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Taweret
Other spellings:
Tweri, Thoueris, Taurt
In Ancient Egyptian Religion, a deity primarily belonging to private cults.
She was one of more hippopotamus goddess and appears at many cult centres, and with many forms. Her most common role was as a protector of fertility and childbirth, and also with nursing infants. Together with the male Bes, she was also a protector of working women. In some cults, she was also associated with the annual floodings of the Nile.
She was represented as a standing hippopotamus, having pendulous breasts, the tail of a crocodile and claws from a lion. Her protruding belly may be seen both as a sign of pregnancy as well as a natural dimension of the body of the hippopotamus. She is often shown holding the sa symbol of protection and the ankh symbol of life. Her representation may well be confused with the Theban goddess, Opet.
In many cultic contexts she is associated with Hathor, and is occasionally represented wearing her headdress.
She had no cult centres of her own, but at Silsila Mountain annual ritual were performed in her honour aiming at securing the flooding of the Nile. But there are a large collection of imagery of Taweret, indicating that she was among the most popular household deities of Ancient Egypt. She could appear as amulets, small statuettes or even be painted on beds.
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By: Tore Kjeilen
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