Also called Meskhent, the Birth Brick.
Their story
Egyptian women gave birth crouching on a pair of mud bricks, and Meskhenet was the goddess of that birth brick. She was present at the moment of birth and pronounced the destiny of the child. In the Westcar Papyrus she foretells kingship for each of the three royal triplets. In the judgement scene of the Papyrus of Ani she stands near the scales, ready to help the dead be born again into the afterlife.
Best times to give to them
- the birth of a child
- birthdays
What they like being given
- bread
- water
- milk
- flowers
- a clean brick or stone as a shrine
How to honour them
- Remember her on birthdays and ask for a kind fate for the year.
- Offer her thanks when a child is safely born.
How they can help you
- safe birth
- hopes for a child's future
- a fresh start
Symbols
- birth brick with a woman's head
- headdress shaped like a cow's uterus
Sources
- Westcar Papyrus (Berlin P 3033)
- Papyrus of Ani (British Museum EA 10470)
- Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt
More Egyptian goddesses
- Isis Great of Magic, mother of Horus
- Bastet Protector of the home, lady of joy
- Hathor The Golden One, lady of love and music
- Sekhmet The Powerful One, healer and protector
- Maat Truth, balance and right order
- Nephthys Lady of the House, comforter of the grieving
- Taweret The Great One, guardian of mothers
- Amunet The hidden goddess of the primordial eight