Since 2008
Egyptian Goddess Sothis Bringer of the Nile Flood
Sothis the goddess was called the bringer of the New Year and the Nile flood.
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| Nile River |
Sopdet, or Sothis, for the ancient Egyptians is a
very important star that signaled the coming annual inundation of the Nile River
that marked the beginning of the new agricultural year. Its bright appearance
in the morning sky announced the annual flooding of the Nile.
Sothis is known as the goddess who is the bringer
of the New Year and the Nile flood. The
Nile is the longest river in the world. Its main branch, called the White Nile,
flows north from Lake Victoria in east-central Africa 3,470 miles to the Mediterranean
Sea on Egypt’s northern border.
Starting in Ethiopia, another river, called the
Blue Nile, joins the White Nile at Khartoum, Sudan, where the rivers merge and flow into Egypt. The Nile is the heart
and life of the Egyptians. Although Egypt was enormous, most of the population
lived near the banks of the river.
Pyramid Text Utterance 442:822 states, “Your third is Sothis of the pure places, she is your leader by the beautiful ways in heaven, in the Marsh of Reeds.”
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| Sothis daughter of Osiris |
It was the Nile River swollen by heavy rains that
caused the river to rise and each year the Nile overflowed its banks,
depositing fresh, rich topsoil on the flat plains that spread to either side of
the river and enabling Egypt to grow an abundance of crops.
Erstwhile ancient civilizations had to rely on
their unpredictable rainfall to water crops, and often there was too much or
too little. Egypt’s great fortune was to have a river that renewed the topsoil
annually and flowed in sufficient volume to water the fields.
Pyramid Text Utterance 442:965 describes Sothis
as the daughter of Osiris. Therefore, Sopdet became associated with the
prosperity resulting from the fertile silt left by the receding waters.
Sothis
is almost always shown as a woman wearing a tall crown similar to the White
Crown of Upper Egypt but with tall, upswept horns at the sides and surmounted
by a star with five points.
Pyramid Text Utterance 477:965 states "It is Sothis, thy daughter, who
loves thee, who secures thy livelihood, in this her name, who conducts N., when
N. comes to thee."
