Triad of Isis, Nephthys, and Harpocrates.
New Kingdom Ramesside Pharaohs, in particular, were enamored of Mother Nephthys as is attested in various stelae and a wealth of inscriptions at Karnak and Luxor, where Nephthys was a member of that great city's Ennead and her altars were present in the massive complex. In contrast, Nephthys is sometimes featured as a rather ferocious and dangerous divinity, capable of incinerating the enemies of the pharaoh with her fiery breath. Though other goddesses could assume this role, Nephthys was most usually portrayed in this function. Īs the primary "nursing mother" of the incarnate pharaonic god, Horus, Nephthys also was considered to be the nurse of the reigning pharaoh himself. Though usually considered the aunt of Horus, she often appears as his mother. In Nubia, Nephthys was said to be the wife of Anubis. Alternatively Anubis appears as the son of Bastet or Isis. Nephthys is regarded as the mother of the funerary deity Anubis (Inpu) in some myths. These late ancient Egyptian temple texts describe a goddess who represented divine assistance and protective guardianship. Nephthys was known in some ancient Egyptian temple theologies and cosmologies as the "Helpful Goddess" or the "Excellent Goddess".
As sister of Isis and especially Osiris, Nephthys is a protective goddess who symbolizes the death experience, just as Isis represented the birth experience. She is the sister of Isis and companion of the war-like deity, Set. This entrance way symbolized the horizon or akhet.Īt the time of the Fifth Dynasty Pyramid Texts, Nephthys appears as a goddess of the Heliopolitan Ennead. Along with her sister Isis, Nephthys represented the temple pylon or trapezoidal tower gateway entrance to the temple which also displayed the flagstaff. This title, which may be more of an epithet describing her function than a given name, probably indicates the association of Nephthys with one particular temple or some specific aspect of the Egyptian temple ritual. Her name means quite specifically "Lady of the Enclosure" which associates her with the role of priestess. This is a pervasive error repeated in many commentaries concerning this deity. The origin of the goddess Nephthys is unclear but the literal translation of her name is usually given as "Lady of the House", which has caused some to mistakenly identify her with the notion of a "housewife" or as the primary lady who ruled a domestic household. Nephthys is the Greek form of an epithet (transliterated as Nebet-hut, Nebet-het, Nebt-het, from Egyptian nbt-ḥwt). Nephthys – Musée du Louvre, Paris, France