ePub Hit the Beach: The Drama of Amphibious Warfare (World of War (Rigel)) by Simon Foster in History

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Her cult; and encounters with her; was full of music; love and laughter. No stern; demanding deity; she rejoiced in her followers' happiness and many could say 'she placed joy in my heart'. - Lesley Jackson Hathor: A Reintroduction to an Ancient Egyptian Goddess is a comprehensive and thought-provoking study of one of the most important Ancient Egyptian deities. Primarily a Cow Goddess; Hathor was multifaceted; and her importance was emphasised through the many titles and roles she held. She was the goddess of the sky; sun; love; sex; dance; music; fertility; precious metals and gemstones; as well as being Protectress of Foreign Lands; Eye Goddess; Goddess of Desire; Lady of Drunkenness; and Lady of Fragrance. Present in all aspects of life; Hathor was a goddess of childbirth; who protected her worshippers during life and offered protection on the journey into the afterlife. Daughter of the Sun God Ra; she was linked to other cow goddesses; as well as other major deities such as Isis; Bastet and Horus. She was intimately associated with the lioness goddess Sekhmet; who was both an aspect of Hathor and a significant and powerful goddess in her own right. The Seven Hathors; a seven-fold manifestation of Hathor; predicted the destiny of newborn children and the time and manner of a person's death and were invoked in love spells and protection charms. This extensive work provides a welcome and much-needed exploration of one of the most influential goddesses of the ancient world. It explores Hathor's different roles and titles; her associations with other deities; alter-egos and assimilations; her temples; worship; festivals and her subsequent decline in popularity towards the end of the Greco-Roman period. Author Lesley Jackson draws on a wide range of historical sources; including magical papyri; stelae; statues; jewellery; ritual objects and archaeological evidence; employing these to reveal the captivating history and numerous functions of this mesmerizing goddess. In doing so; she succeeds in reintroducing Hathor to us as a sovereign; powerful; beautiful and lovely goddess; she 'whose ba is powerful'.