Sakhmet (detail)
Because she was the daughter of the sun god, Re, Sakhmet is depicted wearing the solar disk in her headdress. The violent side of her nature is symbolized by her lioness head.
Other Solar Deities
In depicting the multiple powers of the gods, the solar disk worn in the headdress was one of the most frequently used symbols.
Sakhmet (detail)
Because she was the daughter of the sun god, Re, Sakhmet is depicted wearing the solar
disk in her headdress. The violent side of her nature is symbolized by her lioness head.
Sphinx of Senwosret III
Lions were solar symbols because of their strength, ferocity, and golden color. They were
believed to be divine guardians against evil, symbolizing the place on the horizon where
the sun rose and set each day. From prehistoric times, the characteristics of the lion
also symbolized the powers of the king. The sphinx, a lion with a human head, is a complex
image in which the royal aspect of the lion is reinforced by the face of the ruling king
without losing the sphinx's associations with the rising sun and divine guardianship.
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