Sekhmet

As the Eye of Ra, Sekhmet is the protector of the land, and holds the righteous fury and justice of Ra. She was also able to unleash the fury of Her Seven Arrows, which could cause plague, disease, and blight.

Not only did Sekhmet nearly cause the entire destruction of mankind, as ordered by Ra, all the other Netjer are afraid of the fury that Sekhmet can unleash on Them as well.

You, whom all the other gods fear¹

Like the Sun, Sekhmet had two aspects. One aspect is that of protectoress, giving life, and healing, much as the sun provides much needed warmth and sunshine for crops to grow. The other aspect is that of a destructive force, as the sun can be a deadly adversary in the heat of the desert. The destructive force is clearly seen in the myth, The Destruction of Mankind, where Sekhmet arises from HwtHrw (Hathor) to wreck vengence on humans who would rise up against Ra. But, this type of destructive force that Sekhmet unleashes is not without cause or reason. She is not merely chaotic destructive force, which is isfet. Sekhmet is a necessary destructive force and justified anger, which is held in check from its true destructive nature.

As a healer, Sekhmet's priests were often healers of the sick, vetinarians for animals. Appeasing Sekhmet could help bring cures and relief for those who were ill. As wife of Ptah (one of the Creator gods who spoke all the elements of Creation), Sekhmet was Ptah's counterpoint & balance, not only bringing about a destructive force (in contrast to his creative force), but also bring about much needed healing and protection.

As a protectoress, Sekhmet's primary duty was the maintaining of Ma'at (as are all Netjer) as shown clearly in her title "Lady of Ma'at", She also protected the Pharoah, Egypt, and all its people, especially extending Her protection out to mothers and children (as a mother, herself.)¹

As part of the New Year's ritual, a long litany of praises and invocations were spoken to Sekhmet in order to appease Her to bring blessings upon the land and to keep her frightful arrows away from the Pharaoh and from the people of Egypt itself. In this ritual, Sekhmet is beseeched to protect her son, Heru/Horus (and by extension, the living incarnation of Heru, the Pharoah), from Her deadly arrows and to bring blessings upon the king and the land of Egypt.

Come towards the Living Image, the Living Heru
Protect Him and save Him from Illness/Disease
Protect him from all the arrows of the Year.¹

Associations with Other Gods and Goddesses

Sekhmet is linked to several goddesses, all of whom share the title "Eye of Ra", which include: Tefnut, HwtHrw (Hathor), Bast, Mut. All of whom are solar goddesses and protectors of Ra and the Pharoah, or the mother of the Pharoah. Strangely enough, Sekhmet is also linked with Seshat (wife of Tehuty/Thoth) in Seshat's role as "mother of the Pharoah".

However, Sekhmet is more closely linked to HwtHrw(Hathor), as Sekhmet springs from HwtHrw in the myth, the Destruction of Mankind. Gentle HwtHrw and the poweful Sekhmet are "two sides of the same coin" (so to speak).

Sekhmet is also very closely tied in with Mut, the Queen of the Gods. The Memphite Triad, consisting of Sekhmet, her husband Ptah (one of the Creator gods), and their son, Nefertum (also associated with healing) was located in Mennefur (Memphis). In the later era of the New Kingdom, when the seat of power moved from Memphis to Thebes, Sekhmet's attributes were syncretized into the female Netjer of the Thebian Triad, Mut, who was considered the "Queen of the Gods". Many of the temples of Mut have many statues of Sekhmet lining its walkways, attesting to the closeness of attributes these two goddesses had.

The Destruction of Mankind

The following is a brief overview of the Destruction of Mankind. (You can also read the full retelling of this story, Destruction of Mankind. There are several similar tales, including the "Wandering Eye" and "The Return of the Libyan Goddess" which is a similar tale of Mut destroying mankind (linking her to Sekhmet and HwtHrw (Hathor).

The birth of Sekhmet comes at the heels of mankind's mutiny against Ra. There were some of mankind who felt that Ra was getting too old to lead, and planned an uprising against Ra. Ra, hearing about the plans, grew angry, and called forth Hwt Hrw/Hathor.

And from HwtHrw, sprang Sekhmet, who surged across the land, killing not only the mutinous humans, but every other human as well. Ra, seeing the destruction he wrought by sending out Sekhmet, grew saddened, and tried to stop the goddess. But in her bloodlust, Sekhmet could not be stopped. Ra sent forth messengers and gods, but Sekhmet destroyed them too.

A plan was devised where seven thousand jugs of beer were stained red to mimic blood, and laid out in the path of the goddess. Sekhmet, thinking it was blood, lapped up the brew, whereby she grew tired and sleepy.

At this point, there is contention about how Sekhmet felt when she woke up. One story tells that she woke up and felt placated, and returned to Ra, another version, which segues into the story of the "Wandering Eye", tells that Sekhmet fled Egypt (presumbly upset over the trickery of the beer), and with Sekhmet gone, Ra's power was depleted.²

Tehuty (or Shu) went out into the desert as Onuris (He Who Brings Back the Eye) and through praise, guile, and wit, managed to convince the dangerous goddess to return to Egypt. And as She returned, a celebration was conducted in Her Honor.

However, all these versions have similarities and can be seen as metaphors of the mighty goddess, Sekhmet, being the sun at the height of its power and maybe representing the devastating heat, and then leaving (Winter Solstice) which causes the power of Re (the Sun) to wane. It is with the return of Summer and the return of the Eye that Re's power is restored.