Taweret

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A goddess in ancient Egyptian mythology, often depicted with features of a hippo, who is associated with childbirth and fertility
2. Representing protection and motherhood, this deity was believed to safeguard women during childbirth and promote the health of infants
3. Characterized as a divine figure, she symbolizes the transition of motherhood and provides assistance during labor and delivery in Egyptian belief

Etymology: Taweret is the name of an ancient Egyptian goddess, and her image is one of the more unusual ones in Egyptian religion: a hybrid with the body of a pregnant hippopotamus, the limbs of a lion, and the tail of a crocodile. Her name is usually rendered in Egyptian as "Tꜣ-wrt" or similar, meaning roughly "the great one," and the word is a feminine form of the adjective "wr," "great." Egyptologists generally treat the name as a straightforward Egyptian descriptive title rather than a borrowing from another language. Her appeal lay in the creatures she combined. The hippopotamus was a dangerous animal to the Egyptians, associated with the river and with the chaos-linked god Seth, yet a female hippo with young was among the most protective of animals. Taweret turned that fierce maternal instinct into a guardian's power, and she was invoked to shield mothers during pregnancy and childbirth. Amulets of her, often in blue faience, were worn by women and placed in homes for protection, and many survive in museum collections today.

Synonyms: Egyptian goddess, protector goddess