Hathor presenting menat to Sety I (scene removed from the tomb of Sety 1 by the Franco-Tuscan expedition and now in the Louvre, Paris).
New Kingdom, Dynasty 19, Sety I
Valley of the Kings East Valley, Thebes
In her hand is a menat which is a broad collar or necklace that comprised several rows of beads and had a counter-poise that hung down the back when worn. It had religious significance and was imbued with power of healing from Het-Hert (Hathor).
The feminine goddess par excellence in ancient Egypt, Hathor was a pre-Dynastic goddess who gained enormous popularity early on. Her name is translated as "the House of Horus", which may be a reference to her as the embodiment of the sky, being that which surrounds the decidedly sky-oriented hawk-deity, Horus, when he takes wing. If Horus was the god associated with the living king, Hathor was the god associated with the living queen. One of her attributes is a musical instrument called a sistrum. She was also revered as the goddess of love, music, and joy.
