Shesmetet

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Shesmetet[1]
in hieroglyphs

Shesmetet (šsm.t.t) is an ancient Egyptian goddess. She was mentioned in the Pyramid Texts[2] and was usually referred to as the deceased's mother. She was depicted as a lion or a woman with a lion's head, and thus was sometimes considered a form of Sekhmet or Bastet, but one of her epithets – "Lady of Punt" – differentiates her from them and may refer to a possible African origin. Her name comes from shesmet, a sash decorated with beads, which appears on the depictions of Old Kingdom rulers and the god Sopdu.[3]

  1. ^ Wörterbuch, IV, p.538
  2. ^ Pyramid Texts 262, 2206
  3. ^ Wilkinson, Richard (2003). The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. London: Thames and Hudson. p. 138. ISBN 978-0500051207.