Bits and piece about Neith

[ikhet_sekhmet]

Neith was one of the four goddesses who protected the canopic jars, along with Isis, Nephthys, and Serqet. She was also a protector of the royal house.

The click beetle (family Elateridae) has a body which resembles an Egyptian shield, which Neith is often depicted wearing as a headdress. A First Dynasty relief shows the heads and abdomens of two click beetles "incorporated into the symbol of the goddess Neith". Another First Dynasty relief shows one of these beetles holding the was sceptre. Elaterid beetles are brilliantly metallic in colour, and some are bioluminescent, reflecting Neith's association with the rising sun and as the "opener of the way" for souls in the underworld.

Neith was also associated with the fly, perhaps because of its association with the military.

ETA: Neith's recognition and influence dwindled over time, perhaps for political reasons; at first known throughout Egypt, later her importance was mostly limited to Sais. She was Khnum's consort at Esna.

__
Kritsy, Gene and Ron Cherry. Insect Mythology. Writers Club Press, 2000.
Motte-Florac, Elisabeth and Jacqueline M.C. Thomas. Les "Insectes" Dans La Tradition Orale. Peeters Publishers, Belgium, 2003.
Shafer, Byron E. (ed) Religion in Ancient Egypt: Gods, Myths, and Personal Pratice. Cornell UP, Ithaca, 1991.

Comments

[lemon-cupcake.livejournal.com]

Which book identified Neith's insect as a click beetle? I haven't seen a definitive identification before; some scholars think it's a cockroach.

Edward

[ikhet-sekhmet.livejournal.com]

It's in Insect Mythology, which says: "Of the elaterids known from Egypt, Keimer has described Agypnus notodonta as the most likely species being represented by these carvings and the reconstruction [of a First Dynasty relief of a beetle holding the was sceptre] supports his identification (Kritsky 1991)."

The citation is: Kritsky, G. Beetle Gods of Ancient Egypt. Am. Entomol. 37: 85-87.

Hope that helps!