Violent feminine counterpart of Ra in Ancient Egyptian mythology
The Eye of Ra or Eye of Re, usually depicted as sun disk or right wedjat-eye (paired with the Eye of Horus, left wedjat-eye), is an entity in ancient Egyptian mythology that functions as an extension of the sun god Ra's power, equated with the disk of the sun, but it often behaves as an independent goddess, a feminine counterpart to Ra and a violent force that subdues his enemies. This goddess, also known with the theonym Wedjat, can be equated with several particular deities, including Hathor, Sekhmet, Bastet, Raet-Tawy, and Mut. The eye goddess acts as mother, sibling, consort, and daughter of the sun god. She is his partner in the creative cycle in which he begets the renewed form of himself that is born at dawn. The eye's violent aspect defends Ra against the agents of disorder that threaten his rule. This dangerous aspect of the eye goddess is often represented by a lioness or by the uraeus, or cobra, a symbol of protection and royal authority. The disastrous fury and rampages of the eye goddess and the efforts of the gods to appease her are a prominent motif in Egyptian mythology.
The Eye of Ra was involved in many areas of ancient Egyptian religion, including in the cults of the many goddesses who are equated with it. Its life-giving power was celebrated in temple rituals, and its dangerous aspect was invoked in the protection of the pharaoh, of sacred places, and of ordinary people and their homes.
The Eyeof Horus, also known as left wedjat eye or udjat eye, specular to the EyeofRa (right wedjat eye), is a concept and symbol in ancient Egyptian...
Caodaism § The Divine EyeEyeof Horus EyeofRa Pyramidion Third eye "The eye as a Christian symbol". catholic-saints.com. "The Eye as a religious symbol"...
entourage. Ra was assisted by a number of defenders who travelled with him, including Set and possibly the EyeofRa. Apep's movements were thought to cause...
the symbolic mother of their earthly representatives, the pharaohs. She was one of several goddesses who acted as the EyeofRa, Ra's feminine counterpart...
Eyeof Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection and royal power from deities, in this case from Horus or Ra. The symbol is seen on images of...
the Sun god, Ra, as Amun-Ra (alternatively spelled Amon-Ra or Amun-Re). On his own, he was also thought to be the king of the gods. Amun-Ra retained chief...
and consequently of the sun god, Ra. Along with other deities such as Hathor, Sekhmet, and Isis, Bastet was associated with the EyeofRa. She has been depicted...
warrior goddess as well as goddess of medicine. Sekhmet is also a solar deity, sometimes given the epithet 'the eyeofRa'. She is often associated with the...
Egyptian religion with the EyeofRa and the Eyeof Horus symbols, each powerful protective deities. The hieroglyph for her eye is shown below; sometimes...
them in war, the consort of Ptah and one of many forms of the EyeofRa. Tefnut – Lioness goddess of moisture and a member of the Ennead Wadjet (Uatchit)...
referred to anything flat and circular; the sun was called the "disc of the day" where Ra was thought to reside. By analogy, the term "silver aten" was sometimes...
a manifestation of the scorching effect ofRa, the sun – and as such often appeared under the epithet Montu-Ra. The destructiveness of this characteristic...
goddesses as the EyeofRa. As a lioness she could display a wrathful aspect and is said to have escaped to Nubia in a rage, jealous of her grandchildren's...
the Heliopolitan Ennead (a group of nine gods created in the beginning by the one god Atum or Ra), Geb is the husband of Nut, the sky or visible daytime...
universe, and being one of the two deities (the other being Ma'at) who stood on either side ofRa's solar barque. In the later history of ancient Egypt, Thoth...
versions of a myth could portray different deities playing the same archetypal role, as in the myths of the EyeofRa, a feminine aspect of the sun god...
considered a son of the sun god Ra who, after his death, ascended to join Ra in the sky. After the spread of the Osiris cult, however, the kings of Egypt were...
originally the daughter ofRa, but was always related to Satet in some way. For example, both goddesses were called the "EyeofRa", along with Bastet, Hathor...
an extension of himself, the EyeofRa, which can act independently of him in the form of a goddess. The Eye goddess becomes angry with Ra and runs away...
formed an integral part of royal rituals, symbolizing the unification of Egypt. In later Pyramid Texts, Wepwawet is called "Ra" who has gone up from the...
to bear his loss, Atum sent a fiery messenger, the EyeofRa, to find his children. The tears of joy he shed upon their return were the first human beings...
of the distant one". Late sources identify this story with the "Distant Goddess" myth, in which the EyeofRa—a solar deity who can take the form of several...
"Great of magic, mistress of the stars", and "EyeofRa, without her equal". A connection with Ptah or Ra evident in her epithets is also known from Egyptian...
mother of the crocodile god, Sobek. As the mother ofRa, in her Mehet-Weret form, she was sometimes described as the "Great Cow who gave birth to Ra". As...