by Kate Orman

Created on: April 21, 2009

An Ancient Egyptian confronted by a lion must have thought the desert had come to life in front of them: a creature the colour of sand, inhuman in its strength and speed, as deadly as the blazing sun. It's no wonder that, for the Egyptians, the lion and especially the lioness were symbols of destruction and death; but they were also symbols of protection. Above all, they were symbolised power.

It's the lioness, not the lion, who does the hunting, which might explain why there are more Egyptian lioness goddesses than there are lion gods. The most important of these goddesses is Sekhmet, whose name means "Powerful". The scorching winds of the desert were said to be "the breath of Sekhmet"; her fiery breath formed part of the deadly third portal of the underworld.

Sekhmet was the goddess of sickness; plagues were called her "messengers". Logically, priests of Sekhmet were often doctors - experts on the illnesses their goddess could inflict. Similarly, Sekhmet's terrible power could be invoked by pharaoh for positive purposes: for his own protection, and against Egypt's enemies in war. In the tale of Sinuhe, foreign lands are said to fear pharaoh as they might fear Sekhmet "during a year of pestilence", and Thutmose III is called "that fierce lion, the son of Sekhmet". Naturally, since pharaoh was Sekhmet's son, she would protect him with the ferocity of a lioness guarding her cubs.

Conversely, pharaoh could be depicted spearing a lion - an actual past-time of royalty and nobles. The golden throne found in Tutankhamen's tomb is flanked by lions, suggesting Sekhmet's protection of the king; but on a decorated shield, the boy-king is also shown killing a lion with his sword. In these images, the animal represents not a god, but Egypt's enemies in war.

In the myth known as "The Destruction of Mankind", Sekhmet appears as the Eye of Ra, a manifestation of the sun god's power. Learning that humankind is planning a rebellion against him, Ra sends his Eye to punish the rebels, but Sekhmet enjoys the slaughter so much that she refuses to stop. Like a plague, she kills indiscriminately, striking down the innocent as well as the guilty. Ra finally tricks her by filling a field with beer dyed red; the bloodthirsty Sekhmet laps it up, becomes happily drunk, and pays no more attention to humanity. In Luxor, archaeologists recently found evidence of a "festival of drunkenness" at the time of Hatshepsut. At the start of the new year, worshippers gathered to recreate the story of

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