Nephthys
The Egyptian Goddess
Nephthys
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Name: Nephthys -
Gender Female:
Nephthys was a Goddess -
Depiction / Description
/ Symbol: Nephthys was depicted with the symbol of her name on top
of horns. In the funerary role, Nephthys was also depicted with the
head of a falcon or vulture, or as a woman with the bird's wings -
Jurisdiction: Nephthys was
described as being Goddess of Divine Assistance -
Mythical Family or
Relatives: Nephthys was believed to be the daughter of the Earth God, Geb, and the Sky Goddess, Nut. She was the sister of Osiris, Seth
and Nephthys. She was also the wife of Seth and mother of the God
Anubis whose father was Osiris.
Information about
the Egyptian Goddess Nephthys
The Egyptian Goddess, Nephthys, was seen as the Goddess of Divine Assistance
but was also associated with Death. Nephthys was one of the
Ennead, the collective name given to the nine original deities (Gods and Goddesses) of the cosmogony of Heliopolis (the birthplace of the Gods) in the creation myths and
legends. Nephthys was the wife of her brother
Seth and the mother of Anubis by her brother Osiris. Incest was seen as an acceptable element in the lives of the
Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, retaining the sacred bloodline.
Seth murdered Osiris and Nephthys
helped the widowed goddess Isis to collect the scattered limbs of Osiris
and with his resurrection. She is therefore seen as the faithful sister
and friend of Isis, and played a dual role with Isis as a maternal and
protective goddess and protector of the Pharaoh. Nephthys is often shown
shaking a sistrum, an Egyptian rattle, to frighten away Set.
Description &
Depiction of the Egyptian Goddess Nephthys - Part Human & Part Animal
The Egyptian Gods or Goddesses, such as Nephthys, were often depicted as
being part human and part animal. In the description of the Egyptian
Goddess Nephthys he / she was most frequently depicted with the body of a human
and with with the head of an animal - a Falcon or Vulture. In the Ancient Egyptian
religion certain animals were seen as sacred as they believed that the
Spirit of a God resided in these animals, such as the Falcon or Vulture, which were
revered and worshipped as reincarnated Gods during their lifetimes.
The Egyptian the
Goddess Nephthys - Creation and Relatives
The early Egyptian priests evolved a
creation myth, or Cosmogony, to explain how some of the Gods and
Goddesses came into being. The early Egyptian priests then evolved a
Family tree, the relatives of the main Egyptian Gods, like Nephthys, to
explain how some of the Gods and Goddesses were related.
Temple of Nephthys
The Temples dedicated to Nephthys, the Goddess of Divine Assistance, were believed to be the
dwelling place of this famous Egyptian God. Only the Pharaoh and the
Priests of Nephthys were allowed inside the temple and the priests would
undergo ritual purification in a deep stone pool before they entered the
Inner Sanctum of the Temple. This not only cleansed them but also gave
them contact with the primeval moisture of life. Ordinary Egyptians were
only allowed to come to the gates, or forecourt, of the temple of Nephthys
to pay homage and offer gifts to the God / Goddess. The Priests of Nephthys
would collect the gifts and say prayers on behalf of the person in the
confines of the temple. The priests of Nephthys, the Goddess of Divine Assistance, would
conduct ceremonies, sacrifices and chant magical incantations, sometimes
referred to as spells. The temple of Nephthys would consist of heavy gates
which accessed a massive hall with great stone columns, and then a
series of many other rooms through which processions of priests would
pass. These rooms, or chambers, were lit by candles and incense would be
burnt to purify the air of the Temple. The chambers gradually decreased
in size, the lighting in the temple was deliberately and significantly
reduced to create an atmosphere of deepening mystery until the priests
reached the chapel and the shrine which contained the Naos. The Naos was
the stone tabernacle inside the shrine which housed the great Statue of
Nephthys, the Goddess of Divine Assistance.
The Statue of Nephthys
The large statue of the Goddess Nephthys, the God of Divine Assistance was situated in the
inner sanctum of the Egyptian temple. The statue of Nephthys would have been
depicted with the body of a man / woman and the head of Falcon or Vulture. This
sacred statue, in the dwelling place of the God, was the embodiment of
Nephthys. Food and drink would be offered to the God. The High Priest of
Nephthys, would conduct ceremonies and offer prayers and incantations but
there was another important priest, called the Medjty, who was
responsible for the toiletries. The statue of Nephthys would have been
washed and oiled. The statue was then dressed in fine linen and eye
make-up, powder and rouge was applied and sacred oil rubbed on the
forehead of the statue. The statue of Nephthys, with its head of the Falcon or Vulture,
was only seen by ordinary Egyptians at important festivals when the
effigy was paraded in magnificent processions.
The Egyptian Goddess
Nephthys
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