Egyptian Gods

Meretseger was a cobra goddess who was the protector and guardian of the Valley of the Kings at the Theban Necropolis during the New Kingdom. Her name Meretseger also spelled as Mertseger, Merseger or Mereseger, whose name means “she who loves silence”.

Meretseger was believed to live on a nearby mountain, which above the Valley of the Kings, where the Pharaohs’ tombs were located. This mountain was a pyramid shaped mountain that named after her, as “Dehenet Imentet”, which means “Peak of the West”. She sends poisonous animals against anyone who try to disturb, vandalize or rob the tombs.

Meretseger was also the patron deity of the workers who built the tombs. She punished the unscrupulous workers who committed crimes such as try to steal treasure, or carve out a secret entrance. However, she also healed those who repented.

She was considered to be both a dangerous and merciful goddess. She also associated with Hathor, the goddess of love and music. Her appearance portrayed as a woman with the head of cobra or as a cobra. Sometimes, she depicted as a cobra with the head of a woman or a cobra with three heads.

Meretseger worshipped mainly by the workers of Deir el-Medina and Thebes, the people who built many of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings of Upper Egypt.