Dr Archana Verma
Hathor was an important Goddess in ancient Egypt, regarded as the mother of Sun god Ra, a sky goddess and the patron of the Pharaohs, who were regarded as the representatives of Ra on earth. She protected the Pharaohs, presided over happiness, fertility, abundance, dance and music. Thus, she was a kind of powerful Mother Goddess. She also helped the deceased souls migrate to the afterlife.
She was also represented as a divine cow, thus symbolising nourishment. Hence, she was represented with a headgear having cow horns and a solar disc in between.
Her emblems of solar discs and cow horns are depicted in pre-dynastic Egypt. But Hathor is specifically mentioned and depicted from the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom onwards (c2613–2494 BCE). Scholars are of the opinion that she rose to prominence as the protector of the rulers and subsumed other local goddesses, who were regarded as her manifestations. By way of comparison, Indian Goddess also has many forms who are regarded as her manifestations.
According to the Egyptian mythology, Cosmic Mother Goddess gave birth to the Sun in the beginning of Time. She was the ruler of th sky and the stars.
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