The Goddess Sheshat

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Sheshat, Secretary.
$A$*T
[to Whom the fifteenth day of June, day 166, is dedicated]

Geography/Culture: Egyptian. Heliopolis.
Description: Goddess of the stars; Inventrix of measurement, mathematics and hieroglyphics; Matron of architects and historians; Overseer of writers and literature; Record-keeper of the Deities; Great One, 'Lady-of-the-House-of-Books'; Celestial Librarian; 'Mistress-of-the-House-of-Architects'; Foundress of temples; Fateful-One; She Who measures the length of lives with palm branches; She Who dwells near the Tree of Life and writes the names of pharoahs on its leaves; She Who drafts the minutes of jubilee celebrations; She Who verifys inventories.
To Whom Sacred: panther; two plumes; palm-leaf; ink-palette and writing reed; Library; star and crescent; uraeus; 7-branched star (which signs all creatures).
Iconography: She was at first portrayed wearing on Her head a star inscribed in a reversed crescent, surmounted by two long straight plumes, (the ideogram of Her name). Later, due probably to a misunderstanding the crescent was replaced by two long, turned-down horns from which Her title was derived. She wears a close-fitting panther-skin garment and holds a scribe's palette and writing-reed.
Male Associate: brother/consort, Thoth. Some say She is simply his double. Her spheres of measurement and writing became attributed to him.

Titles/Variants, etc:

Perhaps related to Renpet, below.
Title (some say variant of Her name): Sefkhet-Aabut, below.
Language or transliteration variant: Seshat, SE$*T.
Language or transliteration variant: Seshata, SE$*T*.
Language or transliteration variant: Seshatu, SE$*TW.
See also Sothis, Who is linked under Satis, Goddess of the dog star.

Source: Ions EM 86-87; Lubicz H image 197, image pl VI 27; Mercatante 140, 189-190; New Larousse EM 28.

Renpet, Mistress-of-Eternity.
R]NP]T
Geography/Culture: Egyptian.
Description: Goddess of time and the year's duration; Queen of spring-time and youth.
Her connection with spring-time aligns Her with many Goddesses.
To Whom Sacred: palm-shoot, curled at the tip (which is an ideogram of Her name, often worn on Her head -- the palm is a birth tree).

Titles/Variants, etc:

Her association with the year's duration reminds me of Annona.
Her connection with time and eternity reminds me of Kali.
Conceivably related to Shesat by Her connection with time and the palm-shoot.
Her association with the palm reminds me of Tamar .

Source: Mercante .WWEM 131; NLEM.

Sefkhet-Aabut, She-Who-Raises-Two-Horns.
S]FX]T-*BUT
Alternate meaning: She-Who-Wears-Two-Horns.
Geography/Culture: Egyptian.
Description: Goddess of literature and the recording of history; Great One; Lady of the house of books; {Matron of historians}.
To Whom Sacred: panther {I wonder if She wears a panther skin because a panther's spots suggested a form of writing and so symbolized the Egyptian script}; scribes palette; writing reed; libraries.
Iconography: She wears a close-fitting panther-skin garment and hold's a scribe's palette and writing reed.
Male Associates: Thoth, god of wisdom.

Titles/Variants, etc:

Transliteration variant: Safekh-Aubi.
Also called (some say variant of Her name): Sheshat.

Source:Mercatante WWEM 140; New Larousse EM 28.

worked on: June 17, 1990; July 30, 1991; May, June 1995.
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