Meretseger's name means "She Who Loves Silence", in reference to the silence of the
desert cemetery area she kept Meretseger was the patron of the artisans and workers of the village of
Deir el-Medina, who built and decorated the great royal and noble tombs. of the tombs of sovereigns and aristocrats. Her cult, also present in
Esna (near
Luxor), reached its peak during the
18th Dynasty. A royal wife of the
Middle Kingdom pharaoh
Senusret III (c. 1878–1839 BC) was called
Meretseger; she was the first to bear the title
Great Royal Wife (which became the standard title for chief wives of Pharaohs) and the first whose name was written in a
cartouche: however, as there are no contemporary sources relating to the Great Royal Wife Meretseger, this homonym of the goddess is most likely a creation of the New Kingdom. The goddess Meretseger was worshiped by the workers' guild, who feared her wrath very much. Being a local deity, only small rock temples were dedicated to her (such as the one located on the path leading to the
Valley of the Queens) and some
stelae with prayers and poignant requests for forgiveness, Her close association with the Valley of the Kings prevented her becoming anything more than a local deity, and when the valley ceased being in use (and Thebes was abandoned as a capital), so she also ceased being worshipped (11th/10th century BC). was sacred to both Meretseger and
Hathor, but the former was considered its real personification. Many small stelae created by artisans and workers have been found as evidence of devotion to their favorite deities: in addition to Meretseger,
Ptah,
Amun, Hathor,
Thoth and the deified
pharaoh Amenhotep I (c. 1525–1504 BC), whose cult was very popular in Deir el-Medina.
Stela of Neferabu statue of Meretsger protecting Pharaoh
Amenhotep II (1427–1401 BC). It was believed that Meretseger punished the workers who committed a
sacrilege (by stealing something from the royal graves or the building sites —
copper instruments were particularly precious — as well as those who failed in an oath)
poisoning them with her
bite. But she was also considered generous in forgiving those who repented to her and, in this case, would heal him from physical evil.In relation to the Egyptians with their divinities, the concepts of
sin,
repentance and
forgiveness were very unusual; these characteristics of Meretseger's cult appear to be a
unicum. as well as having her head surmounted by a feather and being armed with two knives. a cobra-headed
sphinx, lion-headed cobra or three-headed (woman, snake and
vulture) cobra. • the tomb (
KV14) of Queen
Twosret (c. 1191–1189 BC) and Pharaoh
Setnakhte (c. 1189–1186 BC), where she appears
genuflected; • the tomb (
KV9) of Pharaoh
Ramesses VI (c. 1144–1136 BC), where she appears, along with
Khonsu,
Amun-ra,
Ptah-
Sokar and
Ra-Horakhty, receiving offerings by the King himself; • the tomb (
KV18) of Pharaoh
Ramesses X (c. 1111–1107 BC), where she appears with Ra-Horakhty; • the tomb (
KV4) of Pharaoh
Ramesses XI (c. 1107–1077 BC), where she appears with many deities. ==Gallery==