Satis, also called Satet, Satit, Satjet, or Satjit in ancient Egyptian, was a major deity of Upper Egypt. Integrated into the Elephantine triad alongside Khnum et Anoukis, she was revered as the protector of Egypt's southern border with Nubia. His cult marked a profound influence on Egyptian history, leaving traces from the time of the construction of the step pyramid of Saqqara.
The multiple roles of Satis
Satis played several roles in ancient Egyptian mythology. She was a goddess of war, hunting, fertility, but also a personification of the annual flooding of the Nile.
Satis, Guardian of the Borders
In her role as protector of the borders, Satis was responsible for defending Egypt against threats from the south. For the ancient Egyptians, she killed the enemies of the pharaoh with her sharp arrows, guaranteeing the security and stability of the kingdom.
Satis, goddess of fertility
As a fertility goddess, Satis was believed to grant the wishes of those seeking love. It was often associated with the annual flooding of the Nile, a crucial event for the fertility of Egyptian soils.
The Divine Relations of Satis
Originally, Satis seems to have been associated with the Theban god set up, but later replaced Heqet as a companion of Khnum, the guardian of the source of the Nile. With Khnum, she spawned Anoukis, goddess of the Nile. When Khnum was merged with Ra, Satis sometimes took the role of eye of Ra, replacingHathor.
The cult of Satis
Satis' main cult center was at Abu (Elephantine), an island of Aswan on the southern edge of Egypt. His temple at this pre-dynastic site has been shown to be aligned with the star Sirius, which marks the onset of the Nile flood in ancient Egypt. Satis was therefore closely associated with the upper regions of the Nile, which the ancient Egyptians sometimes considered its source near Aswan.
These different aspects of Satis, her versatility as a goddess of war, fertility and the flooding of the Nile, as well as her protective function of the borders, make her a complex and fascinating deity of ancient Egypt.
Other deities than Sastis