Entry 05 / Gods & goddesses
Sekhmet
A lioness’s force, turned toward protection.
Sekhmet was a lioness-headed goddess associated with destructive power, warfare and disease, but also with healing and protection from harm. Her name is commonly translated as ‘the powerful one’. As a daughter and Eye of Ra, she embodied a formidable aspect of the sun’s power.
Take a closer look ↓
Written in signs
Name & hieroglyphs
- Transliteration
- Sḫmt
- Familiar names & readings
- Sekhmet / Sakhmet
One documented spelling, shown in a simple left-to-right line. Ancient spellings and the arrangement of signs varied. Transliteration records consonants; familiar readings supply conventional vowels.
Sekhmet’s name has a comparatively clear explanation: sḫm relates to being powerful, and the feminine ending t makes “the powerful one” or “she who is powerful.” The conventional spelling Sekhmet supplies vowels that are not fully written in the hieroglyphic name.
In this spelling, the sekhem sceptre supplies sḫm; the following sign repeats ḫ as a sound complement, and the bread loaf supplies t. Egyptian writing often repeats part of a sign’s sound to make its reading clear. Sakhmet and Sekhmet refer to the same goddess.
01 / The story
Why was Sekhmet both feared and honoured?
A power capable of bringing danger could also be asked to restrain it. That helps explain the goddess’s association with disease and its prevention. Her fierce character and her protective role belong together, rather than being two unrelated personalities.
Sekhmet is often represented as a woman with a lioness head, wearing a sun disk and a rearing cobra. The image connects the strength of a large predator with solar and royal power. A calm face or seated pose does not make the figure less formidable.
02 / The story
What a small amulet can tell us
The same divine identity could appear in a monumental temple statue or an object small enough to wear. The amulet illustrated here translates the lioness-headed form into an intimate scale. Size alone does not tell us how important an image was to its owner.
Bastet and Sekhmet share feline and protective associations, and Egyptian traditions could draw connections between them. When identifying an unfamiliar object, start with the head, crown and inscription. ‘Cat goddess’ is too broad a label for every feline-headed figure.
Train your eye
Three details to notice.
A lioness’s muzzle
The broad feline muzzle and rounded ears differ from a domestic cat’s smaller, pointed profile.
The solar crown
A disk and cobra often crown Sekhmet, linking the image to the sun and divine protection.
A human body
A lioness head can sit above a standing or seated female body; small amulets preserve this combination too.
A little more understanding
Good questions.
Clear answers.
Was Sekhmet a goddess of healing?
Yes. Her associations include protection from disease and healing as well as the power to cause harm. Ancient worship sought to turn that power toward well-being.
Is Sakhmet a different goddess?
No. Sakhmet and Sekhmet are alternative spellings of the same Egyptian name.
Is every lioness-headed statue Sekhmet?
No. Several Egyptian goddesses used lioness imagery. A name inscription, crown and original setting provide stronger identification.
What does Sekhmet’s name mean?
It means “the powerful one” or “she who is powerful.” The name combines sḫm, relating to power, with a feminine t ending.
Why does a sceptre appear in Sekhmet’s written name?
The sekhem sceptre sign supplies the sounds sḫm. In this spelling, additional sound signs clarify the reading; the signs are writing, not a list of objects she owns.
Why does Sekhmet have a lioness head?
Lioness imagery expresses her formidable divine power. It suits both her destructive force and her capacity to defend and protect.
What does the disk on Sekhmet’s head represent?
It is a solar disk, often accompanied by a cobra. It expresses her solar associations and her connection with the Eye of Ra.
Are Sekhmet and Bastet interchangeable?
They can be connected in Egyptian theology, but each also has distinct names, traditions and imagery. A lioness-headed figure should not automatically be labelled Bastet.
From the library to your home
Keep the story close.
Explore pieces in our shop connected with this subject. The museum objects above are historical references; shop items have their own materials and descriptions.
Explore the Sekhmet collection
Follow the connections
There’s more to this story.
The evidence behind the entry
Bibliography & image credits
Museum records, language references and published research used for this entry. Name spellings and interpretations are documented here alongside the historical sources.
- Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum — Sekhmet
- The Met — Sakhmet amulet
- The Met — The Art of Ancient Egypt, Sakhmet (object 19)
- Thesaurus Linguae Aegyptiae — Sḫmt, lemma 142250 (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Michael C. Carlos Museum — Statuette of Sekhmet, 2018.010.139
Photograph: Sakhmet amulet, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 10.130.2071. Gift of Helen Miller Gould, 1910. CC0 / Public domain. Resized for display; the complete photograph is preserved.