In ancient Egyptian religion and mythology, Sekhmet was the lion-headed fire (or sun) goddess associated with war, pestilence, and flames. She was the wife of Ptah, the cosmic architect, and the mother of Nefertem and I-em-hetep (also spelled Imhotep). Sekhmet, Ptah, and Nefertem were worshiped as a triad of gods in the city of Memphis.
Sekhmet was usually depicted either as a woman with the head of a lioness or wholly as a lioness. Occasionally, however, she was portrayed as a male deity. To symbolize her role as a goddess of fire, her statues were often carved from igneous rock such as basalt or granite.
Sekhmet’s character incorporated both the beneficial and destructive aspects of fire, and by extension she was a goddess who could heal the sick or spread diseases. As goddess of war, she was adept at instilling fear in her enemies. In her beneficial aspect, she became fused with the cat-headed goddess Bastet, who personified the fertilizing power of the sun and protected men from diseases. The relationship between Sekhmet and Bastet could have been a parallel to the relationship between the sister goddesses Nephthys and Isis.
Sekhmet was also often associated with the cow-headed fertility goddess Hathor. According to one myth, the sun god Re commanded Hathor to destroy mankind for its disobedience. Sekhmet accompanied her, and in her fierce destructive heat became known as the Eye of Re. Their joint slaughter was so severe and bloody that Re repented. He was able to stop Hathor and Sekhmet from killing the remaining humans only by making Hathor and Sekhmet drunk on beer dyed with red ochre, which they drank because they believed it to be blood. It was speculated that this story reflected some ancient blood sacrifice ritual, but no physical evidence of this kind of practice in predynastic Egypt was ever discovered. Sekhmet shared many common aspects with the Hindu goddess Kali and the ancient Middle Eastern goddess Astarte.
