Hathor

Hathor is the Ancient Egyptian goddess of the sky, love, women, joy and fertility, but she was also responsible for guiding dead souls to the underworld. She would appear as a woman or as a cow, and was closely associated with motherhood. She could also be represented by a sycamore tree, cobra or lioness. She was one of the most important gods in the Egyptian pantheon.

Hathor became part of Ancient Egyptian religion in the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. She was the wife of Ra, the sun god, and it was the milk she produced that made the gods divine. In Egypt, she was widely celebrated with ceremonies and feasts in her honour.

Many different versions of Hathor fulfilled different roles in Ancient Egyptian belief. These forms are usually referred to as the Seven Hathors, though Egyptologists say that there were around 362 different manifestations of the goddess.

_{Disclaimer: All of this information comes from my own research and knowledge, so if I have missed anything out or got something wrong please let me know and I’ll try my best to fix it. Thank you!}

Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut was a the fifth pharaoh in the Eighteenth Dynasty. She was the third female pharaoh to rule Egypt, holding her throne 21 years – and for 15 of those years she was the principal ruler, making her the first female pharaoh to have total authority over Egypt.

Hatshepsut was born in 1507 BC to Thutmose I and one of his wives Ahmose. She rose to the throne when her father died when she was twelve and had married her half-brother Thutmose II. Together they had a daughter named Neferure. After Neferure’s birth, Hatshepsut was unable to carry any other children, which meant that when Thutmose II died not long after his ascension to the throne, it was his son by one of his secondary wives, Iset, that was made his heir.. Thutmose III was only a toddler so Hatshepsut stepped up as pharaoh, though she had no intention to give the throne up when he came of age.

The legitimacy of her claim to the throne was disputed by many, and there were some who rejected her right to rule despite her lineage. To cement her claim to the throne, Hatshepsut issued the erection of statues made in her image to be placed throughout Egypt. Some of these statues featured her with a beard, seemingly to say that she had as much right to rule as the men before her. She also ordered the construction of several impressive buildings, including the Temple of Hatshepsut in Thebes.

Trade in Egypt flourished under Hatshepsut’s rule. She opened trade routes that had previously been closed and cultivated relationships with the country’s neighbours, importing riches into Egypt like never before. Her rule brought peace to the country after years of political and social turmoil.

Hatshepsut died in her mid-forties, and was succeeded by her stepson. Thutmose III erased almost all record of her rule, destroying her statues and monuments and taking credit for her accomplishments. This act meant that historians didn’t know she existed until the 19th century when they were able to decipher the hieroglyphics at the Temple of Hatshepsut.

_{Disclaimer: All of this information comes from my own research and knowledge, so if I have missed anything out or got something wrong please let me know and I’ll try my best to fix it. Thank you!}

^{Author’s Note: Some of the information regarding this person varies from source to source, so this may disagree with other articles.}

Mari

Mari is the Basque mother goddess who was worshipped before Christianity. She is associated with the elements, weather and the earth, and is said to live in caves in the Basque region of France and Spain. She is normally shown soaring across the night sky in a chariot pulled by either horses or rams.

Mari was married to the serpent god Sugaar. Sugaar lived underground, and the two would reunite every Friday for Sugaar to brush her hair. Whenever Mari left her caves to be with her husband, hail would fall and she would trigger storms or droughts depending on which cave she was inhabiting at the time. She is served by sorginak (witches) who make up her court and lamiak (lesser spirits) who collect offerings to Mari. Depending on the location, Mari’s appearance is described differently, as are her children.

There are many legends surrounding Mari, including one story about an orphaned seven-year-old girl who lost the flock of sheep she was tending. The girl approached Mari’s cave even though she knew it was dangerous and saw Mari, who offered for the girl to stay in the cave with her, and that in return she would make the girl rich. The young orphan accepted and stayed with Mari until she was fourteen, learning breadmaking, spinning, and many other practical skills (including how to talk to animals). When the girl left, Mari gave her a lump of coal, which disappointed her though she tried to hide it. However, when she took a step out of Mari’s cave, the coal turned into a large nugget of gold, which the girl used to live independently in her own house with a flock of sheep.

Another legend states that, if you are lost in the wild, you must call Mari’s name three times and she will guide you to safety.

As Christianity was imposed across the world, Mari’s statues as mother goddess came under attack. Christians began to blame her for the disappearance of cows, and it is believed that they took Mari and condensed her into Jesus’ mother, Mary – though Santa Marina is the official Christianized version of her. However, though Christianity began to dominate, tributes and offerings to Mari never truly ceased.

_{Author’s Note: Spellings and plot points vary between sources, so I have tried to keep it simple and consistent and have gone for the version I like the best.}

_{Disclaimer: All of this information comes from my own research and knowledge, so if I have missed anything out or got something wrong please let me know and I’ll try my best to fix it. Thank you!}