Egyptian temple rattle of Hathor the goddess of love, motherhood and music

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Hathor Sistrum - temple rattle

Dimensions - Height - 31.5 cm / 12 -1/4 inches

Width - 8 cm / 3-1/4 inches

Depth - 5.5 cm / 2-1/4 inches

! 🌟currently out of stock but can be made to order. Approximately a 4 week waiting list.



On offer here is a fine replica of an ancient temple rattle known as a sistrum. These highly decorative rattles were used by priestesses within the temples of their chosen God or Goddess of worship. They were used to ward off evil spirits and create a light tinkle for the musical ambiance within the rituals performed there.

Made of a limestone and quartzite composition stone, the sistrum has been given an aged Egyptian blue/green patina. Metal wire threaded with small, rustic metallic discs can be seen crossing the open work shrine on top of the head. As it is made to look like an ancient artifact with corroded metal components, the sound it creates is unremarkable and is more suitable as a display /demonstration item.



Background information

An astonishing quantity of sistrum fragments have been found in and around the multitude of temple compounds throughout Egypt but the best preserved specimens accompanied the priestesses whose tombs or coffins remained un-plundered.

This sistrum presented here is typical of the very best examples to have survived.

It has the face of the Goddess Hathor on both sides. Her small cow ears showing the association with the cow and in particular, the mothering qualities that a cow shows to it's calf.

A shrine sits directly on her head that has an open doorway for the metal thread that holds the aged metal discs that create the muted sound. The shrine represents the house of Horus. The very meaning of the name 'Hat-hor'.

Hathor and Isis are often interwoven in pictorial representations.

Isis shares the attribute of divine mother goddess. Tauret the hippopotamus Goddess of childbirth and Bast the cat Goddess of music & joy are frequently shown holding the sistrum as well.

The uraeus cobra was a protection symbol of gods and Pharaohs and the sistrum has many depictions on both faces. The sides also feature the protective cobra thus covering all the cardinal points.

Hathor was a goddess of love, music and dance with her principal temple located at Denderah. Here atop the lofty columns of this unfinished temple, you can see similar Hathorian faces carved as the decorative element where the lintels meet the roof.





*I strongly suggest seeing the movie 'Agora' which was an absolutely terrific film capturing a gritty ancient realism far removed from the glossy film sets of past endearing classic films such as Cleopatra. Set in Alexandria the main temple featured in the film, borrowed heavily from the temple of Dendara. Dendara as you may know was the centre for Hathorian ritual with her main temple the principal monument. The film Agora uses the Hathorian capitals to stunning effect and that is all I wish to say without spoiling it for those of you who have yet to see it.

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  • North America : 1 - 3 weeks
  • Europe : 1 - 3 weeks
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  • Asia Pacific : 1 - 3 weeks
  • Latin America and the Caribbean : 1 - 3 weeks
  • North Africa and the Middle East : 1 - 3 weeks
  • Sub-Saharan Africa : 1 - 3 weeks

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