Sekhmet

Sekhmet (also Sakhmet) is the formidable and majestic lioness goddess of destructive solar fire, cosmic vengeance, just war and virulent epidemics; paradoxically, she is also the supreme mistress of curative medicine, of surgeons and of preventive antidotes in ancient Egypt. A primordial manifestation of the Eye of Ra (the flaming uraeus that annihilates the enemies of the order of Ma'at), she was sent by the aged sun god in the earliest days of time to punish rebellious humanity that conspired against the gods, in the famous myth of The Book of the Heavenly Cow. She was pacified only when the Egyptian soil was flooded with red beer disguised as blood. Wife of the great creator god Ptah of Memphis and mother of the graceful lotus god Nefertum in the sublime Memphite Triad, Sekhmet commanded the scorching desert winds (the “Messengers of Plague”) and presided over the most renowned corps of physician-priests and surgeons (the Sunu Sekhmet). She embodied the medical and spiritual truth that the force capable of causing disease is the only one holding the sovereign power to cure it and extinguish it. She is the mistress of solar fire and of curative medicine, who defends the weak, purifies homes of illness and guides valiant hearts with unrelenting justice. Her august presence and her fiery gaze proclaim the sovereignty of truth over tyranny and the blessing of restored health for all the just. The mighty lioness lady of Memphis and Karnak guards justice with implacable fire and restores the sick to health with medical wisdom and enduring, compassionate care. The radiant solar lioness goddess heals the wounds of the humble and upholds moral uprightness with sovereign power and invincible love. She is the sovereign of courage who guides physicians and strengthens the weak with health and eternal dignity.

15 min read · Reviewed on September 28, 2026 · How we research

Lioness, the solar disk, the arrows and the scorching desert

Primary sources

• Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol. II. translation: University of California Press, 1976.
• Paul Ghalioungui, The Ebers Papyrus: A New English Translation. translation: Academy of Scientific Research, 1987.

Studies

• Betsy M. Bryan, The Statue Program of Amenhotep III. Cambridge University Press, 1997.
• Paul Ghalioungui, The Physicians of Pharaonic Egypt. Al-Ahram Center, 1983.