Taweret

The Protector of Childbirth

Domain: Motherhood & Home Protection
Alignment: Neutral Good
Element: Water
Relics of Power: Sa Amulet

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5 sections of this entry are open to everyone: the summary, the people, the symbols, the lineage and the sources. The other 9 (Name and epithets, In the ancient sources, The myths, Worship and archaeology, How the god was depicted, What scholars debate, After antiquity, Did you know?, Codex relic) are part of the full Codex: PRO opens the whole study of all 500 deities, and without a subscription you can read one full entry a day, just like in the app.

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The People

People

Ancient Egyptians

Region

Nile Valley, Egypt

Period

c. 3100 BC – 400 AD

The Egyptian gods were worshipped for over three millennia along the banks of the Nile, with monumental temples at Karnak, Luxor, and Heliopolis. The pharaohs were held to be divine, and life revolved around cosmic order (Maat) and preparation for the afterlife. The cult endured until the rise of Christianity in Roman Egypt.

At the Opet festival, Amun's sacred barque sailed from Karnak to Luxor amid celebrating crowds. In the temples, priests woke, dressed, and fed the god's statue every day, and the Beautiful Festival of the Valley carried the deities to visit the shore of the dead.

At a glance

Taueret (Taweret or Ta-weret) is the formidable hippopotamus goddess who protects childbirth, motherhood, breastfeeding and newborn children in the religion of ancient Egypt. Appearing as a hybrid figure, with the body and head of a pregnant bipedal female hippopotamus, full sagging human breasts, the back and armored tail of a Nile crocodile, and powerful legs armed with the sharp claws of a lioness, she stood firmly upon the sacred magic knot of protection (the Sa amulet), brandishing an ivory knife or a purifying fire torch. Far from being an aristocratic deity confined to the inaccessible state temples of the pharaohs, Taueret dwelt in the emotional intimacy of every Egyptian home, invoked at birthing beds to drive away demons that suffocate babies, to soothe the pains of contractions, and to ensure that both the queens of the court and the humblest peasant women gave birth safely and in spiritual purity. Her sacred womb and her protective Sa amulet are the eternal refuge of maternal tenderness and of newborn life in every human home. The great hippopotamus goddess watches over birthing beds with invincible love, ensuring that every mother and newborn breathe life in full peace and safety. The formidable hippopotamus goddess is the safe harbor where every new life finds loving welcome, prophylactic healing, and unbreakable protection against all the afflictions of the world. The lady of the Sa amulet welcomes women in labor with infinite tenderness, guaranteeing serene births, vigorous children, and lasting peace for all families. Her maternal protection remains alive in every home that welcomes a new life with love.

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

Sacred symbols

Upright hippopotamus, the sa amulet, the torch and the protective knife

Family

Parents

Taweret

Unions

Bes Sobek

Genealogy according to Textos das Pirâmides; Textos dos Sarcófagos; Papiro Mágico de Turim; Papiro Westcar

Sources and further reading

Primary sources

A. M. Blackman, The Story of King Kheops and the Magicians (Westcar Papyrus). translation: J. V. Books, 1988.
James P. Allen, The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts. translation: SBL, 2005.

Studies

Geraldine Pinch, Magic in Ancient Egypt. British Museum Press, 1994.
Joyce Tyldesley, Daughters of Isis: Women of Ancient Egypt. Penguin Books, 1994.

Name and epithets

The archaic Egyptian theonym T3-wrt (Taweret, or Thoueris in Greek) translates literally as “The Great One” or “The Mighty Lady” (from ta, the feminine article, and weret, meaning great, magnificent or formidable).

In the ancient sources

Pyramid Texts., c. 2400 BCE.. Archaic mentions of the hippopotamus goddess feeding the deceased pharaoh with her divine milk of immortality. Westcar Papyrus., Middle Kingdom (c. 1800 BCE)..

The myths

The Miraculous Birth of the Three Sun Kings in the Westcar Papyrus.. In the famous Westcar Papyrus, it is told that the noble peasant Redjedet, wife of the priest Rawoser, was about to give birth to three boys whom the…

Worship and archaeology

The worship of Taueret was one of the most intense, domestic, universal and emotionally profound religious practices of all Pharaonic civilization, remaining alive for more than three millennia in every social stratum,…

How the god was depicted

The iconography of Taueret in ancient Egyptian art — preserved in figurines of bright blue faience, red carnelian amulets, ebony wood reliefs and funerary frescoes — is one of the most fascinating and functional creatio…

What scholars debate

The Therapeutic and Psychological Function of Popular Domestic Devotion in Ancient Egypt.. Egyptologists specializing in domestic religion and the history of women, such as Lynn Meskell, Geraldine Pinch and Joyce Tyldes…

After antiquity

In contemporary modernity and in the worldwide fascination with Egyptian civilization, Taueret enjoys a singular affection and interest among historians, obstetricians, midwives and admirers of sacred art across the pla…

Did you know?

Thousands of Taueret amulets in blue and green faience were found in excavations of the tombs of women and children across Egypt, making it the most popular protective amulet in all of Pharaonic history.

Codex relic

Sa Amulet. A protective amulet that wards evil away from pregnant mothers and newborns.

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