Nephthys |
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In Egyptian mythology, Nephthys is one of the Ennead of Heliopolis, a daughter of Nuit and Seb, and the wife of Set. She is the sister of Isis, with whom she is often depicted. Her name means Lady of the House, and some of her titles were The Revealer, Lady of the Palace, and Friend of the Dead. The goddess of twilight and decay, Nephthys protected coffins, and appears in statuary as a guide of the deceased. Later Nepthys was identified as the goddess Anuket, associated with the source of the Nile, and so, as also a funerary goddess, she became considered protector of Hapi, one of the Four sons of Horus, specifically the deification of the canopic jar containing the lungs, the organ that suffers most from drowning.
In later myth, Nephthys was seen as joining the nighttime boat journey of Ra, when he entered the underworld, and accompanying him until he met the day. Metaphorically, her hair was compared to the strips of cloth which shroud the bodies of the dead, and professional mourners became referred to as the Hawks of Nephthys. Also, in later myth, it was said that a sexually frustrated Nepthys disguised herself as Isis to appeal to Set, but he did not notice her as he was gay, but Osiris, Isis' husband, did, resulting in the birth of Anubis. Alternative versions hold that she just drugged Osiris with wine in order to seduce him.
Nephthys was pictured as a mourning woman, a hawk, or as a woman with winged arms outstretched in protection. She was depicted crowned by the hieroglyphic of her name, a basket (neb), placed on the sign for a palace (het). In ancient Egypt, the oldest female in the house was given the honorary title of Nephthys, and she was popular even in the Greco-Roman period.
Other names
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