| Archaeology Dictionary: Tefnut |
Egyptian lion-headed goddess representing the moisture in the air, clouds, dew, and rain. A primeval deity and a member of the Heliopolitan Ennead, perhaps a theological conception rather than a real person. The Greeks sometimes identified her with Artemis.
| Wikipedia: Tefnut |
| Tefnut | |
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 The goddess Tefnut with the head of a lioness sitting on her throne. |
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| Goddess of the moisture and the rain | |
| Major cult center | Heliopolis, Leontopolis |
| Symbol | the sun disk |
| Parents | Ra-Atum and Iusaaset ? |
| Siblings | Shu, Hathor ? |
| Consort | Shu |
| Children | Geb, Nut, |
| Tefnut in hieroglyphs |
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In Egyptian mythology, Tefnut (alternate spellings Tefenet, Tefnet) is a goddess of water and fertility. Her name means moist waters[citation needed](i.e. rain). She was created by Atum (a solar god, as were Ra, Horakty, and Khepri) from his mucus, a mythology that may be related to the alternative translation of her name - spat waters. The Memphite version of the myth states that Atum sneezed once and Tefnut's brother Shu was born, and when he coughed to clear his throat Tefnut was born. With her brother, Shu, she was the mother of Geb and Nut. In a third version, Atum masturbated and his semen formed Tefnut, and his breath formed her brother Shu.
In a myth describing the terrible weather disaster at the end of the Old Kingdom it was said that Tefnut (moisture) and Shu once argued, and she left Egypt.[citation needed] The myth states that Shu quickly decided he missed her, but she fled to Nubia (somewhere much more temperate), and changed into a cat (symbolic of war), destroying any man or god that approached. Thoth, disguised, eventually succeeds in convincing her to return. Tefnut is sometimes depicted as lioness in reflection of this tale. She is also shown as a lioness headed goddess. In heiroglyphs Tefnut is usually seen lying between the firmament and the earth.
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| Best of the Web: Tefnut |
Some good "Tefnut" pages on the web:
 Egyptian Mythology www.pantheon.org |
 | Shu (in archaeology) |
| Nut (West Asian mythology) |
| Helipolitan Ennead (in archaeology) |
 | Who is tefnut? Read answer... |
| What temple was tefnut worshiped in? Read answer... |
| Who were the parents of shu and tefnut the egyptian gods? Read answer... |
 | What temple was egyptian goddess tefnut worshiped in? |
| What are Tefnut's symbols? |
| What does tefnut symbolize? |
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 | Archaeology Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Copyright © 2002, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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