Introduction
Serqet, also known as Selqet or Serket, holds a significant place in the history and mythology of ancient Egypt. She is a powerful goddess associated with the realm of the dead and revered for her protective and healing abilities.
In ancient Egyptian beliefs, Serqet was considered one of the deities of the underworld, entrusted with safeguarding the canopic jar containing the embalmed intestines of the deceased. As the embodiment of the scorpion, she possessed the power to control venomous creatures and was both a guardian and a bringer of punishment.
Selket is a deity of immense contradiction. On the one hand, she can be called upon to bless an individual with protection from poison, while on the other she concocts death-dealing elixirs and is the proud progenitor of verminous scorpions. Is she a goddess of good intention, or one whose intentions are malediction? Originally she was both, and yet neither. Now, however, poisoned by her own venom and a burning jealousy for the stature of other gods, she is a cruel and sadistic mistress who rarely projects benignity and, then, only as part of an elaborate deception to attract followers.
In her primary domain, she is the birth mother of the scorpion and their patron goddess and, in this guise, is both feared and venerated. Indeed, many desert tribes will refuse to kill any scorpion for fear it may be Selket herself. The venom dripping from Selket’s tail is said to be so potent that it can kill even other gods, so it’s little wonder that assassins pray to her as the mistress of poisons and other herbal concoctions. (Ironically, she is also an influential deity among those who wish to remain safe from poison.)
Additionally, she is a deity of death and mummification, charged by the pantheon of the desert tribes with the sacred task of guarding the entrails of the deceased. As a result, her temples, generally lost amidst the shifting sands of the desert wastes, are inhabited by the soulless husks of past worshippers who serve their deity as eternal guardians.
Selket often takes on the form of an astonishingly beautiful and shapely woman wearing nothing save for a headdress with a scorpion on its top. She finds this pleasing shape highly effective in seducing men to her fold, but once they are in her claw-like grip, she reveals her true appearance: that of a woman with a scorpion’s head, an ichor-dripping scorpion tail, and a hollowed abdominal cavity stuffed with bags and incense.
Falcon
The falcon was the iconic bird of ancient Egypt. It was associated with power, dominance, sky and heavenly bodies, and hence connected with several gods. Thus, the so-called ‘Horus falcon’ belongs among the most frequently depicted birds in ancient Egypt, both in hieroglyphs and art (Malek et al, n.d.) Horus, son of Osiris and Isis, was often depicted as a falcon-headed god. Furthermore, the winged sun disc, which is often found on coffins and over temple doorways, represents the union of Horus with the sun god (see Jackson 2018a). The falcon-headed Qebehsenuef was one of the Four Sons of Horus, who guard the viscera removed during mummification inside canopic jars. He was under the protection of Serket/Selket (the scorpion goddess), and guarded the mummy’s intestines. We find him frequently depicted on canopic jar lids and as an amulet to place on the body, marking where the intestines had been.
The ancient Egyptians deified scorpion as Serqet, the goddess that protects the body and the viscera of the dead, and that accompanies them in their journey to the afterlife (Fig. 8). Since the 5th dynasty (2465–2323 BC), clever physicians were given the title of a “Follower of Serqet”, “One who wields power over the goddess Serqet” (or “is powerful over Serqet’s venom (Ghalioungui & El-Dawakhly, 1965). They had medical prescriptions and magical spells to heal the stings of scorpions (Budge, 1901; Kamal, 1964). The goddess Serqet also had its place in the sky of the ancient Egyptians, among circumpolar stars. She was mentioned in holy texts of ancient Egypt since the “Pyramids texts” in the Old Kingdom to the Book of the Dead in the New Kingdom.
Selket also granted her followers with magical prowess. Through her teachings, they gained insight into ancient wisdom and the ability to use supernatural forces for beneficial purposes.
Selket chose to govern a creature that was often feared and dreaded – the scorpion. This choice demonstrates her unique character as an embodiment of both danger and safeguarding forces.
Legend has it that during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II, a swarm of scorpions terrorized Egypt. Desperate for help, the people turned to Selket. Moved by their plight, she summoned a legion of scorpions with a wave of her hand. These creatures destroyed every harmful scorpion within days! The grateful populace hailed Selket as their savior ever since.