Sekhmet

three statues of the Goddess Sekhmet, lioness-headed and wearing the Solar disk with the Uraeus;
dated to the reign of King Amenhotep III, from ‘Uaset’-Thebes; now in the Louvre Museum…

 

“Sekhmet the Great-One,
She Who grasps every impious man for annihilate him utterly,
She is the pupil of the Sun in the ‘Udjat’-Eye”
(from the demotic magical papyrus of London)

 

the name of the Goddess ‘Sekhmet’ written in hieroglyphics:
Sḫmt ,
whose egyptian pronunciation preserved in Old Coptic (Coptic is the last stage of the Egyptian Language and its last writing system) is
“Sàkhmi”
the stress falls on the “a” that is pronounced as pure vowel.
Concerning the pronunciation ‘Sekhmet’, it is simply the conventional reading invented by the scholars and it does not reflect the real pronunciation of the Egyptian language (as it is written at the beginning of every grammar of hieroglyphs).
The pronunciation “Sàkhmi” is attested for example in the male proper name ‘P3-dj-Sḫmt’, whose pronunciation is “PeteSàkhmi” and whose meaning is “He who was given by Sàkhmi”;
the female form (“She who was given by Sàkhmi”) is ‘T3-dj-Sḫmt’, whose pronunciation is “TeteSàkhmi”.
(Detail from the south-east wall of the “Complex of Sokar and Nefertum” in the “Great Temple” of King Sethi I at Abydos)

 

-Some Divine Names of the Goddess Sekhmet from the Hymns of the Temple of the God Horus at Behdet (Edfou): 

-Eye of Ra
-Fire-breathing Lion
-Lady of protection Who surrounds Her creator
-You Who illumine the Double Land with Your flame
-You give the faculty of sight to all
-Lady of Flame
-Great of Flame
-Great of Terror
-in fear of Whom the Double Land trembles
-with red heart toward Him from whom She issues forth, when He brought Her back after imploring Her
-Uraeus on the head of Her Master
-She Who protects with Her Flame
-the One Who makes every eye to see, without blindness happening
-when She rise, the Light appears
-when She go back, Darkness comes
-She Who clothes Her Master in Her Light
-She Who conceals Him inside Her pupil
-Ardent Flame
-She Who lights a fire, when She took the torch
-She Whose flame is well-respected among mankind
-She Who causes Her flame to rise
-She for Whom the two skies open at once after She shows Herself in splendor
-Lady of Slaughter
-the One Who turns Her face toward the south, the north, the west, and the east, in such a way that mankind is in fear
-She Who enters in the opening of the mountains
-She from Which the flame fills for Him (Ra) the Double Land
-She Who fashions Her Lord on Herself
-She Whose place is preeminent in front of Him
-the One Who spreads out Your(King’s) terror upon everything
-the One Who has been asked for life by those who rest in Your (King’s) hand
-Eater of blood
-the One Who does not push away the arm’s grip
-the One Who establishes Her domination in the House of the Gods
-more Divine than the Gods
-more Glorious than the Ennead
-Lady of Light
-She Whose place is preeminent on the head of Her Lord (Ra)
-Lady of Flame
-the One Who is in Her moment of rage
-She Who grasps hearts for Herself
– Lady of Life of the Double Land
– She Who presides as the Power for capturing the Wanderers (dangerous spirits)
– She Who can be the cause of death
– Lady of the Uraeus
– She Whom we fear around the Shrine
– She Who opens the mountains
– She for Whom the desert animals have been killed on account of the fear which She inspires
– She Whose sight reduces all things to ashes while humans bow down before Her
– Woman Who plays the role of the male
– She Whom every God fears
– She Who is at the head of all things
– She thanks to Whom what every eye sees can be contemplated
– the One Who shines
– She on account of Whom one jubilates when it is ordered that Her flame advances
– When She shines, one jubilates because of Her
– When She is kind, the flame is pacified
– She at Whose setting the darkness appears, in such a way that if someone nods his head to his neighbor, they will not see one another
– Lady of Flame
– Great One Who causes all to tremble
– the power of any other God turns out to be non-existent when He is handed over to Her
– Lady of Maat
– She Who hates the thief
– She Who devours the enemy of the Gods to satiation, in accordance with the desire of Ra
– She for Whom heads are severed by Her spirits messengers
– She Who is at the head of Her wandering spirits
– She Who fills the ways with blood
– She Who slays to the limit of all She sees
– She Who opens, and one lives
– She Who seals, and one dies
– Lady of Life Who awards according to Her desire
– She Who presides over the country
– Lady of Vegetation
– Generous One
– Sekhmet who protects the Double Land
– the Curled One
– Lady of Obscurity
– Uadjet the Great
– the One Who moves in light
– the One Who terrifies the Gods by Her massacre
– the One Who guides mankind
– Lady of the (Two) Shores
– Lady of humanity
– Luminous One
– the Great One
– Preeminent in the Mansion of Fire
– She Who terrorizes the Double Land by Her fear
– the One Who loves Maat
– She Who detests unrighteousness
– Lady of the rekhyt-human beings
– Uraeus Who causes the acacia to bloom
– Sovereign One
– the Great

 

 

-HYMN TO THE GODDESS SEKHMET-
from the “House of Flame” (Pr-Nsr), the south-west chapel of the Sanctuary of Hathor at Nitentore (Dendera)
(cfr. Dendera III 164-165)

“Salutations to You, O Eye of Ra in the Palace,
the Uraeus Whose fire is great,
Sekhmet the Great,
the Uraeus of Ra,
She Who protects all the Gods,
the Lady of the golden sistrum and of the faience,
the Lady of the the sistrum of turquoise,
the Lady of drunkenness,
the Lady of bread,
the Lady of beer,
we sacrifice cattle and geese for Her,
the Uraeus Lady of Punt,
we fumigate with incense for Her,
we sacrifice geese and oryxes for Her,
the Beautiful One,
the Lady of honey and of the grape juice,
we satisfy Her ‘Ka’-spirit, it is the truth,
She is the Sovereign of the spirits messengers, She Who sends the spirits messengers, and They do not seize Her citizens,
the Lady of the Sky and the Sovereign of the Earth,
the Eye of Ra on His head,
the Lady of transformations on the forehead of Him Who created Her,
the Shining Uraeus and the Lady of the Horizon,
the Powerful One and the Beloved One of Ptah,
the Female Who raises an army,
the Sovereign in the Sky, no one is equal to Her,
Life and Death are under Her authority,
the Daughter of Ra, She is His double,
the Wife Who leads the husbands,
the Beautiful Maiden of Ra,
no one opposes Her among the Gods,
She is the Queen of the Sky, of the Earth, and of the NetherWorld, of waters and hills,
there is no region that does not know Her name.
Gods and Goddesses are worshipping You,
the crew of Ra is Your retinue.
May Mut, Sekhmet, Bastet, Outo (‘Uadjet’), and Shesemtet protect the son that They love, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, the Lord of the Two Lands, Horus, the beloved one of Hathor the Lady of Nitentore (Dendera)”

-PRAYER TO SEKHMET FROM THE TEXTS OF THE RITUALS OF THE FEAST OF OPENING THE YEAR OF THE REIGN OF HORUS-
[Cfr. Edfou VI 155,8 – 156,2 , translated by L. Tripani]

“O Sekhmet of yesterday, Outo of today, Thou hast come and hast replenished this offering table of the Living Falcon, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, King Horus on Earth, even as Thou didst for Thy father Horus, when Thou camest forth from Pe-Bouto.
Protect the Living Falcon, the Son of Ra, Ptolemaeus, may He live forever, the Beloved of Ptah, King Horus on Earth, with that papyrus-wand of Life in Thy hand, in that Thy name of Outo.
Shoot Thine arrow at all the victuals of those who shall speak any malicious word against the Living Falcon,
Let a slaughter be made of them like as when Thou didst prevail over the enemies of Ra in the Primordial age in that Thy name of Sekhmet.
Thine offerings belong to the Living Falcon, He is Ra from Whom Thou camest forth.
O Sekhmet, shoot Thine arrow at all the enemies of the Living Falcon.
O Bastet, mayest Thou draw out their hearts so that they be assigned to the brazier of Horus Who devours meat pieces.”

(words of Sekhmet)
“Mine arrow shall not miss them. I am Sekhmet Who prevaileth over a million.
I have shot at all the enemies of the Living Falcon, the Living Hawk.”

“Horus, Horus, the papyrus-wand of Sekhmet is about the flesh of the Living Falcon, whole for life!”

 

-HYMN TO THE GODDESS SEKHMET-BASTET-
from the Temple of the Goddess Hathor at Nitentore (Dendera) 
(cfr. Dendera III 184-185)

“Sekhmet-Bastet, She Who has Power over the host of beings,
Sekhmet the Daughter of the Great God (Ra),
the Brilliant-One,
the Powerful-One,
the Fierce-One,
the Shining-One,
the Appeased Lady of Offerings,
the Lady of Transformations on the forehead of Him (Ra) Who begot Her,
the Only Uraeus of many faces Who overthrows or Who gives Life to him who is under Her dominion,
Her Divine Emissaries (Her Daímones, Divine-Spirits) act in accordance with what She says”

 

-HYMN TO THE GODDESS SEKHMET-BASTET-
from the Temple of the Goddess Hathor at Nitentore (Dendera)
(cfr. Dendera, XVIII-XXVIII, 123)

“Hail to Thee, Sekhmet-Bastet,
Queen of Heaven,
Queen of the Two Lands,
the Eye of Ra on His head,
the Lady of transformations on the forehead of Him Who begot Her,
the Female and the Lady of Fury,
the Uraeus Who is the Master of Fear,
the Female Falcon Queen of the Horizon,
She Who appears on the head of the Lord of the Horizon in Her manifestation of the Lady of the amulets,
the Beloved Uraues on the head of Him from Whom She came forth in Her form of She of the many faces,
the Guiding Uraeus,
the Daughter of the Great God Ra,
the Brilliant-One,
the Shining-One,
the Powerful-One Who is the Power,
Peace belongs to You, Lady of Life,
She orders the bloodshed, Life and Death are under Her Dominion,
the Lady of Food Who creates nourishment, the human beings live thanks to Thee;
Thou art the stream who opens the Two Caverns,
the North Wind Who opens the Gates of Heaven, the Earth, and the Air, this is Thine own body,
it is Thy sister Who brings about the ‘menw’-beverage and the beer,
all the emanations of Thy body come forth to give Life to Gods and mortals.
Thou art Sekhmet Who is at the prow of the Morning Boat of Ra, Outo (‘Uadjet’) on the head of Him Who begot Her”