NEITH
As a primordial goddess, Neith (pronounced either ‘nayth’ or ‘neeth’) is one of the oldest deities of ancient Egypt. Also known as Net, Neit, and Nit, Neith is referred to as the mother of gods, the grandmother of gods, and simply as the “great goddess”. Commonly shown with her symbol overhead (an odd symbol with varied interpretations, which we will discuss later), Neith was also depicted wearing the crown of Lower Egypt. The root – nt – happens to be the root of both Neith’s name as well as the word for crown, emphasizing the goddess’s obvious importance and regard.
Having been present at the beginning of time, and the creatrix of the world, Neith’s name is thought to mean either “terrifying one” or “water” referring to the waters of creation. Another root of her name – ntt – is also the root of the word “being”, so both interpretations speak to the vastness of her power and domain.
Along these same lines, Neith is credited with inventing birth generally, though she herself needed no partner to do so. In some cases, Neith was thought to be androgynous, but that is human ignorance. The primordial goddess of creation contains both seed and womb within her, and fully embodies the divine feminine in order to birth the universe…and create birth by being the first to do so.
In the earlier myths, Neith is the mother of Ra (sun god and representation of cosmic order) and Apep (serpent enemy of Ra and representation of cosmic chaos or entropy), creating the balance between metaphoric light and dark. She is also described as the mother of snakes and crocodiles, and is named as the mother of Sobek, the crocodile god who controlled the waters and offer protection from them (and all that lived therein).
In later myths, Neith is the goddess who mediates between Horus and Seth in deciding who would succeed Osiris to the throne. These later myths highlight her status as an elder goddess who was respected for her wisdom, petitioned for her intercession, and who acted as mediator not only between the gods, but also between humanity and the gods.
Also in these later times, Neith became associated with weaving (creating the world on her loom), though this may have been because the root of her name ntt happens to be the same as the root of the word “weave”. Along with other additional attributes, Neith became a warrior and hunting goddess, though these roles seemed to be more along the lines of defence and protection. As an aside, it is difficult to discern whether the war and hunting associations were because of her symbol being interpreted as crossed arrows and a shield, or if the symbol was interpreted this way because of her association with war and hunting (again, more on the symbol later). Either way, as a goddess of war, Neith also became associated with death. Neith was considered a funerary goddess, caring for the dead and weaving the mummy shrouds that protected them. She came to be associated with the jackal headed canopic jar, protecting the mummified remains of the stomach. Incidentally, in war, the most common death was due to wounds to the abdomen/stomach. So, in her connection with this particular canopic jar, we get Neith’s association with both war (stomach) and death (Anubis is the jackal headed god of death).
While it is not uncommon for a goddess as old and primeval as Neith to gain a variety of attributes and associations as time moves on, Neith’s symbol, which is often shown atop her head, seems to be at the root of most reasoning. Historically, it was thought to be crossed arrows over a shield (or sometimes a weaving shuttle), but there are many who think this is a reinterpretation to accommodate her war and hunting associations. The original intention of the symbol is thought to be a click beetle (associated with water), which is more in line with Neith’s ancient role as the personification of the primordial waters.
In this witch’s opinion, without assigning objects to the symbol, there is no denying Neith’s symbol makes a very close resemblance to the sign for Pisces – the sign of the primordial waters and union with the divine.
Powerful, creative, protective, and wise…