About the Author

Lesley Jackson has always had an interest in, and a yearning for, the mysterious geographical; be they lost worlds, otherworlds or the sacred places of this world. A career in IT was merely a logical facade. Many years of involvement in the local archaeological society deepened her interest in ancient cultures and their religions. Since being blessed with early retirement, Lesley has devoted much of her time to researching and writing about early religion and mythology. Ancient Egypt is an enduring passion but other paths are always beckoning from around the misty hills. She is the author of Thoth: The History of the Ancient Egyptian God of Wisdom (Avalonia, 2011). She lives in the remote East Riding with a tolerant husband and an ever increasing volume of books and rocks. Any remaining spare time is spent travelling or baking and making chocolates.

Reviews

A comprehensive guide to the ancient Egyptian goddess Hathor. This is a comprehensive collection of material relating to the huge range of aspects and attributes of Hathor covering the whole period of ancient Egyptian history.

Perhaps the most familiar of her forms is the human-headed goddess with cow's ears, but she also had aspects as a tree goddess, a sky deity, a solar deity, the lady of drunkenness, the patron of music and dance, goddess of trade and protector of women, particularly in matters of fertility and childbirth and many others. The book covers all these and also catalogs all the names and epithets applied to Hathor at various periods and locations.

Those listed on pages 15 to 19 alone number more than forty. This gives some idea of the vast amount of research which has gone into this book. As a source of material for researchers this is an impressive piece of work and the ten page bibliography would be well worth using selectively.

It is not an easy book to read straight through because of its wide range and scope. It is divided into short portions.

Readers looking for material on particular aspects of the subject would find the material accessible using the sub-titles for each section. There are studies of objects and rituals associated with Hathor, temple sites both directly connected and containing references to Hathor and a section on the alter egos of the goddess. The book ends with a discussion of why Hathor's popularity waned. Jackson's answer is that Isis replaced Hathor in the popular mind. In Western tradition cows are not treated with the same religious respect as they are in the east so a cow goddess would not receive the love and respect offered to Hathor in ancient times.

Perhaps it would be helpful to conclude this review with some of the author's final words: "Hathor's energy continues unabated and unimpeded. It is up to us to recognise it and acknowledge it, and having done that to enjoy the pleasure which she brings". - Reviewed by ancientegyptmagazine dot com 5.0 out of 5 stars