The Hippopotamus Goddess of Egypt is Taweret, a protector deity of pregnant women, childbirth and infants. Her ferocious appearance bespeaks her destructive abilities.
Those who fail to respect her can have serious accidents or brutal death. Hippopotamus mothers are fiercely protective of their babies or calves, and Taweret is a powerful guardian.
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Images of Taweret appear on children's feeding cups and other household obects c. 2055–1650 BCE. Because of her power she is given titles such as "She Who is Great" and "Queen of Divine Waters." These are meant to pacify her if she's in a hostile mood.
The first King of Egypt is killed by a hippopotamus, and hippos are known as the world's most dangerous animal. Egyptians attribute the animal traits to the Goddess Taweret by watching and understanding the qualities of wild animals. She has the head of hippopotamus, back and tail of a crocodile, body of a lion and pendulous human breasts.
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Images and symbols of Taweret are often placed near an infant child or in the sleeping room of a pregnant woman to guard against miscarraige or illness.
The early Egyptians consider young male hippopotamuses to be manifestations of chaos. Overcoming them in royal hunting campaigns is thought to demonstrate the divine power of the King.
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Female hippopotamuses are honored as embodiments of apotropaic deities, as they viciously protect young from harm. Protective amulets depicting female hippopotamuses date back as the Predynastic period of Egypt (c. 3000 - 2686 BCE).
The tradition of creating and using the protective hippo amulets continues for hundreds of years, finally trickling out with the advent of the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Roman period (c. 332 BCE - 390 CE).
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Other guardian hippopotomus goddesses are Ipet, Reret, and Hedjet. Some scholars see them as representing one Goddess, Taweret, or her aspects.
Ipet (the Nurse) is associated with childbirth and child rearing.
Reret (the Sow) is named after Egyptian term 'water pig' for hippo
Hedjet (the White One) meaning unknown by scientists
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Spell 269 in the Pyramid Texts stresses the nurturing role of Ipet. The spell says the deceased king will partake of the goddess's "white, dazzling, sweet milk" when he ascends to the heavens. As maternal goddesses the female hippopotamus deities are thought to nurture the land and all people of Egypt, royal or not.
Taweret gains power in the Middle Kingdom of Egypt (c. 2055 -1650 BCE) as a domestic goddess. Magical objects bear her image. A type of wand or knife carved of hippopotamus ivory, with a representation of Taweret, is used in rituals of birth and protection of newborns and babies.
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About this time Taweret becomes a funerary deity as well. The practice of placing hippopotamus figurines in tombs and gravesites gains popularity.
Grave talismans usually have floral markings representing river vegetation, which hippos eat. The hippo is associated with protection after death, and also rebirth. She relates to cycles of life and death.
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Her association with water reinforces the theme of rejuvenation or re-emergence, or the soul reborn in the land of the Dead. Riches, personal items or needful things in the form of grave goods await the deceased.
Due in part to popular piety in the New Kingdom (c. 1550–1069 BCE), household deities like Taweret gain even more importance. Taweret's image appears on a wide variety of domestic objects, attesting to her primary role in the home.
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Due to her ability to repel negative powers, Taweret is often depicted on temple walls. Her popularity grows to embrace parts of Greece and other European regions.
Even if her official temple presence wanes, she still holds a strong position in folk religion. It's customary to display a statue or symbol of the goddess, and to honor her in the home.
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