Sekhmet, The Eye of Ra
Sekhmet was born from the eye of Ra, torn from his brow in a moment of divine fury. When humanity defied the gods, he sent her down like a flame loosed upon the earth. She emerged fully formed: a lion-headed, blazing, and bloodthirsty weapon, not a daughter. Her slaughter was so relentless that Ra grew afraid. To stop her, he poured beer tinted red to look like blood. She drank deeply, thinking it was her next kill, and fell into a stupor. The rampage ended not with mercy, but with trickery.
Sekhmet is the goddess of war, destruction, and healing. She carries all three in equal measure. She is merciless in battle while reveling in chaos, but capable of healing and restoration. She’s portrayed with a lioness’s head, the sun at her crown, and a cobra poised to strike. Her name, “The Powerful One,” speaks for itself.
Her symbols speak before she does. The lioness head marks her as both guardian and predator. The solar disk blazes with the heat of Ra’s judgment, and the cobra at her brow signals a power that strikes without warning. The red beer, used to sedate her, is a reminder that even divine fury can be fooled. And the Eye of Ra isn’t just a symbol, it’s where she began.
Sekhmet does not yield to circumstance. She is the desert wind that scours flesh from bone, the balm pressed into the wound, the sharpened claw of Ma’at’s justice, the blaze of the midday sun and she offers no shade nor shelter. They carved her in stone not for comfort, but for remembrance. Some gods come in fire and leave the world quiet, the ashes still warm.
