Tayt (also Tait, Tayet, and Taytet) was an Egyptian goddess. Some attest her husband was

Neper The neper (symbol: Np) is a logarithmic unit for ratios of measurements of physical field and power quantities, such as gain and loss of electronic signals. The unit's name is derived from the name of John Napier, the inventor of logarithms. A ...

while others state she was possibly the consort of

Hedjhotep Hedjhotep (also Hedj-hotep from '' ḥḏ- ḥtp'') was a minor ancient Egyptian deity, a god of fabrics and clothes and, to a lesser extent, of weaving and the deceased. Hedjhotep is sometimes described as a goddess rather than a god, holding a ...

Textile goddess

Tayt was the ancient Egyptian goddess of weaving, textiles, and to a lesser extent mummification. Her role was similar to

. The name Taytet originates from a word meaning garment. Because

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

was the most common textile used in ancient Egypt, Tayt often wove or gave linen headdresses to deities and high-ranked officials. Statues of deities were clothed in high quality linen, the linen being considered divine due to its quality and attributes. Linen is derived from the stem of the flax plant: the younger the plant, the higher the grade and the higher the quality of the linen product. Due to linen's protective qualities, Tayt began being ascribed the role of a protective maternal figure. In Pyramid Text spell 738a, Tayt guards the pharaoh’s head, and helps him garner favor among other deities. In ancient Egypt, weaving was a popular commercial activity among workers’ women and royal women. Later, cotton was introduced to Egypt with the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...

Funerary goddess

Tayt became associated as a funerary goddess through the application of mummification bandages. Tayt is known as a goddess who “awakes in peace” and is associated with textile offerings to garner favor from deities. As a funerary goddess, she is depicted in the Fifth Section of the

Book of Caverns The Book of Caverns is an important ancient Egyptian netherworld book of the New Kingdom.Hornung (1999) p.83 Like all other netherworld books, it is also attested on the inside of kings’ tombs for the benefit of the deceased. It describes the ...

, which describes Ra’s journey through the underworld and his dealings with the damned. She is shown greeting Ra and

Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He ...

in the lower register. In the Pyramid Texts of the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties, Tayt is characterized as a motherly figure wrapping bandages on a dead king. Mummy bandages came from the “land of Tait.”

Goddess of Tait

Tayt was the

tutelary Tutelary may refer to: * Patron saint, or tutelary saint * Tutelary deity See also * Tutoring Tutoring is private academic support, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject ...

goddess of the town Tait as referenced in one of the

Pyramid Texts The Pyramid Texts are the oldest ancient Egyptian funerary texts, dating to the late Old Kingdom. They are the earliest known corpus of ancient Egyptian religious texts. Written in Old Egyptian, the pyramid texts were carved onto the subterranea ...

References

Works cited

*Editor, Hastings, James; Editor, Selbie, John Alexander; Editor, Gray, Louis Herbert. ''Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics: Mundas-Phrygians.'' Andover-Harvard Theological Library. *"The goddess of weaving Tait". ''http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/religion/tait.htm.'' *"Women's Clothing and Fashion in Ancient Egypt". ''http://www.womenintheancientworld.com/women%27s%20clothing.htm.'' *Willems, Harco (1996). ''The coffin of Heqata : (Cairo JdE 36418); a case study of Egyptian funerary culture of the Early Middle Kingdom.'' Leuven: Peeters .a. . *"The Book of Caverns". www.touregypt.net (in Russian). ''http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/caverns.htm.'' *Nicholson, edited by Paul T.; Shaw, Ian (2000). ''Ancient Egyptian materials and technology (1. publ., repr. ed.).'' Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. .

Textile goddess

Funerary goddess

Goddess of Tait

See also

References

Works cited

Further reading