Sekhmet: The Lady of Slaughter

The Eye of Ra

In the blistering heat of the Egyptian desert, the sun is not just a source of light—it is a weapon. Sekhmet is the personification of that weapon. Her name means "The Powerful One." She appears as a woman with the head of a fierce lioness, crowned with the solar disk and the Uraeus. She is the daughter of Ra, the sun god. She was forged from his own eye.

When humanity began to mock Ra in his old age, plotting against him, he plucked out his eye and sent it down to earth in the form of Sekhmet to teach them a lesson.

The Blood Drunk Goddess

The lesson went too far. Sekhmet descended upon humanity with the fury of a lioness protecting her pride. She didn't just punish the rebels. She began to exterminate everyone. The land of Egypt turned red with blood. Sekhmet tasted the blood and found it intoxicating. She fell into a berserker rage, unable to distinguish between the guilty and the innocent. Ra, seeing his creation spiraling out of control, realized that if he didn't stop her, there would be no one left to worship him.

The Red Beer Trick

Ra could not fight Sekhmet. She was his own power turned against him. So he used trickery. He ordered his high priests to brew 7,000 jars of beer. He had them dye the beer red using ochre until it looked exactly like fresh blood. They poured the "blood" over the fields where Sekhmet was sleeping. When she woke up, she saw the red lake. Thinking it was the blood of her victims, she drank it greedily. She drank until she was drunk. She passed out. When she woke up, her rage had subsided. She was transformed into the gentler cat goddess Bastet.

The Lady of Pestilence and Healing

Sekhmet is a goddess of terrifying power.

War & Plague:She breathes fire. She creates the hot desert winds. She sends plagues and diseases to strike down the enemies of the Pharaoh.
Healing:paradoxically, she is also the patron of physicians. Her priests were the best doctors in Egypt. The logic was simple: Only the goddess who brings the plague has the power to stop it. "The Lady of Terror" is also "The Lady of Life."

Keeper's Log: The Statue

In the Temple of Karnak, there is a statue of Sekhmet made of black granite. It is hidden in a small, dark room. One moment, she looks like a benevolent protector; the next, she looks ready to leap off the pedestal and tear your throat out. The ancient Egyptians made hundreds of statues to keep her appeased.