Amulet of Sekhmet

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

With the head of a lion and the idealized figure of a woman, this amulet depicts a powerful ancient Egyptian goddess. Ancient Egyptians—both living and dead—wore amulets of gods and goddesses to bring protection and health. These included depictions of deities in their human, animal, or mixed forms. This amulet represents one of several goddesses who appeared in a hybrid leonine-human form, likely Sekhmet, a goddess of pestilence and divine violence. In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet acted as the Eye of Re, the daughter and protector of the sun god, Re. She had the ability to make enemies fall sick or heal those who were afflicted, so she would have provided the wearer of this amulet with protection from disease and other dangerous forces.

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