On The Cult Of Goddess Hathor Of Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptian religion is a polytheism. In Egyptian mythology, the various deities not only played special roles, but also embodied different function. In the pantheon of ancient Egypt, some goddesses held higher status and gained more devotion than others, for example: Nut, Hathor, Mut, Isis. In the past, scholars paid more attention to the goddess Isis, and ignored the importance of Hathor in ancient Egyptian religion and mythology. In fact, as predecessor of Isis, Hathor was one of the most important and popular deities throughout the history of ancient Egypt. Isis would borrow lots of Hathor's iconography and her functions, even wearing her headdress. However, the two deities are not the same nor are they interchangeable. Hathor is the Goddess of love, pleasure, sexuality, music, dance and beauty, as well as the patroness of women, children, and the act of birth.The thesis has introduced the names of Hathor, symbols, manifestations, myths, cult center, and analyzed the cult of goddess Hathor and it's influence on ancient Egyptian civilization.There are three chapters in the thesis. In the first chapter we will introduce simply goddess Hathor, including in her Origin, her manifestations, and so on.In the second chapter, we will discuss the legends relating to her, her cult center, the festivals relating to her and priestess of hathor.In the third chapter, we will analyze deeply the influence of Hathor cult and the importance of Hathor worship on kingship, woman's status and afterlife.