Goddess Seshat | Goddess Of Writing

Seshat was the goddess of writing and wisdom in ancient Egyptian religion. She was the Mistress of the House of Books and the consort of Thoth, the god of wisdom. Both Seshat and Thoth were divine scribes and were depicted with symbols of their sacred duties. Seshat was often shown as a woman with a dress with a star above her head her name.

 

Seshat was usually depicted in a simple sheath dress with an extended panther skin, the tail of which reached her feet. She was often shown holding a notched palm rib, the passage of time. Seshat was very skilled in the observation of stars and planets and played a big role in the rituals of astronomical and astrological measurements, like the stretching of the cord" ceremony to determine the placement of temples.

 

As the keeper of ground plans and charts Seshat was involved in these rituals. She also recorded the pharaoh’s jubilees including the Sed festival cattle counts and military campaigns as early as the Second Dynasty. Reliefs from the Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom show her documenting the quantities of foreign captives and plunder after military victories.

 

Seshat was also the patron of all earthly libraries. She was the guardian of the divine library of the gods and the protector of all forms of writing, including accounting, auditing and census-taking. According to myth, Seshat invented writing and Thoth taught humanity how to write.

 

Seshat is the only female figure in ancient Egyptian art shown writing. Other women were shown holding a scribe’s palette and brush, meaning they could write. Seshat was shown writing, meaning she was at the heart of written knowledge.