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Serket

File:Serket.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ207636· pop 50· linked from 343 articles

Also known as Selket, Serqet, Selcis

Serket /ˈsɜːrˌkɛt/ (Ancient Egyptian: srqt) is the goddess of protection against the venomous stings and bites of scorpions in Egyptian mythology. She was primarily worshiped in Lower Egypt during the Predynastic Period (c. 6000 – c. 3150 BCE). Serket is often depicted as a woman whose head is surmounted by a scorpion with its tail is ready to sting, an ankh in one hand, and a was-sceptre in her other. Her name, also rendered as Serqet, Selkis, or Selket, is a shortened version of 'Serket hetyt' which means "she who causes the throat to breathe."

Key facts

Deity.type
Egyptian
Deity.name
Serket
Deity.image
Serket.svg
Deity.caption
The Egyptian goddess Serket is often depicted as a woman with a scorpion gracing her crown. She holds the ankh, the symbol of life, in one hand and a was-sceptre, representing power, in the other.
Deity.hiero
z:r-q:t-B1orz:r-q:t-L7
Deity.symbol
Scorpion
Deity.parents
Set, or Khnum and Neith
Deity.siblings
Apep (in some myths), Sobek (in some myths)
Deity.consort
Horus the Younger or Horus the Elder
Deity.offspring
Nehebkau (in some myths)

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
death deity
Gender
female
Image
Serket.svg
Show 2 more facts
Commons category
Serket
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~5 min read

Encyclopedic overview

9 sections
Contents
  • Old Kingdom
  • Name and Roles
  • Middle Kingdom
  • New Kingdom
  • Dedications and rituals
  • Family
  • Gallery
  • References
  • Further reading

Serket /ˈsɜːrˌkɛt/ (Ancient Egyptian: srqt) is the goddess of protection against the venomous stings and bites of scorpions in Egyptian mythology. She was primarily worshiped in Lower Egypt during the Predynastic Period (c. 6000 – c. 3150 BCE). Serket is often depicted as a woman whose head is surmounted by a scorpion with its tail is ready to sting, an ankh in one hand, and a was-sceptre in her other. Her name, also rendered as Serqet, Selkis, or Selket, is a shortened version of 'Serket hetyt' which means "she who causes the throat to breathe."

== Old Kingdom == === Name and Roles === She is associated with healing, magic, and protection. Another interpretation of her name is, 'she who gives breath.' As many of the venomous creatures of Egypt could prove fatal, Serket was considered a protector of the dead, particularly being associated with venoms and fluids that cause stiffening.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Serket” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (5)