Navratri Notes: Cows, Thrones, And Triune Goddesses Of Egypt

The image is instantly recognisable around the globe—though not for the right reasons. Popularised by Erich von Däniken's works and the TV series Ancient Aliens, the 'Dendera Light,' a curious motif carved into the walls of a temple in Dendera, Egypt, has sparked fascination for years."

The structure bears a striking resemblance to a modern electric bulb, leading some to claim it was evidence of ancient electrical technology—possibly introduced by ancient aliens astronauts or remnants of an advanced antediluvian civilisation. This is a prime example of pseudo-archaeology, pseudo-history, and pseudo-science rolled into one.

However, the carved motif on the walls of the Dendera temple should be of special interest to Hindus due to its rich symbolism.

The so-called ‘Dendera light’ is actually a depiction of the Egyptian Creation account. The primeval creator god Harsomtus is the snake emerging from the lotus. He is the son of Hathor – the great Goddess. The temple itself, built around 55 BCE ,was to honour the Goddess Hathor.

A Hindu will be naturally reminded of Brahma on the lotus. The archetypal resonances between ancient Puranic conceptions of creation are far more intriguing than the fabricated mysteries of pseudo-science,

Hathor, the Cow Goddess

Hathor is the nourishing Goddess. She is the Cow who nourishes the people through Her milk. After death, it is Her milk that gives energy for the afterlife voyage.

She was also the goddess of mountains and deserts. Goddess of minerals and foreign lands, She was worshipped for prosperity through trades with other lands.

When She is the sky Goddess She has the solar disc between Her horns. Hathor is the face of the sky. In a way She was the Horizon. She is also the Goddess who dwells in the grove at the end of the world.

We have already met her divine son Harsomtus. As the regenerative serpent, he renews the cycle of day and night.

His other son Ihy is a divine joy with bountiful music. Hathor could divide Herself into seven motherly cows and visit the new-born child to protect and fore-tell the future.

The seven Hathors are called 'Athurai' or 'Atauria', the stars of Athy or the great sky Goddess. She also has the seven ears of the corn in Her hands indicating bountiful harvest. Here She becomes very much a fertility Goddess.

Incidentally, Persian tradition also has seven sisters who are present during the birth of a child. Rig Veda (X.5.5.) mentions the seven radiant sisters as well. The seven sisters were Arushis.

However, Hathor is not the only celestial cow.

Nut- The Goddess of Sky

Nut (pronounced Nuut) is another celestial sky Goddess. She is the sky who emerges from the primordial ocean Nun. She contains all realms in Her and overarches all existence in a protective embrace.

She is also a Goddess of regeneration. She is the patroness of the star-filled sky. She was the mother of Gods. She gave birth to Gods through the earth God Geb.

She gave birth to five very important Gods of Egypt: Osiris, Haroeris, Seth, Isis and Nephthys, of whom Osiris was the eldest. He emerged fully crowned from his mother’s womb.

If this has resonance with Mahabharata then interestingly, Osiris is also the ruler of the realm of death and he is the one who is in charge of the weighing of one’s heart against the feather of Maat.

Isis, the Goddess of Throne

Together with Nut, the celestial goddess, and Isis, the Egyptian counterpart of the Mesopotamian goddess Inanna, Hathor completes a Triune Goddess.

In contrast to monotheistic belief, ancient spiritual traditions carried a profound, instinctual understanding that the many goddesses were not separate, but diverse expressions of a single, profound spiritual reality.

Their varied forms and attributes were all threads of one divine tapestry, revealing the multifaceted nature of the sacred.

Just as how a Hindu naturally understands the various Goddesses as special manifestations of the same Divinity, the Egyptians would have understood the different feminine forms worshipped with different names as the same Goddess. She is Hathor at the Dendera temple. She is Neith at the temple Sais. She is Mut at Thebes. She is Ejo the Cobra at Buto. She is the Vulture Goddess at El Kab.

Hathor has the solar disc with the cow horns. But Isis also wears this. When Isis dons the cow horns, she channels the nourishing nature and the celestial essence of Hathor. The boundaries between these powerful goddesses dissolve.

A particularly impressive depiction relates Isis, Hathor and the Pharaoh. Isis with the cow horns disc has the Pharaoh (king Seti-I circa 1500 BCE) seated on Her lap. Her lap becomes the throne.

Actually Isis Herself is the throne. In many depictions, the Goddess is shown carrying the throne on Her head. This is also Her hieroglyphic symbol. Egyptologists who are mostly Westerners strain hard to understand the relation between a throne as the Goddess and the king’s royal power. Here is a classical Egyptologist expression of the relation between the throne as Goddess and its relation to the Pharaoh:

A Hindu mind, familiar with the tale of Vikramaditya's throne—buried beneath the earth yet capable of transforming a humble shepherd into a king—can easily grasp the mystical connection between throne and kingship.

This imagery is integrated in the Hindu psyche. When Madhava Sadasiva Golwalkar became the second leader of the RSS at a young age, many were skeptical. In his inaugural address, Golwalkar invoked the legend of Vikramaditya's throne, saying that while he might be a person of simple mind, the position of Sarsanghachalak itself would guide him, much like the mound that held Vikramaditya's throne.

One hopes for a decolonized, indigenous Hindu school of Egyptology. It’s possible that the Egyptian vision of the throne and divine kingship, along with many other aspects of their religion and worldview, would resonate more deeply when viewed through the lens of Hindu Dharma. In both traditions, the throne is not just a seat, but a vessel of divine power, granting sovereignty to those worthy of rule.

In an in-depth study of the symbolism common to the Vedic altar and the throne, archaeologist and Indologist F.D.K. Bosch pointed out the connection:

The throne is divine, upheld by the Goddess and anchored in Dharma and Rta. If a king strays from Dharma, the throne itself may become his undoing. This is powerfully shown in the Tamil classic Chilapathikaram, an epic of the Divine Feminine.

When the Pandya king realises he has unjustly killed an innocent man, he instantly falls from the throne and dies, acknowledging his departure from Dharma. The epic teaches that for those in power, when they err, Dharma becomes their executioner—enshrined in the very throne they occupy.

Being in the lap of the Goddess is not a privilege or a divine right to power and enjoyment for the ruler. Rather it is a responsibility that would determine his very life and death.

The Goddesses Hathor and Nut, once revered as divine cows, have all but vanished from the modern Egyptian world. Perhaps faint echoes of their presence still linger in folk traditions or small local cults, but these are mere shadows, fading into obscurity.

In India, however, cows remain sacred, and Kamadhenu is still honoured as a living, divine force. While the seven Hathors have lost their place of love and reverence in Egypt, India continues to revere the Sapta-Matrikas, and every year, the Karthika mothers are celebrated with glowing lamps in their honour.

If an ancient Egyptian adept devoted to Nut were to walk the streets of Egypt today, they would find it unrecognisable. Yet, in India, from the timeless tales of the Mahabharata to the vibrant festivals honouring the Goddess, he or she would feel instantly at home.

What Egypt, Sumer, Greece, Rome, and ancient Israel have lost, India has safeguarded. She is the land where the Divine Feminine thrives, where the goddesses of all lands find refuge. This is a blessing for the entire planet—and a sacred responsibility for every Hindu to uphold.

Also read:

1. Navratri notes: Nammu, the forgotten Serpent-Sea Goddess from Sumeria

2. Navratri notes: Inanna, the Goddess of Life and War

3. Navratri notes: Maat, the Goddess of Cosmic Order, Breath of Life, and Justice

4. Navratri notes: Artemis, The Goddess of Wild Life and Child Birth

5. Navratri notes: She flows like Ganga, Saraswati, and also like Oshun of the Yorubas of Africa

6. Navratri notes: Gaia—Ancient Mother Earth reawakens in science

7. Navratri notes: Asherah, the Hebrew Goddess and the Tree of Life