Limestone Relief of Hathor as a Cow

This little limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 relief of Hathor 𓉡 as a cow 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒 at the Louvre is very small 𓈖𓆓𓋴𓅩 and simple but I love it! One of the reasons I love Hathor 𓉡 so much is because I love cows 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒𓏦 – not only they adorable, even today they are a life source for humans! 

In ancient Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖, cows 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒𓏦 were venerated 𓄪𓐍𓇌 and thought of as divine 𓊹 long before 7000 B.C.E. – which is when archaeologists believe the domestication of cows 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒𓏦 took place. Some historians think that the reverence for cows 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒𓏦 in ancient Egypt started during the Neolithic times, and since cows 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒𓏦 were so vital to culture and life 𓋹, their importance persisted in the forms of early goddesses 𓊹𓊹𓊹𓏏 such as Hathor 𓉡, Nut 𓏌𓏏𓇯𓀭 and Neith 𓈖𓏏𓋌𓀭. Cows 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒𓏦 gave milk, and thus life, just like women 𓂑𓏏𓁐𓏪, hence why they were so revered 𓄪𓐍𓇌! 

Hathor 𓉡 can be easily recognized in Egyptian art because she will either be represented as a cow 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒, or as a beautiful woman with a solar disc 𓇳 and cow horns 𓄋 as her crown. Even when she is in cow 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒 form, Hathor 𓉡 will have her characteristic crown on her head, as seen in this relief! As Egyptian religion evolved, the goddess 𓊹𓏏 Isis 𓊨𓏏𓁥 adopted this same crown, so it is difficult to tell them apart in later period art – that is where hieroglyphs come in handy 𓊹𓌃𓏪! 

Even in hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪, the words for cow and beautiful are linked – look below at how similar “cow” and “beautiful” are – even “cow” and “beautiful woman” are the same word – only the determinative different so it would have been pronounced the same! I think this connection to language just demonstrates how important cows 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒𓏦 were to the Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪. 

𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒 – Cow

𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓁐 – Beautiful Woman

𓄤𓆑𓂋 – Beautiful

The hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 on this particular relief are cut off, but “𓎟𓏏” is the word for all, or Lady/Mistress!