Goddess Sopdet in ancient Egyptian religion

Abstract EN

This paper deals with one of the astral goddesses in Ancient Egyptian religion, Sopdet; she was goddess of the brightest star in the southern sky.

She personified the Dog Star, Sirius, she was known as Sothis to the Greeks , she was worshipped at Saft el-Hinna.

Sopdet was known as the wife of god sah (Orion)1 and mother of god Sopdu2 , she was associated to many deities like Isis in the form of Isis Sothis, she was known since the first Dynasty as the goddess who brings the new year and the innundation, as each year the coming of the flood coincided with the moment of its brightness on the horizon at dawn after its absence for about 70 days (This phenomenon is called a heliacal rising of Sothis.

)3 , so she was considered as a fertility goddess because of the soil braught by the flood .her appearance also corresponded with the beginning of the ancient Egyptian year 4 , and she was considered as the queen of all decans, as she preceded all the stars .5 She appeared in different forms, as she appeared in a human form , a cow , a lioness headed serpent, and a dog headed serpent.she is characterized by many qualities and titles.

The research studies the archaeological and textual evidences of goddess Sopdet referring to her titles, qualities, forms, roles and her relations to other deitie