Reflections On the Role of Female Deities and Queens in Ancient Kemet

Abstract

In earliest known religion of humankind, that of Ancient Kemet, role of female was equally as significant as that of male. Unlike in Judeo-Christian myth of Adam and Eve, female principle was a redeeming and positive factor. All male deities had female counterparts of equal importance. In his insightful book on African philosophy, Ancient Egypt and Black Africa, Theophile Obenga (1992) writes that the equality between men and women in Egyptian antiquity was an integral part of divine order.... Hence it was quite natural for women to be fully integrated into Pharaonic royalty (p. 168). Thus not only do we find in Ancient Kemet first ruling queens in history but also nonroyal women owning property and serving as high priestesses. Primarily, aim of this article is to provide a descriptive analysis of Kemetic monarchy and mythology concerning female deities; and to demonstrate how historically greatness of this classical civilization was achieved by masterful capabilities of males and females and how use of myth helped in this process. Molefi Asante (1987), in The Afrocentric Idea, affirms importance of myth: