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7-27-99: I find
myself reading this page I placed on the web a year ago.
A lot has changed since then, and so I felt a need to
update. Much has happened in that brief space, and I
decided to fix this up to match the errors that are
different. If you find any errors or misinformation (or
just bad HTML, heh, I'm so new at this) please drop me an
email. You will
note that my email 'handle', "seshet" bears a
striking resemblance to Seshat, the name of a goddess. Am
I using a divine moniker? Ah, not in the least! For an
interesting, but true story, check out this page if for
some reason you are curious as to why. As I am in the
process of converting old information into new, some
information remains outdated and incomplete for now, but
will be updated as the week goes on bit by bit.
Introduction
Seshat
is an aspect of God from Ancient Egypt. The Ancient
Egyptian religion is very often mistaken as a poly or
henotheistic faith, when in actuality it resembles a
monolatry; that is, a religion where there is one
divinity that has parts to it which, while having their
own personality, remain a component of a whole. A car has
four wheels, but the car itself is not a wheel, yet the
wheels are as much a vital part to the car and the car's
function. Each of the aspects is separate, but unlike
polytheistic beliefs, each remains a part of the whole.
The word for divinity that they used to represent the sum
of all the Names (Gods) is "ntr", Pronounced
"Netjer", this word means God.
Divine
Name For a Divine Lady
But,
back to Seshat. Her Name (also spelled in english as
Sashet, Seshet or Sesheta) means "the female
scribe", "sesh" meaning scribe and her
phonetic name s$3t (the $ indicates the phonetic symbol
of an "s" with a reversed caret over it)
bearing the feminine ending of a "t" sound.
Also called "Sefket-abwy" in later times. She
is represented in the, or ancient Egyptian language with
her name, ss3t, followed by her two determinative.
The first is her anthropomorphic figure, a woman sitting,
knees up, a star surrounded by two down-turned horns over
her head. The second is merely the image drawn over her
brow, a standard with said star and the gracefully
curving horns.
Image
is Everything (Or is it?)
She is
drawn with her standard atop her head, wearing the
spotted leopard skin robes of the Setem priests, the
funerary priests who are drawn on temple friezes with the
spotted robe and mask of Yinepu (Greek: Anubis). Where
other Gods hold the was-scepter in hand, she bears one of
notched palm leaves that terminates at the bottom with a
tadpole which rests on the symbol of eternity. The
notched palm leaf itself is a large representation of the
hieroglyph rnpwt, the tadpole or shen
meaning millions of. Together, they convey the message of
"millions of years". This is symbolic of the
force of the king -- the never-ending divine power of the
Pharaoh, and the fact that Seshat is the minister of
Time.
Flower
or Star or...what the heck in the Duat is that thing?
Much
argument is made over whether the symbol over Her head is
a star or a rosette. An article brought to my attention
recently has shed an interesting light on this issue. in
"Seshat and the Pharaoh" by G.A. Wainwright, he
shows the development of Seshat's symbol over time. It
first appeared as far as I could find a reference to, on
Narmer's palette, perhaps as part of a title. There it is
clearly a flower-shape, and not a star. A few people have
implies that the symbol is a cannabis leaf, but this is a
historical myth. The ancient Egyptians used hemp for one
reason: to make ropes. To my knowledge, the only users of
cannabis for other reasons that I am aware of are the
Assyrians. They burned heaps of it at funeral pyres
because of the sweet smell. In actuality, it is a star,
that has become stylized over thousands of years of
renditions.
Personality
and Aspects
Seshat
is the record keeper. It is she who writes the names and
deeds of all on the sacred leaves of the sycamore tree.
She was also an accountant, as pictures of her on tomb
walls recording war trophies and agricultural tallies can
attest. It is She who remembers -- remembers everything,
even the smallest details that most would forget. In that
sense, She can be considered a Name involved with both
destiny and time, for while Djehuty (Greek: Thoth)is
their creator and Lord, it is Seshat who ministers to
each and ensures that both run their courses true. It is
She who takes care of the details, when most would
overlook them. She would record the tallies of goods and
prizes of war the kings garnered.
Names
Related to Seshat
There
are several Gods related to Seshat. The one with the
strongest tie is by far Nephthys. Seshat may even be a
form of Nephthys. Several references in the pyramid texts
compare them. Both of their names "The Female
Scribe" and "The Lady of the House" may
come from yet another goddess as well, as they are more
titles than names, per se. Nephthys is also refereed to
in the Pyramid Texts as "Seshat, Foremost of
Builders". Seshat herself is directly tied to Thoth,
for often Seshat is pictured as his consort. And, of
course, the King, the living Horus -- for she is the one
who personally attends to him, and the knowledge of him
so that all remember his deeds time after time.
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