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For other uses, see Sekhmet (disambiguation).
Goddess of fire, war, vengeance, menstruation, and medicine
Sekhmet with head of lioness and a solar disk and uraeus on her head
Name in hieroglyphs
S42 Aa1
Major cult center Memphis, Leontopolis
Symbol Sun disk, red linen, lioness
Consort Ptah
Parents Hathor and either Ra or Horus
Siblings Presumably Hathor, Bast, Serket, Shu and Tefnut
Offspring Nefertem






Sekhmet's name comes from the Ancient Egyptian word "sekhem" which means "power or might". Sekhmet's name suits her function and means "the (one who is) powerful". She also was given titles such as the "(One) Before Whom Evil Trembles", "Mistress of Dread", "Lady of Slaughter" and "She Who Mauls". She also was seen as a special goddess for women, ruling over their menstruation cycle.


Sekhmet from the temple of Mut at Luxor, granite, 1403–1365 B.C., in the National Museum, Copenhagen
Image from a ritual Menat necklace, depicting a ritual being performed before a statue of Sekhmet on her throne, she also is flanked by the goddess Wadjet as the cobra and the goddess Nekhbet as the white vulture, symbols of lower and upper Egypt respectively who always were depicted on the crown of Egypt and referred to as the two ladies, and the supplicant holds a complete menat and a sistrum for the ritual, circa 870 B.C. (Berlin, Altes Museum, catalogue number 23733)
Bust of the Goddess Sakhmet, ca. 1390-1352 B.C.E. Granodiorite, Brooklyn Museum
The warrior goddess Sekhmet, shown with her sun disk and cobra crown from a relief at the Temple of Kom Ombo.



Festivals and evolution[edit]





In popular culture[edit]

  • Sekhmet is the focus of "Resurrection", an episode of Stargate SG-1. The plot centers around a young girl named Anna who was created by a German doctor, who is son of a Nazi. Sam, Daniel and Teal'c find artifacts belonging the Goa'uld Sekhmet in the doctor's compound, and realize that Anna was cloned using genetic material from the original Sekhmet, who was the executioner of Ra, the villain from the original film. A (possibly different) Sekhmet is also featured in the Stargate SG-1 game Stargate SG-1 Unleashed.
  • In Tutenstein, an animated TV series about Ancient Egypt, Sekhmet is featured in one of the episodes. She goes on a rampage in the museum and the building site to make people build a pyramid for Tut.
  • The space vessel "Sekhmet" is a level in the video game Jet Force Gemini, a third person shooter developed by Rare in 1999.
  • Sekhmet is also the name of an alien Aragami in the PlayStation Portable game, God Eater.
  • In the video game Skullgirls, Sekhmet is the name of the cat-like skeleton parasite bonded to the Egypt themed character Eliza.
  • In the BBC TV series Sherlock episode "The Great Game", John Watson believes a cat named Sekhmet is responsible for the death of her owner.
  • Sekhmet is the main character in Author S.K. Whiteside's World of the Guardians book series. Set in modern day New Orleans Sekhmet goes by the name of Syn.
  • Temple of Goddess Spirituality in Southern Nevada that is dedicated to the Goddess Sekhmet.
  • The subject of Margaret Atwood's poem titled "Sekhmet, the Lion-headed Goddess of War."
  • Sekhmet is one of the characters in Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's creator-owned, on going comic, The Wicked + The Divine. In this story, twelve gods are reincarnated every 90 years and allowed to live on earth for two years before dying again.
  • In Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series of books, Sekhmet is the name of one of the Emersons' cats. The name is entirely inappropriate, for Sekhmet the cat is indiscriminately and disgustingly affectionate, a far cry from her warlike predecessor.

See also[edit]


  1. ^ "Sekhmet". Random House. 2012. 
  2. ^ "Sex and booze figured in Egyptian rites", archaeologists find evidence for ancient version of ‘Girls Gone Wild’. From MSNBC, October 30, 2006

Further reading[edit]




External links[edit]