Meretseger is the Egyptian Goddess of the mountain overlooking the Valley of the Kings. Her name means “she who loves silence”, signifying the quiet of the region, occupied only by the dead. Meretseger was responsible for protecting the tombs, and she would appear in the form of a snake or a scorpion, the only creatures that lived in the desert region, to poison or blind anyone who tried to rob the tombs. She was feared and worshipped by the workmen who built the royal tombs, who also called her Dehenet-Imentet, “the peak of the West”. She is depicted as a coiled serpent, a rearing cobra, a snake-headed woman, or sometimes as a scorpion with a woman’s head. Meretseger’s name is also seen as Mertseger, Mereseger, and Merseger.

Meskhenet is the Egyptian Goddess of the birthing chamber. In addition to Hathor and Taweret, Meskhenet attended at births, protecting the area and also helping to determine the child’s destiny. She participated in the judgment of the dead, testifying to the character of the deceased and then assisting in their rebirth into the afterlife. In this role, she was often shown in the presence of Renenutet, another Goddess of fate, and Shai, God of destiny.  She is depicted either as a woman with a headdress that symbolized the two-horned uterus of a cow, or as a woman’s head on a large brick (which Egyptian women squatted on to give birth). Variations of her name, which means “birthing place,” include Mesenet, Meskhent, and Meshkent.

Meret is an Egyptian goddess of song and rejoicing. She is credited as having helped to establish cosmic order through her music, song, and the gestures of musical direction. She is the wife of Hapy, God of the Nile, and the bowl that she holds signifies the reception of his bounty. On her head she wears a papyrus plant, the symbol of Lower Egypt, although some depictions show her with a blue lotus, which symbolizes Upper Egypt. Her name, which means “beloved,” is also seen spelled as Merit or Mert.

Mafdet is the Egyptian Goddess of execution, worshipped as a destroyer of snakes and scorpions. She is depicted as either a mongoose or a feline, usually either a cat or a panther. She protects the king and the sun God Re from dangers with her knife-like claws and teeth. Mafdet was also seen as an instrument of punishment; she appears in scenes of the final judgment in the capacity of punisher or executioner, and is sometimes portrayed as a cat running up an executioner’s staff. Her name, which means “she who runs swiftly,” is also seen as Maftet, and her epithets include Lady of the House of Life, Slayer of Serpents, and the Great Cat.

Renpet is the Egyptian Goddess of youth and springtime. She is depicted in human form with a headdress bearing a notched palm branch which represented the year. Renpet’s name means “year” and she was also known as the Mistress of Eternity. She is depicted here standing next to Maat (Renpet is on the right).

Wenet is the Egyptian Goddess of the area in Egypt known as the 15th nome. The town therein, Wenu, was named for her. Wenet is usually depicted either as a hare or as a woman with the head of a hare. Wenet’s name, which means “the swift one,” was also seen as Unut, Unnit, Wenut, or Wenenut.

Nekhbet is an Egyptian Goddess who could take the form of a vulture, a cow, or a serpent. Her name means “she of Nekheb”, the city over which she originally ruled. Nekhbet was a protector of the king and Upper Egypt, taking the same role as the serpent Goddess Wadjet in Lower Egypt. She came to be associated with the protection of all women in childbirth—the Egyptian hieroglyph for “mother” is a vulture. Her name is also seen as Nechbet.

Bat is the Egyptian cow Goddess of fertility, also called Bata. Her name means “female spirit” or “female power.” She is depicted in human form with the ears and horns of a cow, which grow from her temples rather than the top of her head, and face inward (in contrast to the horns of the cow Goddess Hathor, which face outward). In some depictions, her ears take the form of stars and there are stars attached to the tips of her horns and the top of her head, symbolic of her role as the celestial cow, giver of life through her milk.

Taweret is the Egyptian hippopotamus Goddess of pregnancy and childbirth, whose name means “the great female one”. She was a very popular domestic Goddess, and was often portrayed on beds, pillows, and other common household objects. Taweret protects women throughout their pregnancies, and assists with labor. She is the consort of the dwarf Bes, God of Pleasure. Her depiction as a hippopotamus with the large breasts and belly of a pregnant woman, combined with the head of a crocodile and the feet of a lion, shows both her nurturing and protective roles. Other forms of her name include Taueret, Taurt, and Taouris.

Ipet is an Egyptian Goddess of birth. Her name means “favoured place”, and she was depicted as a combination of human, hippopotamus, lion, and crocodile—she had the body of a hippopotamus, the feet of a lion, human arms with lion paws, large human breasts and a pregnant belly, and the back and tail of a crocodile. This combination of attributes shows both her protective and nourishing aspects. One of her epithets is Mistress of Magical Protection.