Basic image of Hathor's portrayal as a cow, to whom Hesat is closely related.
Hesat is an
Heliopolis, and the mothers of Mnevis bulls were buried in a cemetery dedicated to Hesat. In Ptolemaic times (304–30 BC) she was closely linked with the goddess Isis.[1]
In Egyptian mythology, Hathor is one of the main cattle deities as she is the mother of Horus and Ra and closely associated with the role of royalty and kingship.[2] Hesat is one of Hathor's manifestations, usually portrayed as a white cow representing purity and the milk that she produces to give life to humanity.[2] Other feminine bovine deities include Sekhat-Hor, Mehet-Weryt, and Shedyt.[3] Their masculine counterparts include Apis, Mnevis, Sema-wer, Ageb-wer.[3]
Artistic representations
While there are not many images of Hesat that are recorded and published, there are a few representations on pieces that belong to major museums worldwide. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has in its collection Scarab with the Representation of Hathor as a Cow.[4] The hieroglyphs on this late period piece read ḥȜst or ḥsȜt determined with a recumbent cow with the following hieroglyphs:
This spelling of her name is using cryptographic substitution, which became established in the New Kingdom.[5] Traditionally phonetic spellings of Hesat's name from earlier periods were usually written as follows:[6]
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