Topic Page: Hathor (Egyptian deity)
In ancient Egyptian mythology, a sky goddess; wife or mother of the sky god Horus; goddess of dance, music, and love, (equivalent to Greek Aphrodite); also, goddess of desert cemeteries. She may appear as the great celestial cow, creator of the world; or as a human with cow's horns and ears. Other variations include a hornlike hairstyle, or a headdress in the shape of a sun-disc with cow's horns. She was popular with women as their protector, and was later associated with the principal goddess Isis whose headdress was indistinguishable.
The centre of her cult was Dendera, where a Ptolemaic temple was built and dedicated to her, and where she was embodied as a sistrum (a musical instrument thought to drive away evil spirits).
As goddess of love and desert cemeteries, she displayed close parallels with the Mesopotamian Ishtar, goddess of love and war.
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Egyptian temple
Hathor, Egyptian goddess of creation
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