NARRATOR: Walk up and down, and take a look at these statues. What do you think. Is each one a person? Or an animal?
CAMILE: It looks like a panther
JUISZELLE or a lion with the body of a woman
QUINN: and it's a goddess … and it has a headdress on.
ISABEL STUENKEL: Yes. This is the goddess Sakhmet, and her name means “The Powerful One.” If you look at her, do you think she was powerful?
QUINN: Yes.
ISABEL STUENKEL: Why?
CAMILE: She has a wild cat's head.
JUISZELLE: Kind but unforgiving.
NARRATOR: Lions are really dangerous and wild, and so was the goddess Sakhmet. That’s when she could send out illness and war. But, when she was satisfied and happy, she was calm. Then she could cure sick people and protect them. So let’s take a look at the Sakhmet on the left. Do you see what she is holding in her left hand– what do you think this is? The top is round, like a handle, with a cross at the bottom.
JUISZELLE: The symbol of life.
QUINN: The Ankh has the power of giving life, and all gods hold the Ankh.
ISABEL STUENKEL: Can you see what she has on her forehead?
CAMILE: There’s a snake on her forehead.
QUINN: It's for protection.
JUISZELLE: Why did the gods need so much protection if they had powers of their own?
ISABEL STUENKEL: The snake is called the uraeus and it was meant to protect the kings and their families. Showing the snake on the forehead then became a symbol of royalty. And the gods are like royalty, so that’s the main reason the gods can wear the snake too. Of course, the gods were really powerful, but it doesn’t hurt to have some extra protection.
NARRATOR: So walk around in the museum and see if you can find other images where somebody wears the snake on the forehead. Now you know that this must be a member of the royal family or a god.