The goddess Sekhmet, solar disc and snake on the head

European Museums, The British Museum

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Solar disc and snake on the head of the goddess Sekhmet.

The goddess Sekhmet

Sekhmet was a lion goddess whose name means 'the mighty one', and she personified the aggressive aspects of other goddesses. Sekhmet was a daughter of the sun-god Ra and she usually wears a sun-disc on her head.

Myth recounts how she almost obliterated humankind for conspiring against her father's rule. She was associated with destruction and plague, but her powers could also be invoked for healing. Like other goddesses, she often holds a looped cross and papyrus stalk: emblems of life (ankh) and flourishing (wadj).

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Solar disc and snake on the head of the goddess Sekhmet

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Source:  London, United Kingdom