Seshat, is an ancient egyptian goddess associated with knowledge, books, libraries, architecture, invention of writing, knowledge, and record-keeping.In today's world this easily translates to database design, word processing, knowledge management, information management, graphic design and information architecture.
The following excerpts are from the book, "Gods of the Egyptians" by E.A. Wallis Budge:
"Closely associated with Thoth in the performance of certain of his duties as the god of letters and learning, was the goddess Seshat, whos name is generally read Sefkhet-Aabut; the reading "Sesheta" has also been proposed for the hyeroglyphic sign which forms the symbol of the goddess, but both readings are merely guesses, for the phonetic value of the sign has not been ascertained, and even the sign itself has not been identified. All that is certain about about it is that in some pictures of the goddess the sign seeems to be compounded of a pair of horns inverted over a seven-rayed star, or flower with seven petals, suppported on a standard.
"From the pictures of the goddess and the titles which accompany them it is quite certain what her functions were. We see her wearing her characteristic symbols on her head, with a close-fitting panther skin garment upon her body, and in her hands she holds a scribe's palette and writing reed; in this form she is called "the great one, the lady of the house of books". Thus she was a goddess of literature and the library.
"Elsewhere we see her without her panther skin garment, holding a writing reed in the right hand, and the cartouche, symbolic of "name" in her left; in this form she suggests the ideas of being a kind of recording angel, not so much of the deeds committed by man, but of their names, of which she, presumably, took note, that her associate Thoth might declare them before Osiris. In the title which accompanies this picture she is called "great one, lady of letters, mistress of the house of books".
"In another scene she holds a notched pam branch in her hand, and she appears to be counting the notches; the lower end of the branch rests on the back of a frog, seated upon the emblem of "eternity," and from the upper end hangs the symbol of the double Set festival. Thus she appears in the character of the chronographer and chronologist; the use of the notched palm-branch as a symbol of the counting of years takes us back to a custom which was probably prevalent in predynastic times.
"In yet another scene we find the goddess standing before a column of hieroglyphics meaning "life" and "power" and "thiry-year festivals", which rest upon a seated figure who holds in each hand (an ankh), "life", and who typifies "millions of years". In connection with this must be noted a passage in a text in which she declares to a king that she has inscribed on her register on his behalf a period of life which shall be "hundreds of thousands of thirty-year periods", and has ordained that his years shall be upon the earth like the years of Ra, i.e.: that he shall live forever.
"Other passages show that Seshat was supposed to be the "goddess of construction"..
"It is, however, certain from many passages that her chief duties were connected with the writing of history, and happy was the king who was fortunate enough to have his deeds recorded by the fingers of the goddess herself, and his abode in the next world built on the plan which she drew up in accordance with her attributes as the inventer of letters, the lady of the builder's measure, and the founder of architecture.
Seshat meaning 'female scribe', was seen as the goddess of writing, historical records, accounting and mathematics, measurement and architecture to the ancient Egyptians. She was depicted as a woman wearing a panther-skin dress (the garb of the funerary stm priests) and a headdressthat was also her hieroglyph () which may represent either a stylised flower or seven (or nine) pointed star on a standard that is beneath a set of down-turned horns. (The horns may have originally been a crescent, linking Seshat to the moon and hence to her spouse, the moon god of writing and knowledge, Thoth.)
She was believed to appear to assist the pharaoh at various times, and who kept a record of his life: It was she who recorded the time allotted to him by the gods for his stay on earth.
She was associated with the pharaoh at the 'stretching the cord' foundation ritual, where she assisted the pharaoh with the measuring process. During New Kingdom times, she was shown to have been involved in the sed (jubilee) festival of the pharaohs, holding a palm rib to show the passage of time. She kept track of each pharaoh and the period for which he ruled and the speeches made during the crowning rituals. She was also shown writing down the inventory of foreign captives and captured goods from campaigns.
Seshat has no temples that have been found, though she did have a priesthood in early times. Along with her priestess', there were a few priests in the order - the Slab Stela of Prince Wep-em-nefret, from the Fourth Dynasty, gives him the title of Overseer of the Royal Scribes, Priest of Seshat. It was at a later time that the priests of Thoth took over the priesthood of Seshat.
Thoth was thought to be her male counterpart and father, and she was often depicted as his wife by the Egyptians. The child of this union was a god named Hornub, 'The Gold Horus'. Some believe her to be an example of Egyptian duality, as she bears many of the traits of Thoth. As an ancient goddess of the Old Kingdom, she was called 'The Original One, Who Originated Writing at the Beginning'. She was thought to be linked with the goddess Nephthys who was given the title 'Seshat, Foremost of Builders' in the Pyramid texts. In the Ptolemaic Period Seshat was called 'She who reckons the life-period, Lady of Years, Lady of Fate' (and was thus also linked to the god of fate, Shai).
She was also identified with Isis and assisted with bringing Osiris back to life after he had been slain by Set. Safekh-Aubi (Sefekh-Aubi) is a title that came from Seshat's headdress, that may have become an aspect of Seshat or an actual goddess. Safekh-Aubi means 'She Who Wears the Two Horns' and relates to the horns that appear above Seshat's standard.
The Egyptians believed that Seshat invented writing, while Thoth taught writing to mankind. She was known as 'Mistress of the House of Books', indicating that she also took care of Thoth's library of spells and scrolls. It was as 'Mistress of the House of Architects' that she helped the pharaoh set the foundations of temples with indication that she set the axis by the aid of the stars.
The unusual and obscure 'Song of Didiu' in the tomb of Antefoqer ('Ninen' may have been his nickname) references the Seshat and the "Seshat-star":
Seshat was the only female that has been found (so far) actually writing. Other women have been found holding a scribe's writing brush and palette - showing that they could read and write - but these women were never shown in the act of writing itself. Some archaeologists believe that the Middle Kingdom title, sheshat, when applied to a lady may refer to the title of a 'cosmetician', rather than a scribe, as it can occur with the title for 'hairdresser'. In the Late Period, Irtieru (TT390) had the title 'Female scribe, Chief Attendant of the God's Priestess Nitiqret'.
Seshat was a rather important goddess, even from earlier times in the Pyramid texts. She was the first and foremost female scribe - accountant, historian and architect to both the pharaoh and the gods. She was the female goddess of positions belonging mostly to men. Yet she did not have a personal name, only a title - Seshat, the Female Scribe.
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