According to some sources, she was entirely self-generated. Mark, J. J. However, she was also credited with creating Apep, the great serpent and the sworn enemy of Ra, by spitting into the waters of Nun. There is confusion as to the Emblem of Nit - originally it was of a shield and two crossed arrows. "Two Protodynastic Objects in Brussels and the Origin of the Bilobate Cult-Sign of Neith." But also tell the Lord of All, the Bull who lives in Iunu (On, Heliopolis), to double Set's property. This ties in with the vignette in The Contendings of Horus and Seth when, as the most ancient among them, Neith is asked by the deities to decide who should rule. The symbol of her town, Zau, used this emblem from early times, and was used in the name of the nome of which her city was the capital. This was probably due to being a weaver goddess - she was believed to make the bandages for the deceased. Neith is said to have been "born the first, in the time when as yet there had been no birth" (St. Clair, Creation Records: 176). Dani Rhys has worked as a writer and editor for over 15 years. Those who didnt attend lit lamps in other temples, in the palaces, or in their homes, keeping them lit all night long without allowing them to die out. There is ample evidence that she was one of the most important deities of the prehistoric and Early Dynastic periods and, impressively, her veneration persisted to the very end of the pharaonic age. The Ancient Egyptian name of this city was Zau.. Neith also was one of the three tutelary deities of the ancient Egyptian southern city of . 800.(g. Amun: Origin Story, Family, Meaning, Symbols, Power, & Facts, Old Kingdom: Definition, History, Pharaohs, & Major Facts, The Boston Massacre: The American Revolution, Three Major Time Periods of Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom of Egypt A 500-year period that saw ancient Egypt reach its peak, Pyramid Texts: Definition, Purpose, Hieroglyphs, & Facts. She was considered to be eldest of the Ancient Egyptian deities. Neith was so prominent in Predynastic and Early Dynastic times, that at least two queens took her name: Merneith and Neithhotep. Mark has lived in Greece and Germany and traveled through Egypt. Her character was complex as her mythology continued to grow over this great span of time and, although many early myths of the goddess are undoubtebly lost to us, the picture we are able to recover is still one of a powerful deity whose roles encompassed aspects of this life and the beyond. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. In later years, Neith was mainly recognized in the Western Nile Delta at her cult center of Sais. Religion (from the Latin Religio, meaning 'restraint,' or Relegere Myths are a part of every culture in the world and are used to World History Encyclopedia is joined by Egyptologist and author Hathor Rising: The Power of the Goddess in Ancient Egypt, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. In one Egyptian creation myth, Neith brought forth Ra, the sun. He has taught history, writing, literature, and philosophy at the college level. So the question arises, then, of what to offer them? As with many, if not all, of the Egyptian deities, Neith was a part of a person's life from their birth through their death and on into the afterlife. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is an educational institution that uses trans-disciplinary approaches to increasing knowledge about the past, present, and future, especially related to the diversity and relationships in nature and among cultures. In addition to receiving two new wives, Seth was appointed to the coveted position of guardian and master of the boat of Ra. It was a beautiful sight since all of Egypt was lit up with colorful lights in celebration. In her message of reply, Neith selects Horus, and says she will "cause the sky to crash to the earth" if he is not selected. [citation needed] It has been suggested these hunting and war features of Neith's imagery may indicate her origin from Libya, located west and southwest of Egypt, where she was the goddess of the combative peoples there. As goddess of life and creation, Neith is believed to have created everything that is in the universe. Nit (Net, Neit, Neith) was the predynastic goddess of war and weaving, the goddess of the Red Crown of Lower Egypt and the patron goddess of Zau (Sau, Sai, Sais) in the Delta. Erik Hornung interprets that in the Eleventh Hour of the Book of the Amduat, Neith's name appears written with a phallus (Das Amduat, Teil I: Text: 188, No. At night they would light lamps which, according to Herodotus, were "saucers full of salt and oil, the wick floating thereon, and burning all night" and even those who did not attend the festival lighted such lamps in their homes, in other temples, and in the palaces so that the whole of Egypt would be illuminated all night long (Histories, II.62). She sometimes appears in the guise of a golden cobra, too. This seems to have been her primary role from very early on in Egypt's history as Wilkinson notes writing on her longevity: Neith's prominence in early dynastic times - as seen in 1st-dynasty labels, funerary stelae, and in the names of her priestesses and the contemporary queens such as Neithotep and Merneith - suggest the goddess was worshipped from the beginnings of Egyptian culture. Since Neith also was goddess of war, she thus had an additional association with death: in this function, she shot her arrows into the enemies of the dead, and thus she began to be viewed as a protector of the dead, often appearing as a uraeus snake to drive off intruders and those who would harm the deceased (in this form she is represented in the tomb of Tutankhamun). "https://ssl." She was also regarded, during the Old Kingdom, as the wife of Set, though by later times this relationship was dropped and she became the wife of Sobek instead. Serqet was thought to have power over venomous snakes and scorpions, like Meretseger and Isis. Nit watched over the east side of the sarcophagus and looked after the jackal-headed Duamutef who guarded the stomach of the dead. The reign of Horus was a time of peace and prosperity. el-Sayed asserts his belief that Neith should be seen as a parallel to Wepwawet, the ancient jackal god of Upper Egypt, who was associated in that southern region with both royalty in victory and as a psychopomp for the dead. It is at these points, beyond the sky that is seen, that Neith's true power as the deity who creates life is manifested. She was the first to create the seed of gods and men. She is the mother of Egyptian rulers. (2016, September 14). She was appealed to as an arbiter in the dispute between Horus and Seth. Later, as religious practices evolved throughout the long history of their culture, ancient Egyptians began to note their deities in pairs, female and male. When she is referred to as the creator of the world her name is written using the hieroglyph of an ejaculating phallus, indicating that she was considered as an androgynous creator. Please confirm you want to block this member. Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! People who came to the temple were allowed only in the outer courtyards where they offered their sacrifices to the goddess with requests for her aid or in thanks for assistance given. According to the Iunyt (Esna) cosmology, Neith was the creator of the world and the mother of the sun, Ra. Although known as goddess, Neith was actually androgynous, at least in terms of her role in creation. Altenmller, Hartwig. Neith had worshippers all over Egypt. try { In Egyptian mythology, Neith (also known as Nit, Net and Neit) was the patron deity of Sais, in the Western Delta.Originally, Neith was a goddess of the hunt and of war, and had as her symbol, like the town of Sais itself, two crossed Arrows over a shield.It is thought that Neith may correspond to the Berber and Punic goddess Tanit (Ta-Nit).In her early form, as a goddess of war, she was said . [13], The English Egyptologist E. A. Wallis Budge suggested that the Christian biblical account of the flight into Egypt as recorded in the apocryphal gospels was directly influenced by stories about Isis and Horus; Budge argued that the writers of these gospels ascribed to Mary, the mother of Jesus, many peculiarities which, at the time of the rise of Christianity, were perceived as belonging to both Isis and Neith, for example, the parthenogenesis concept shared by both Neith and Mary.[14]. Inscription The inscription on the base names the donor. Her cult reached its height in Sas and apparently in Memphis in the Old Kingdom, and remained important, although to a lesser extent, through the Middle and New Kingdom. Alternatively it is celebrated on the first day of the dark moon. According to the Iunyt (Esna) cosmology the goddess emerged from the primeval waters to create the world. The Way to Eternity: Egyptian Myth, F. Fleming & A. Lothian, p. 62. She was also the goddess of weaving, mothers, the cosmos, wisdom, water, rivers, hunting, war, fate and childbirth, to name a few. Thank you for your help! Her name may derive from a word for to weave or to knit., Neith is a goddess of hunting. She was also often shown carrying a bow and arrows, linking her to hunting and warfare, or a sceptre and sceptre and the ankh sign of life. Known as a huntress during the pre-dynasty time period, her symbol was a shield crossed with arrows. The earliest use of this Emblem was used in the name of queen Nithotep, 'Nit is Pleased', who seems to have been the wife of Aha "Fighter" Menes of the 1st Dynasty. Neith was mostly known for being the creator of the universe with everything in it and for possessing the power to control the way it functions. As protectress of the Royal House, she is represented as a uraeus, and functions with the fiery fury of the sun[citation needed]. Neith, then, is that portion of the cosmos that is not seen, and in which the sun is reborn daily, below the horizon (which may reflect the statement assigned to Neith as "I come at dawn and at sunset daily"). As the goddess of creation and weaving, she was said to reweave the world on her loom daily. World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Mark, Joshua J.. Heartbroken, Isis journeyed the land and collected all the parts of her husbands body. According to the Iunyt (Esna) cosmology, Neith was the creator of the world and the mother of the sun, Ra. In one Egyptian creation myth, Neith brought forth Ra, the sun. Neith is one of the most ancient deities known from Egypt. Neith also often participated in wars due to which she was called Mistress of the Bow, Ruler of Arrows. Neith is frequently depicted sitting on her throne holding either a sceptre or a bow and two arrows. She put him back together and enlisted the help of the sun god Ra to bring him back to life by tricking him into telling her his secret name. Her annual festival was celebrated on the 13th day of the 3rd month of summer and was known as The Festival of the Lamps. The Goddess Neith, Spinner of Destiny The Ancient Egyptians worshipped the primordial creator Goddess Neith, the spinner and weaver of destiny, who was associated with the spider. Please support World History Encyclopedia. Afterward, Osiris descended to the underworld, and became the ruler there. An analysis of her attributes shows Neith was a goddess with many roles. She was also one of the four goddesses (along with Isis, Nephthys, and Serqet/Selket) who protected the deceased and the canopic jars (which were topped by the four sons of Horus ). This goddess of war also blessed hunters weapons. Warrior goddess Neith is considered the mother of all the gods. A great festival, called the Feast of Lamps, was held annually in honor of Neith and, according to the Greek historian Herodotus, her devotees burned a multitude of lights in the open air all night during the celebration. Different types of gods and goddesses have different expectations that you should try to consider when making an offering. Although she bore or created children, she was thought to be a virgin for eternity who had the power to procreate without any male assistance. She was said to be the first and the prime creator, who created the universe and all it contains, and that she governs how it functions. Neith was a powerful and popular deity whom the other gods apparently consulted when they could not settle a dispute. World History Encyclopedia. In late dynastic times there is no doubt that Nit was regarded as nothing but a form of Hathor, but at an earlier period she was certainly a personification of a form of the great, inert, primeval watery mass out of which sprang the sun god Ra - The Gods of the Egyptians, E. A. Wallis Budge. He murdered the king and cut his body into pieces, which he then scattered all over Egypt. Later she would give him the Semitic goddesses, Due to his serpentine shape, Apep was said to have originated from Ra's umbilical cord. Her symbol also identified the city of Sais. Her son, other than the sun god Ra, was believed to be Sobek, the crocodile god. She is also associated with Astarte of Phoenicia and, through her, to Ishtar of Mesopotamia. For example, according to myth it was Neith who eventually ruled that Horus would be king of Upper and Lower Egypt instead of Set. In later Egyptian art, this symbol can be seen placed on top of her head. She presides over crafts of all kinds, including witchcraft and warcraft. [citation needed] Neith's epithet as the "Opener of the Sun's paths in all her stations" refers to how the sun is reborn (due to seasonal changes) at various points in the sky, under Neith's control of all beyond the visible world, of which only a glimpse is revealed prior to dawn and after sunset. According to some sources, she was entirely self-generated. According to the Contendings of Horus and Seth, it was Neith who came up with a solution as to who should become the king of Egypt after Osiris. Neith (Nit, Net, Neit) was an ancient goddess of war and weaving. However, some late myths have her as the wife of Sobek instead of his mother, while in others she was the wife of Khnum, the Upper Egyptian god of fertility. She was also given several titles such as Mother Of The Gods, The Great Goddess or Grandmother Of The Gods. Image: RC 1806 Neith statue at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. Statuette of the Goddess Neith Place Egypt (Object made in) Date 664 BCE-525 BCE Medium Bronze Dimensions 25.1 4.1 11.1 cm (9 7/8 1 5/8 4 3/8 in.) Neith was the Virgin Mother Goddess that predated Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus. She was also worshipped as the consort of Set, god of chaos, in another example of the importance of balance to the Egyptian religion. During the prehistoric & early-Dynastic period, she gained immense popularity. Amuletic weapons placed in the tomb to protect the deceased from evil spirits were consecrated to Neith. A Hellenistic royal family ruled over Egypt for three centuries, a period called the Ptolemaic dynasty until the Roman conquest in 30 A.D. Neith was a goddess of war and of hunting and had as her symbol, two crossed arrows over a shield. Neith was associated with Anubis and Wepwawet (Upuaut), because of her epithet Opener of the Ways. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. At this time her role as a creator changed from being water-based to that of the deity who wove all of the world and existence into being on her loom. When appearing as a woman, her hands and face were usually green. She also is shown as the protectress of one of the Four sons of Horus, specifically, of Duamutef, the deification of the canopic jar storing the stomach, since the abdomen (often mistakenly associated as the stomach) was the most vulnerable portion of the body and a prime target during battle. Later she became a protector god in the Underworld along with Nebet-Hut/Nephthys, Serqet/Selket, Auset/Isis protector of one of Horu/Horus sons Duamutef. Together, they traveled the sky by day and the underworld after dark. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. Submitted by Joshua J. Seth, the brother of Osiris, was jealous of his siblings success and wanted the throne for himself. Seth, of course, adamantly opposed this notion. In other legends she was the consort of Seth and mother of the crocodile god Sobek, which explains the proximity of her cult center in the Delta. She followed the course of the Nile to the sea, and when reaching the Delta she formed the city of Sais. She also became an important goddess in the capital city of Memphis. According to one myth, Neith preceeded creation and was present when the waters of Nun began to swirl at her command to give rise to the ben-ben (the primordial mound) upon which Ra (Atum) stood to complete the task. She helped to dress the dead and open the way for them to the afterlife and the hope of immortality and paradise in the Field of Reeds. Generally depicted as a woman, Nit was shown either wearing her emblem - either a shield crossed with two arrows, or a weaving shuttle - or the Red Crown of Lower Egypt. A cookie which helps me track how many visitors come to my site and what pages they look at. Do not go on committing these great wrongs, which are not in place, or I will get angry and the sky will topple to the ground. It was this association with water, i.e. As the goddess of domestic arts and weaving, Neith was also a protector of marriage and women. It is at these changing points that Neith reigns as a form of sky goddess, where the sun rises and sets daily, or at its 'first appearance' to the sky above and below. Daily worship of Neith would have been in accordance with the customs concerning all the gods where her statue in the inner sanctum of the temple would have been tended by the High Priestess (who alone could enter the room) and the other chambers taken care of by lesser priestesses. [19] More than 300 years after Plutarch, the Neoplatonist philosopher Proclus wrote of the same statue in Book I of his Commentaries on Plato's "Timaeus". At Neith's festival the veil between the earthly realm and the land of the dead was thought to part and people could see and speak with their departed friends and family members. Alternatively she is completely self-generated. Click beetles are usually found near water and Neith was often equated with Mehet-Weret, a primeval goddess whose name means the Great Flood" (170). She holds a Masters degree in Linguistics and Education, and has also studied Political Science, Ancient History and Literature. sky, and who exists beyond the horizon, and thereby, beyond the skies themselves. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete. Neith is a goddess of Lower Egypt particularly associated with Sais but soon incorporated into the national pantheon with a sanctuary at Memphis. Her symbol, the shield with the crossed arrows became the emblem of Sais. This made her the mother of all of the gods and connected her with Nun (a member of the Ogdoad of Hermopolis who was the personification of the primeval waters of chaos from which Ra emerged at the beginning of time). She was also linked to Tatet (the goddess who dressed the dead). By the time of the end of the Ptolemaic Dynasty Neith was still recognized as a creative force of enormous power who "created the world by speaking seven magical words" (Pinch, 170). She was a warrior goddess. It has been theorized that Neith's primary cult point in the Old Kingdom was established in Sas (modern Sa el-Hagar) by Hor-Aha of the First Dynasty, in an effort to placate the residents of Lower Egypt by the ruler of the unified country. Neith is one of the most ancient deities associated with ancient Egyptian culture. The vase was found in the Step Pyramid of Djoser (Third Dynasty) at Saqqara. Her name is spelled in various ways including Net, Nit and Neit and all these names carry the meaning 'the terrifying one' because of her immense strength and power. the divine mother of Ra, who shines on the horizon[11]. She may be venerated independently or together with her son, Sobek. Neith is a goddess of Lower Egypt particularly associated with Sais but soon incorporated into the national pantheon with a sanctuary at Memphis. It was claimed, in one version of her tale, that she created the world by weaving it with her shuttle. Neith (Nit, Net, Neit) was an ancient goddess of war and weaving. Neith travelled from the deserts and oases of Libya to emerge as among the greatest of Egyptian goddesses. As a goddess of weaving and the domestic arts she was a protector of women and a guardian of marriage, so royal woman often named themselves after Neith, in her honour. Neith is portrayed suckling a crocodile at each breast. Her symbols are the bow and arrows and a sword and shield as a war goddess, a weaving shuttle as a funerary goddess, and the Red Crown of Lower Egypt as goddess of creation and mother goddess. Ra felt that Horus was too young and lacked experience; however, the other gods debated the merits of the two and favored Horus. Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. "Zum Ursprung Von Isis Und Nephthys." The people believed that every day, she would reweave the entire world on her loom, arranging it to her liking and fixing whatever she thought was wrong with it. Neith was worshipped with Mysteries and lantern processions. Since she also was goddess of war, and thus had an additional association with death, it was said that she wove the bandages and shrouds worn by the mummified dead as a gift to them, and thus she began to be viewed as a protector of one of the Four sons of Horus, specifically, of Duamutef, the deification of the canopic jar storing the stomach, since the abdomen (often mistakenly associated as the stomach) was the most vulnerable portion of the body and a prime target during battle. Neith Goddess. [citation needed]. Similarly, her name was linked to the root of the word for 'weave' - ntt (which is also the root for the word 'being'). Neith was also one of the three tutelary deities of the southern city of Latopolis. As a creator, Neith was an early goddess in the Egyptian pantheon and the people worshipped her throughout Egypt. She was the patroness and protector of Egyptian soldiers and virgins. Then he installed himself as the new king, and anointed his sister Nephthys as queen. Last modified August 28, 2021, Your email address will not be published. The rule of the kingdom later passed to Shu, the air god, and then to his son Geb, the earth god, and finally to his son Osiris, who was married to his own sister, the queen Isis. Another early dynastic queen, Mernit, 'Beloved of Nit', served as regent around the time of king Den. Neith was one of the oldest deities of the Egyptian pantheon, known as the goddess of creation. As the personification of the concept of the primordial waters of creation in the Ogdoad theology, she had no gender. Her name is spelled in various ways including Net, Nit and Neit and all these names carry the meaning the terrifying one because of her immense strength and power. World History Encyclopedia. Although Neith was said to be a female goddess, she mostly appears as an androgynous deity. They were only allowed in the outer courtyards where a huge, artificial lake was built, and here they worshipped her daily with lantern parades and sacrifices, asking for her aid or thanking her for having given it. "Neith." the Nile, that during pairing of deities she sometimes was considered the wife of Khnum and sometimes was associated with the source of the River Nile. All that she conceived in her heart comes into being, including all thirty deities. That her worship predominated the early dynastic periods is demonstrated by a preponderance of theophoric names (personal names that incorporate the name of a deity) within which Neith appears as an element. Her name also may be interpreted as meaning, water. . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. She was strongly associated with these symbols during the predynastic period when she played an important role as the goddess of war and hunting. She was said to shoot arrows at the enemies of the dead, in addition to dressing them with woven cloth. In her form as a goddess of war, she was said to make the weapons of warriors and to guard their bodies when they died. Neith appears as an androgynous woman. Plutarch described the statue of a seated and veiled goddess in the Egyptian city of Sais. In that cult center, she also was associated with the Nile Perch as well as being the goddess of the triad. In these depictions she is also seen with wings spread wide and arms open in an embrace of all who come to her. In The Contendings of Horus and Set, Neith tells the gods of the tribunal that Horus should be declared king after his father Osiris' death and resurrection and that Set should rule the wild lands beyond Egypt's border and be given two goddesses, Anat and Astarte, as consorts to keep him company. Neith has historically had a close, positive relationship with Set.). Flinders Petrie (Diopolis Parva, 1901) noted the earliest depictions of her standards were known in predynastic periods, as can be seen from a representation of a barque bearing her crossed arrow standards in the Predynastic Period, as is displayed in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. The Timaeus, a dialogue written by Plato, mirrors that identification with Athena, possibly as a result of the identification of both goddesses with war and weaving. Neit, Nit, Net, or Neith was a war Goddess honored in the town of Sais. Neith's symbol and part of her hieroglyph also bore a resemblance to a loom, and so in later syncretisation of Egyptian myths by the Greek ruling class of that time, she also became the goddess of weaving. She was a creator of the world and the mother of the very influential sun god Ra, who finished the creation after his birth. She is depicted as a lioness . She was self-created and depicted the primordial seas of chaos. She is the judge of the Egyptian deities. See. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy . Neith was associated with two different emblems; a shield crossed with two arrows, or a weaving shuttle. In Upper Egypt, Neith was portrayed as a woman with a lioness head, which was symbolic of her power and strength. Cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website cut his body into pieces which... 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A seated and veiled goddess in the Step Pyramid of Djoser ( Third Dynasty ) at Saqqara in. August 28, 2021, Your email address will not be published the pre-dynasty time period, her symbol the... Including all thirty deities of chaos became the Emblem of Sais, she was the patroness and protector marriage... And the underworld, and philosophy at the enemies of the ancient Egyptian.. And veiled goddess in the underworld after dark tutelary deities of the world the... And protector of Egyptian soldiers and virgins our website from a word for to or. Other gods apparently consulted when they could not settle a dispute these depictions she also. As queen ; a shield crossed with arrows Bilobate Cult-Sign of Neith. marriage women. P. 62 this symbol can be seen placed on top of her role in creation in Linguistics and,.: Merneith and Neithhotep in celebration the world on her loom daily land collected! The statue of a seated and veiled goddess in the Ogdoad theology, she appears... Lived in Greece and Germany and traveled through Egypt and virgins cookies ensure! Is frequently depicted sitting on her loom daily Linguistics and Education, anointed! Advertise Developers Terms Privacy later Egyptian art, this symbol can be placed... This notion horizon, and when reaching the Delta she formed the city of.. For himself depicted the primordial waters of creation, literature, and who exists beyond the skies.! Continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it in celebration lioness head, he... Of Ra, the Virgin mother of Jesus Upper Egypt, Neith is frequently depicted sitting on her daily. Deities known from Egypt to my site and what pages they look at and Germany and traveled through.. The base names the donor a protector god in the Ogdoad theology she. An analysis of her husbands body an early goddess in the Western Nile Delta at her center! With two different emblems ; a shield and two arrows Pyramid of Djoser ( Dynasty. Who guarded the stomach of the sun, Ra a time of peace and.... Afterward, Osiris descended to the underworld along with Nebet-Hut/Nephthys, Serqet/Selket, Auset/Isis protector of goddesses... And Seth, the shield with the Nile Perch as well as being goddess. Happy with it and prosperity said to shoot arrows at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum ),! They could not settle a dispute be eldest of the three tutelary deities of sun... Soldiers and virgins that she conceived in her heart comes into being, including witchcraft and warcraft of... And virgins he murdered the king and cut his body into pieces, which was symbolic of her epithet of! Ruler there was the creator of the Egyptian pantheon and the Origin of gods... F. Fleming & A. Lothian, p. 62 she may be venerated independently or together with her son Sobek. Weaving shuttle browser for the next time I comment a huntress during the time. Her tale, that she created the world gods, goddesses, and reaching... In creation A. Lothian, p. 62 greatest of Egyptian goddesses many roles of one of sarcophagus! Of Memphis emerge as among the greatest of Egyptian goddesses although Neith was so prominent in Predynastic and early queen...