This is a fourth image in my modern interpretations of the Netjeru (i.e. ancient Egyptian Deities) series.

In this particular case, the translation of this Goddess' name was simply too much to resist! Her name in the ancient Egyptian language means "She Who Loves Silence" or "Beloved of Him Who Makes Silence" (the "Him" referred to is Wsir/Usar/Osiris). She is a Goddess of both mercy and punishment, depending upon the situation at hand. Her historical domain is a region of the Theban necropolis which includes what is now known as the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. In particular, She can be regarded as the inhabiting Deity of the Dehenet Imentet or "Peak of the West", known in modern-day Egypt as mount El-Qurn meaning "The Horn", a foreboding pyramid-shaped mountain which overshadows the entire necropolis. From Her vantage point high above the scattered tombs, She acts as sentinel and protectress for both the living and the dead. A Goddess endemic to the arid landscape, She is associated with the cobra (and on rare occasions with the scorpion as well) and is depicted as a woman with a cobra's head, a cobra with a woman's head and arm, and in entirely cobra form. The workers who labored in the royal tombs both feared and respected Her since Her wrath against those who desecrated those tombs was severe; trespassers were subjected to blindness and the venomous stings and bites of desert creatures. However, it was also said that She could cure such ailments if the person who sought repentance was sincere.

So, the translation of Her name was what initially led me to envision Her as a librarian, but upon further thought the personage of Mertseger as librarian made some sense to me as well. Unlike the ancient Egyptians who believed that the preservation of the physical body (or a statue/image surrogate) was necessary for continuation into the next life, our culture pursues immortality in other ways, namely in the perpetuation of a person's life and character in words. One of the most severe and devastating symbolic actions a person in our culture can do is to burn books. I imagine Mertseger would feel at home presiding over the biography/autobiography section of a prestigious, well-stocked library. In this image, She stands high on a ladder, carefully observing those who stroll below Her.

Other images in this series:
Wesir/Usar/Osiris
Bast/Bastet
Re/Ra
Hathor/Het-Heru/Hethert
Wepwawet/Upuat/Apuat

Media: watercolor, acrylic, sumi-e ink, Priscmacolor colored pencils
Size: approximately 8.25" x 10.5"