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Hatmehit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Egyptian mythology, Hatmehit, or Hatmehyt (reconstructed to have been pronounced *Hāwit-Maḥūyat in Egyptian) was a fish-goddess, originally a deification of the Nile, by the people in the area around Mendes. Her name translates as House of Mehit, implying she may have some connection to Hathor, who also went by the name Mehit, meaning great flood. This may possibly be due to being seen as a remnant of the primal waters of creation. In art she was depicted either as a fish, or with a fish on her head.
When the cult of Osiris arose, the people of Mendes reacted by identifying Osiris as having achieved his authority by being the husband of Hatmehit. In particular, it was the ba of Osiris, known as Banebjed (literally meaning Ba of the lord of the djed - referring to Osiris), that was said to have married Hatmehit. When Horus became considered the son of Osiris, a form known as Harpocrates (Har-pa-khered in Egyptian), Hatmehit was consequently said to be his mother. As wife of Osiris, and mother of Horus, she eventually became identified as a form of Isis.
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