Dr Archana Vema
Mehet-Weret was an ancient goddess who had the form of a cow and who carried the solar disc between her horns. She is mentioned in the ancient funerary pyramid texts datable to c 2700-2200 BCE, to the Late Old Kingdom.
Mehet-Weret was the goddess of creation, who was said to take the sun below the horizon into the netherworld every evening and then bring it back to life every morning. Thus she was the goddess of light and giver of life. In mythology, she also came to be known as the mother of the solar deity Ra. As the cow, she was symbolic of the nourishment of the universe.
Mehet-Weret was also invoked in the spells of the Book of Dead, as she was often depicted with the protecting eye. She also presided over the netherworld.
As other goddesses became prominent and took on the role of creation and sustenance, she was gradually identified with Neith, Hathor and Isis.
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