View source for Qetesh

{{short description|Ancient Egyptian goddess of beauty and sex}}
{{for multi|the Stargate character|Qetesh (Stargate)|other uses|Qadesh (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Egyptian
| name = Qetesh
| image = Qadesh (Goddess).png
| image_upright = 0.6
| caption = A digital collage showing an image of Qetesh together with hieroglyphs taken from a separate Egyptian relief<br />(the 'Triple Goddess stone')
| symbol = Lion, snake, a bouquet of papyrus or Egyptian lotus, Hathor wig
| parents = [[Ptah]] or [[Ra]]<ref>I. Cornelius, ''[http://www.religionswissenschaft.uzh.ch/idd/prepublications/e_idd_qudshu.pdf Qudshu]'', ''[http://www.religionswissenschaft.uzh.ch/idd/prepublication.php Iconography of Deities and Demons in the Ancient Near East]'' (electronic pre-publication), p. 1, 4</ref>
| hiero = <hiero>qd-d:Aa12-I12</hiero>
}}
{{Fertile Crescent myth (Levantine)}}
{{Middle Eastern deities}}
{{Ancient Egyptian religion}}
'''Qetesh''' (also '''Qodesh''', '''Qadesh''', '''Qedesh''', '''Qetesh''', '''Kadesh''', '''Kedesh''', '''Kadeš''' or '''Qades''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɑː|d|ɛ|ʃ}}) was a goddess who was incorporated into the [[ancient Egyptian religion]] in the late [[Bronze Age]]. The Egyptians likely developed her name based on the [[Semitic root]] ''[[Q-D-Š]],'' meaning 'holy' or 'blessed,'<ref>Ch. Zivie-Choche, ''[https://escholarship.org/content/qt7tr1814c/qt7tr1814c.pdf Foreign Deities in Egypt]'' [in:] J. Dieleman, W. Wendrich (eds.), ''UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology'', 2011, p. 5-6</ref> attested as a title of [[El (deity)|El]] and possibly [[Athirat]] and a further independent deity in texts from [[Ugarit]].<ref>M. Krebernik, ''Qdš'' [in:] ''[http://publikationen.badw.de/en/rla/index#9862 Reallexikon der Assyriologie und vorderasiatischen Archäologie]'' vol. 11, 2008, p. 176</ref>

Due to lack of clear references to Qetesh as a distinct deity in Ugaritic and other Syro-Palestinian sources, she is considered an Egyptian deity influenced by religion and iconography of [[Canaan]] by many modern researchers, rather than merely a Canaanite deity adopted by the Egyptians (examples of which include [[Reshef]] and [[Anat]])<ref>S. L. Budin, ''[https://www.jstor.org/stable/3270523 A Reconsideration of the Aphrodite-Ashtart Syncretism]'', ''Numen'' vol. 51, no. 2, 2004, p. 100</ref><ref>I. Cornelius, ''[http://www.religionswissenschaft.uzh.ch/idd/prepublications/e_idd_qudshu.pdf Qudshu]'', ''[http://www.religionswissenschaft.uzh.ch/idd/prepublication.php Iconography of Deities and Demons in the Ancient Near East]'' (electronic pre-publication), p. 1: "a goddess by the name of Q. is not known in the Ugaritic or any other Syro–Palestinian texts"</ref>

== Character ==
In Egyptian religion, the functions of Qetesh are hard to determine due to lack of direct references. Still, her epithets (especially the default one, "lady of heaven") might point at an astral character, and a lack of presence in the royal cult might mean that she was regarded as a protective goddess mostly by commoners. In contrast with previous theories and sources, those that are currently known and considered reliable do not associate her with fertility or sex, and those that presented her as a "[[Temple prostitute|sacred harlot]]" are regarded as obsolete in modern scholarship due to lack of evidence.<ref>I. Cornelius, ''[http://www.religionswissenschaft.uzh.ch/idd/prepublications/e_idd_qudshu.pdf Qudshu]'', ''[http://www.religionswissenschaft.uzh.ch/idd/prepublication.php Iconography of Deities and Demons in the Ancient Near East]'' (electronic pre-publication), p. 4</ref>

Her epithets include "Mistress of All the Gods", "Lady of the Stars of Heaven", "Beloved of [[Ptah]]", "Great of magic, mistress of the stars", and "[[Eye of Ra]], without her equal".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.matrifocus.com/LAM07/spotlight.htm|title=The "Holy One" by Johanna Stuckey|website=www.matrifocus.com|access-date=19 March 2018|archive-date=31 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080131132738/http://www.matrifocus.com/LAM07/spotlight.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> A connection with Ptah or Ra, evident in her epithets, is also known from Egyptian texts about Anat and Astarte.<ref>M. Smith, ''[https://www.academia.edu/12709064/_Athtart_in_Late_Bronze_Age_Syrian_Texts 'Athtart in Late Bronze Age Syrian Texts]'' [in:] D. T. Sugimoto (ed), ''Transformation of a Goddess. Ishtar – Astarte – Aphrodite'', 2014, p. 66</ref><ref>K. Tazawa, ''Astarte in New Kingdom Egypt: Reconsideration of Her Role and Function'' [in:] D. T. Sugimoto (ed), ''[https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/135405/1/Sugimoto_2014_Transformation_of_a_Goddess.pdf Transformation of a Goddess. Ishtar – Astarte – Aphrodite]'', 2014, p. 110</ref>

== Iconography ==
[[Image:Stela dedicated by Ramose to the goddess Qadesh, shown between Min and Reshep, limestone - Museo Egizio, Turin C 1601 p01 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Stele]] of Qetesh / Kadesh, [[Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt|Dynasty XIX]] (1292–1186 BC), [[Museo Egizio]]]]
[[File:Stele of Qadesh upper-frame.jpg|thumb|Qetesh wearing the headdress of [[Hathor]] and standing on a lion; she holds a lotus flower and a snake and is flanked by [[Min (god)|Min]] on the left and [[Resheph]] on the right ([[Louvre]]).]]
On a [[:File:Stele of Qadesh upper-frame.jpg|stele]] representing the deity, Qetesh is depicted as a frontal nude (an uncommon motif in Egyptian art, though not exclusively associated with her), wearing a [[Hathor]] wig and standing on a lion, between [[Min (god)|Min]] and the Canaanite warrior god [[Resheph]]. She holds a snake in one hand and a bouquet of lotus or papyrus flowers in the other.<ref>Ch. Zivie-Choche, ''[https://escholarship.org/content/qt7tr1814c/qt7tr1814c.pdf Foreign Deities in Egypt]'' [in:] J. Dieleman, W. Wendrich (eds.), ''UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology'', 2011, p. 6-7</ref><ref>I. Cornelius, ''[http://www.religionswissenschaft.uzh.ch/idd/prepublications/e_idd_qudshu.pdf Qudshu]'', ''[http://www.religionswissenschaft.uzh.ch/idd/prepublication.php Iconography of Deities and Demons in the Ancient Near East]'' (electronic pre-publication), p. 1</ref>

== Origin ==
Early researchers attempted to prove Qetesh was simply a form of a known Canaanite deity, rather than a fully independent goddess. [[William F. Albright]] proposed in 1939 that she was a form of the [[Baalat Gebal|"lady of Byblos"]], while [[René Dussard]] suggested a connection to "Asherat" (e.g., the biblical [[Asherah]]) in 1941. Subsequent studies tried to find further evidence for the equivalence of Qetesh and Asherah, despite their dissimilar functions and symbols.<ref>S. A. Wiggins, ''[https://www.academia.edu/1307032/The_Myth_of_Asherah_Lion_Lady_and_Serpent_Goddess The Myth of Asherah: Lion Lady and Serpent Goddess]'', ''Ugarit-Forschungen'' 23, 1991, p. 384-386; 389</ref>

The arguments presenting Qetesh and Asherah as the same goddess rely on the erroneous notion that Asherah, [[Astarte]], and [[Anat]] were the only three prominent goddesses in [[Canaanite religion]] and formed a trinity.<ref>S. A. Wiggins, ''[https://www.academia.edu/1307032/The_Myth_of_Asherah_Lion_Lady_and_Serpent_Goddess The Myth of Asherah: Lion Lady and Serpent Goddess]'', ''Ugarit-Forschungen'' 23, 1991, p. 387</ref> However, while Ashtart/Astarte and Anat were closely associated with each other in [[Ugarit]], in Egyptian sources, and elsewhere,<ref>M. Smith, ''[https://www.academia.edu/12709064/_Athtart_in_Late_Bronze_Age_Syrian_Texts 'Athtart in Late Bronze Age Syrian Texts]'' [in:] D. T. Sugimoto (ed), ''Transformation of a Goddess. Ishtar – Astarte – Aphrodite'', 2014, p. 49-51</ref><ref>G. Del Olme Lete, ''[https://www.academia.edu/4583174/2013_KTU_1_107_A_miscellany_of_incantations_against_snakebite KTU 1.107: A miscellany of incantations against snakebite]'' [in] O. Loretz, S. Ribichini, W. G. E. Watson, J. Á. Zamora (eds), ''Ritual, Religion and Reason. Studies in the Ancient World in Honour of Paolo Xella'', 2013, p. 198</ref> there is no evidence for conflation of Athirat and Ashtart, nor is Athirat associated closely with Ashtart and Anat in Ugaritic texts.<ref>S. A. Wiggins, ''[https://www.academia.edu/1307031/A_Reassessment_of_Asherah_With_Further_Considerations_of_the_Goddess A Reassessment of Asherah: With Further Considerations of the Goddess]'', 2007, p. 57, footnote 124; see also p. 169</ref>

The concept of Athirat, Anat, and Ashtart as a trinity and the only prominent goddesses in the entire region, popularized by authors like [[Tikva Frymer-Kensky]], is modern. It ignores the significant role of other female deities, such as [[Shapshu]], in known texts, as well as the fact that [[El (deity)|El]] appears to be the deity most closely linked to Athirat in primary sources.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wiggins |first1=Steve A. |title=A Reassessment of Tikva Frymerensky’s Asherah |journal=In the Wake of Tikva Frymer-Kensky |date=31 December 2009 |page=174 |doi=10.31826/9781463219185-013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Wiggins |first1=Steve A. |editor1-last=Wyatt |editor1-first=Nicholas |editor2-last=Watson |editor2-first=Wilfred G |editor3-last=Lloyd |editor3-first=J B |title=Ugarit, religion and culture: proceedings of the International Colloquium on Ugarit, Religion and Culture, Edinburgh, July 1994; essays presented in honour of Professor John C. L. Gibson |date=1996 |publisher=Ugarit-Verlag |location=Münster |isbn=978-3-927120-37-2 |page=327 |chapter=Shapshu, Lamp of the Gods}}</ref> One of the authors relying on the Anat-Ashtart-Athirat trinity theory is [[Saul M. Olyan]], author of ''Asherah and the Cult of Yahweh in Israel'', who calls the Qudshu-Astarte-Anat plaque "a triple-fusion hypostasis" and considers Qudshu to be an epithet of Athirat by a process of elimination, for Astarte and Anat appear after Qudshu in the inscription.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Mark S. |last2=Pitard |first2=Wayne Thomas |title=The Ugaritic Baal cycle |date=1994 |publisher=E.J. Brill |location=Leiden New York (N.Y.) Köln |isbn=978-9004153486 |page=295}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Mark S. |title=The origins of biblical monotheism: Israel's polytheistic background and the Ugaritic texts |date=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=0-19-513480-X |page=237}}</ref>

Modern [[Egyptologists]], such as [[Christiane Zivie-Coche]], do not consider Qetesh to be a hypostasis of Anat or Astarte, but a goddess developed in Egypt, possibly without a clear forerunner among Canaanite or Syrian goddesses, though given a [[Semitic languages|Semitic language]] name and associated mostly with foreign deities.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Zivie-Coche |first1=Christiane |editor1-last=Wendrich |editor1-first=Willeke |editor2-last=Dieleman |editor2-first=Jacco |editor3-last=Frood |editor3-first=Elizabeth |title=UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology |date=5 April 2011 |publisher=UCLA |location=Los Angeles |pages=5-6 |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7tr1814c |chapter=Foreign Deities in Egypt}}</ref>

<ref>Ch. Zivie-Choche, ''[https://escholarship.org/content/qt7tr1814c/qt7tr1814c.pdf Foreign Deities in Egypt]'' [in:] J. Dieleman, W. Wendrich (eds.), ''UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology'', 2011, p. 5-6</ref>

== In popular culture ==
Qetesh is the name given to the [[Goa'uld]] that once possessed [[Vala Mal Doran]], a recurring and then regular character in Seasons 9 and 10, respectively, of the science fiction television series ''[[Stargate SG-1]]''.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

Qetesh is also the name used in ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' episode ''[[Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith]]'', and is confirmed to be the humanoid species (also known as "soul-stealers") of Ruby White (the episode's villain), who feeds off excitement and heightened emotion and has stomachs that live outside their bodies.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

== See also ==
* [[Queen of Heaven (antiquity)|Queen of Heaven]]
* [[Shala]], a Mesopotamian goddess also depicted as nude and associated with the sky

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category inline}}

{{Middle Eastern mythology}}
{{Ancient Egyptian religion footer|collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Egyptian goddesses]]
[[Category:West Semitic goddesses]]
[[Category:Stellar goddesses]]
[[Category:Asherah]]
[[Category:Lion goddesses]]

[[ca:Llista de personatges de la mitologia egípcia#Q]]