Egypt: Sefkhet-Abwy - Goddess of Writing and Temple Libraries

Sefkhet-Abwy

Sefkhet-Abwy was a goddess of writing, as well as temple libraries, of which there were many in ancient Egypt. Her name means the seven-horned and she wears on her head the symbol of a seven-pointed star below an indented arc which could represent a bow.

She first appears during the reign of Tuthmosis III during Egypt's 18th Dynasty, and seems to have been little more than a version of Seshat. her role was to be present at the temple foundation ceremony of "stretching the cord", where the monarch (theoretically) measures out the extent of the precinct. The goddess also figures among the deities responsible for writing the name of the pharaoh on the leaves of the sacred tree.