Goddess Hathor 14"×10" Handmade, Handpainted papyrus, ancient Egyptian art, frameable

Hathor was one of the forty-two state gods and goddesses of Egypt, and one of the most popular and powerful. She was goddess of many things: love, beauty, music, dancing, fertility, and pleasure. She was the protector of women, though men also worshipped her. She had priests as well as priestesses in her temples. Her center of worship was Dendera, and her veneration began early in Egypt’s history, possibly in the Predynastic Era. She was the daughter of Ra and was sometimes called “The Eye of Ra” (a title shared with Bast and Sekhmet, among others) in her role as the sun god’s defender. As the wife of Horus, she was associated with the mother of the pharaoh in her role as Horus’s nurse, and also with the wife of the pharaoh in her role as Horus’s consort.