Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses and the Goddess Sekhmet: Plague and Protection
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Ramses the Great's battles, his monuments, his diplomacy. But today I want to look at something that's been lurking in the background of many of those stories — and that's the goddess Sekhmet. Luna: Sekhmet? The lion-headed goddess, right? Associated with war and plague? Lucas: Exactly. She was the daughter of Ra, the sun god, and she had a dual nature — she could bring devastating plagues, but she was also a healer. And Ramses II was absolutely obsessed with her. He commissioned hundreds of statues of Sekhmet, more than any other pharaoh. At the Ramesseum alone, archaeologists have found over 200 statues of her. Luna: Hundreds? That's a lot of statues for one goddess. What was his motivation? Lucas: Well, Sekhmet was seen as both a protector and a punisher. She was often called the 'Lady of Plague' and also the 'Lady of Life'. The idea was that she could send disease to punish the king or his enemies, but she could also be appeased to stop an epidemic. And Ramses lived during a time when plague was a real threat — there are records of a plague sweeping through the Hittite and Egyptian lands around the time of the Kadesh campaign. Luna: So he was trying to keep her happy to protect his kingdom? Lucas: Exactly. And it wasn't just about avoiding plague. Sekhmet was also closely tied to royal power. The pharaoh was seen as her earthly representative, and by placing her statues in his temples, Ramses was literally surrounding himself with her protective force. Each statue had a specific name and ritual purpose. Some were for health, some for protection in battle, some for maintaining cosmic order — Maat. Luna: Wait, each statue had its own name? That's incredible. Lucas: Yes! The inscriptions on the bases of these statues often include phrases like 'Sekhmet who repels the plague' or 'Sekhmet who gives life'. Some are even dated to specific years of Ramses's reign. It shows how carefully he managed his relationship with the gods. And it wasn't just the Ramesseum — Sekhmet statues have been found at Karnak, at Per-Ramesses, even at Abu Simbel. Luna: So she's everywhere in his monuments. But how did people actually try to calm her down? Were there rituals? Lucas: Absolutely. The most famous ritual was the Festival of Drunkenness. According to the myth, Ra once sent Sekhmet to punish humanity for rebelling, and she started slaughtering everyone. Ra relented, but she wouldn't stop. So he had beer dyed red to look like blood and poured it out. Sekhmet drank it, got drunk, and fell asleep, and when she woke up, she had transformed into the gentle cow goddess Hathor. Luna: So they reenacted that festival every year? Drinking red beer to calm the goddess? Lucas: Exactly. It was a major festival, especially during the New Kingdom. People would drink heavily to imitate the myth and hopefully persuade Sekhmet to hold back her destructive side. There's even evidence that the temple of Mut at Karnak had a special lake for this festival. And Ramses, being the savvy ruler he was, would have participated in or at least sponsored these rituals to show his devotion. Luna: So it's part of his public image — the pharaoh as the one who keeps the goddess happy. Lucas: Precisely. And this connects to something we've touched on before: the idea of the pharaoh as the guarantor of order against chaos. Sekhmet represented the chaotic forces that could break out at any time — disease, war, disorder. By appeasing her, Ramses was demonstrating his ability to maintain Maat. It's a very practical use of religion. Luna: I'm curious — were there other gods or goddesses that Ramses also tried to balance alongside Sekhmet? Lucas: Good question. He certainly paid attention to many gods, but Sekhmet was special because of her dual role as destroyer and healer. There's also the god Montu, a war god, but Montu was more straightforwardly martial. Sekhmet combined war and medicine. In fact, many of the medical papyri from the time invoke Sekhmet. Priests of Sekhmet were also doctors — they were called 'swnw' or 'sunu', and they often used magical incantations alongside herbal remedies. Luna: So the same goddess that could give you a plague could also cure it. That's a lot of power in one deity. Lucas: Exactly. And Ramses leveraged that power. By placing these inscribed statues throughout his domain, he was essentially creating a network of divine protection. Each statue was a kind of spiritual anchor. And it worked both ways — if plague did strike, it could be blamed on insufficient devotion, which reinforced the need for the pharaoh's leadership. Luna: We haven't talked much about Ramses's role in medicine. Was he directly involved with the medical texts? Lucas: Not directly in writing them, but he certainly patronized the Per-Ankh, the House of Life, which was like a temple library and medical school combined. The famous Edwin Smith Papyrus and Ebers Papyrus date from earlier, but during Ramses's reign, medical practice was highly advanced. And Sekhmet's priests were central to that. They would treat everything from battlefield wounds to digestive issues, always with prayers to the goddess. Luna: So when Ramses built his monuments, he wasn't just thinking about his legacy — he was thinking about practical protection for his people. Lucas: Absolutely. And it's a window into how the ancient Egyptians understood the world. Disease wasn't just a biological event; it was a spiritual one. By having hundreds of Sekhmet statues, Ramses was creating a kind of early warning system and defense network. And we can see from archaeological evidence that many of these statues were maintained and even reinscribed by later pharaohs, showing how enduring this practice was. Luna: I imagine some of these statues have survived to the present. Is there one that's particularly famous? Lucas: Yes, there's a beautiful life-sized statue of Sekhmet from the Ramesseum, now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. She's seated, holding an ankh in one hand and a papyrus scepter in the other. Her lioness face is serene but powerful. There's also a massive statue of her at the temple of Mut in Karnak. And many smaller ones have been found at Per-Ramesses. They all share that iconic lioness head, often with a sun disk and uraeus on her head. Luna: And were these statues placed in specific locations within the temples? Like, were some at the gates for protection? Lucas: Often yes. At the Ramesseum, the statues were placed in a special chapel dedicated to Sekhmet, but also along processional ways and near doorways. The idea was that anyone entering the temple would pass under her gaze. Some inscriptions say things like 'Sekhmet, great of magic, who protects her lord'. So they served as both decoration and spiritual guardian. Luna: It's almost like having security cameras, but with divine power. Lucas: That's a modern analogy, but it fits. And just as a security camera might deter crime, these statues were meant to deter chaos — disease, enemy action, bad harvests. It's a very tangible expression of the pharaoh's role as protector. Ramses, more than most pharaohs, understood the power of visual propaganda. Luna: So in a way, this is another aspect of his building program. It's not just about temples and statues for himself, but also for the gods who would protect Egypt. Lucas: Exactly. And it ties into his overall strategy of control. By associating himself so closely with Sekhmet, Ramses was saying: I am the one who stands between you and the plague. I am the one who ensures the goddess is appeased. It's a powerful message, especially in a time when disease could wipe out entire communities. Luna: I've read that Sekhmet was also associated with the desert and with the scorching sun. Is that part of her destructive aspect? Lucas: Very much so. She was sometimes called the 'Eye of Ra', a fiery force that could burn enemies. The hot desert winds were seen as her breath. So she was connected to all the harsh elements of the Egyptian environment. But again, that same power could be turned to protection. It's a double-edged sword. And Ramses, by honoring her, was trying to keep the edge pointed outward, away from his people. Luna: It must have been a very real fear for ordinary Egyptians. Did they have personal practices to appease Sekhmet? Lucas: Definitely. Amulets of Sekhmet were common, especially those worn by pregnant women or mothers, because she was also associated with childbirth — another dangerous time. And there were household shrines. But the grand rituals were state-sponsored, led by the pharaoh or his priests. So there was a top-down element, but also grassroots devotion. Luna: So what happened to all those statues after Ramses died? Did later pharaohs keep them? Lucas: Many of them remained in place for centuries. The Ramesseum was still visited in Ptolemaic times, and some statues were reinscribed by later rulers. But over time, some were buried, stolen, or destroyed. What we have today is just a fraction. Still, the sheer number that survived tells us how significant they were. Luna: It's fascinating how religion, medicine, and politics all intertwined in ancient Egypt. Ramses really used every tool available. Lucas: Absolutely. And I think it's a side of him we often overlook — the careful, almost superstitious manager of divine forces. He wasn't just a warrior or a builder; he was a spiritual strategist. And Sekhmet was one of his key allies in that strategy. Luna: Well, I'm glad we finally gave Sekhmet her own episode. She's been mentioned in passing several times, but she deserves this spotlight. Lucas: She really does. And I hope this gives listeners a new appreciation for how complex Ramses's reign was. It wasn't just about military might or monumental architecture — it was about maintaining a delicate balance with the forces of chaos, and Sekhmet was at the heart of that. Luna: Next time you visit a museum and see a lion-headed statue, you'll know there's a whole story behind it. Lucas: Exactly. And maybe you'll even think of Ramses the Great, commissioning those statues to protect his kingdom for eternity. Thanks for listening.