6th March 2012
Meretseger - West Bank
Meretseger - West Bank
The Mountain peak was venerated as a major deity of the Necropolis to whom Hymns were written and Shrines dedicated. See (Ptah Shrine Article)
Meretseger, Goddess of Punishment and Mercy, Protectress of the Necropolis Under the Peak of the West.
Meretseger was a New Kingdom local Goddess of the necropolis at Waset (Thebes) She guarded the deceased in their tombs from tomb robbers and criminals in the area.
She was shown as a Cobra with female head or a female with Cobra’s head and sometimes as a coiled snake. She was closely associated with Hathor and the Pyramid-shaped peak of Mt. Meretseger; as known today.
Ancient name (Meretseger) “She Who Loves Silence” comes from.
In respect, she was also known as her dwelling place “The Peak of the West”
She was a protective deity, but was also greatly feared. The workmen of the necropolis left numerous stelae dedicated to her. They believed she would strike down anyone who desecrated a tomb as well as anyone who committed a crime or broke an oath. It was thought that she could cause immediate blindness or inflicts a snake or scorpion bite on the guilty party. However, she was merciful and would cure anyone who repented and promised to atone for his or her actions. For example, a worker named Neferabu recorded that Meretseger had punished him for his sins. However, he confessed and did his best to make amends and the goddess forgave him and cured him of his affliction.
Neferabu dedicated a stela to her in which he describes his punishment by the goddess and her forgiveness:
Made by the servant in the Place-of-Truth, Neferabu, justified.
[I was] an ignorant man and foolish,
Who knew not good from evil;
I did the transgression against the Peak,
And she taught a lesson to me.
I was in her hand by night as by day,
I sat on bricks like the woman in labor,
I called to the wind, it came not to me,
I libated to the Peak of the West, great of strength,
And to every god and goddess.
I called upon my Mistress,
I found her coming to me as sweet breeze;
She was merciful to me,
Having made me see her hand.
She returned to me appeased,
She made my malady forgotten;
For the Peak of the West is appeased,
If one calls upon her.
Stelae of Amennakht
Praises for your spirit, Meretseger, Mistress of the West, by the Scribe of the Place of Truth, Amennakht true-of-voice; he says: 'Be praised in peace, O Lady of the West, Mistress who turns herself to grace! You made me see darkness in the day. I shall declare your power to other people. Be gracious to me in your grace!'
Stelae of Amennakht, 20th dynasty, Deir el Medina Picture
courtesy British Museum.
Stelae of Amennakht, 20th dynasty, Deir el Medina Picture
courtesy British Museum.
These notions of "sin" and "repentance" were not common in Ancient Egypt. They believed in Ma'at (balance or order) and chaos rather than "good" and "evil" and no other deity rewarded atonement and punished sin in this manner.
Her worship was centered on the city of Waset, and the village of the workmen at Deir el Medina, during the New Kingdom. When the royal tombs there were abandoned during the 21st Dynasty, the worship of Meretseger died out.
I decided to climb Mt. Meretseger to its peak. This is the view of it from my lounge window.
Her worship was centered on the city of Waset, and the village of the workmen at Deir el Medina, during the New Kingdom. When the royal tombs there were abandoned during the 21st Dynasty, the worship of Meretseger died out.
I decided to climb Mt. Meretseger to its peak. This is the view of it from my lounge window.
I took the rout from Medina that passes two police houses on the way.
This was the last police house before the top. The young policemen there were very friendly and invited me in to take a rest; they even put the fan on for me. I popped in on the way down to say Ma-Salamma.
These are the views from the top at the rock obstacles.
These were the rocks that I had to climb if I wanted to reach the peak, over these or to the left (below photo) where there was a path, more like a goat path and only half a metre wide. I had no doubt that this was the rout to the peak. You can make out the pathway in the middle. But sadly it got the better of me what with the Altitude. I went along it a few feet but I simply could not do it. It is ok for a fearless goat but not for me. To the left is a sheer drop and it made me very nervous.