or safeguarding those under her protection.

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