Egyptian: Statues of Sekhmet

Black Granite Statue of Sekhmet

British Museum on May 1, 2014.


The core cornerstone of ancient Egyptian civilization was religion. Unlike the Mesopotamians, however, their gods were not harsh and unpredictable. In fact, their gods were on the side of the people and wanted to help them, particularly in mankind's quest for eternal life. Also unlike Mesopotamia and other civilizations, for centuries Egyptian civilization was unchanging and relied on stability and regularity--probably influenced by the regular flooding of the Nile. The focus of eternal life in Egyptian civilization was connected to their myth of creation and how the sun god Ra raised a mound from the oceans, an ongoing cycle of renewal with every sunrise and with the rituals preformed in Egyptian temples. In the Egyptian search for eternal life rose a concept of ma'at (order, truth, justice--for more info see: Ma'at) by which mankind is judged after death before being deemed worthy to enter into the presence of Osiris, the god of the afterlife (en.wikipedia.org). More minute characteristics of Egyptian are the importance of art as an embodiment and symbol of life, not as simply decor. As a result, symbolism was more important to Egyptians that realism. Typically, aristocrats and gods in Egyptian art were depicted in stiff, formal poses while lesser classes (e.g. slaves) had less restricted poses and were typically smaller in frescos.


In the British Museum and in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens reside various statues of Sekhmet, the warrior goddess associated with destruction and often described as "the fiery eye of Ra, which he sent against his enemies.... Her name means 'she who is powerful'. She is represented as a lioness-headed woman, perhaps because the Egyptians observed that it is the female lion who is the hunter" (www.britishmuseum.org). However, just as she is associated with destruction, she is also associated with healing, as stated on the plaque of a statue in the British Museum. As a solar goddess, she is described as the daughter of Ra and is often interpreted to be "a divine arbiter of the goddess Ma'at (Justice, or Order) in the Judgment Hall of Osiris" (en.wikipedia.org). In the British Museum statue of Sekhmet, she wears a round headset, a sun disc, and one of the items she holds is the ankh, the symbol of life (for more info, see: Ankh), both important symbols in ancient Egypt (see www.britishmuseum.org). Also, as a goddess, her pose is very formal and stiff. The statues date back to c. 1350 BC and were excavated at the temple of Mut at Karnak.

The following is an excerpt from my journal expressing my thoughts on the statue:

May 3rd

I saw the Black Granite Statue of Sekhmet in the British Museum two days ago. I find it fascinating that she is both a warrior goddess of destruction and the goddess of healing. Apollo was also like this, and it reminds me of Aragorn’s role in the Return of the King (a warrior king and a gentle healer both). I wonder how those two very different aspects of the characters came about. What is the implication? The healing that comes after destruction?

Noticed this interesting carving on the side. No explanation anywhere. :(

 Found these three statues of her in Athens on May 27, so I decided to include them in my report.

Her wide eyes remind me of the Mesopotamian use of wide eyes to symbolize the soul being open to the gods.

 A pharaoh presenting offerings to Sekhmet and her consort, Ptah. 

Notice the size difference between the pharaoh and the gods.