THEORY
IN THEORY: SEKHMET,
THE EYE OF RA
By Allison Panagis
T
he goddess of war. The goddess of
titles weren’t given to her without reason, as her
healing. The fiercest hunter ever
most prevalent legend encompasses all of them.
known to the Egyptians and the protector of the
According to lore, Ra - the sun god - became
pharaohs, who she led in warfare. We speak
angry that people were not following his laws and
not of several deities but of one: Sekhmet, the
preserving Ma’at (justice and balance). In an act of
daughter of Ra. At once known as both the “Lady
vengeance against mankind he sent an aspect of
of Terror” and the “Lady of Life,” Sekhmet is
his daughter (the “Eye of Ra”) to punish them. From
most renowned as the bringer of destruction.
the Uraeus (the stylized cobra) atop his head he
The ancient Egyptians had a polytheistic belief
plucked Hathor, who he sent to Earth in the form of
system with a rich pantheon of gods, centered
a lion. Hathor became Sekhmet and her rampage
around the concept of ma’at, or order. Over the
began. By her hand the fields ran red with human
three millennia that the Egyptian culture reigned
these gods and goddesses changed and adapted
to the needs of the people who worshipped them,
and to resemble major historic events. The single
greatest event that changed the way that deities
were viewed in ancient Egypt was the unification war,
where Upper and Lower Egypt faced off and merged
“
In an act of
vengeance against
mankind [Ra] sent an
aspect of his daughter
to punish them.
”
into one country after Upper Egypt’s victory. Deities
blood; she struck mercilessly with a bloodlust that
worshipped in Upper Egypt who had counterparts in
could not be quenched. Ra, seeing the carnage left in
Lower Egypt took dominance and the roles the losing
Sekhmet’s wake, decided to repent lest humankind
deities had. The losing deities weren’t forgotten,
as a whole be destroyed. He poured out beer dyed
however, and changed to accommodate the new
with pomegranate juice to trick the bloodthirsty
hierarchy. The most famous example of this is Bastet
goddess, and his cunning plan worked. Sekhmet,
falling from her position as warrior goddess, only
crazed by battlelust, consumed the “blood” in such
to strengthen Sekhmet, the Eye of Ra, in her role.
vast quantities that she became drunk enough to
Sekhmet’s name is derived from the ancient
sleep for three days. Upon waking from her slumber
Egyptian word “sekhem,” which translates to “power”
her drive for the slaughter had ended and she
or “might” - a fitting name for the deity responsible
returned peacefully to Ra, saving mankind in the
for nearly destroying mankind. Other titles given to
process. Ever since, in an effort to placate Sekhmet’s
her include “The One Before Whom Evil Trembles,”
bloodthirst, the ancient Egyptians celebrated festivals
“Mistress of Dread,” and “She Who Mauls.” These
in her honor and got nearly as drunk as she did.
16 The SMITE Community Magazine Issue #11
The GameOn Magazine