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Relationships, Associations and Symbols
Hathor's maternal nature stems in part from the myth The Contendings of Horus and Seth. In the story, Hathor found Horus after being blinded by his brother, Seth. She then used a gazelle's milk to return Horus' sight. In other texts, however, she was said to have nursed Horus herself in place of taking the milk of a gazelle. Hathor was often depicted in cow form nursing pharaohs in reference to this myth. Hapshepsut, depicted through Horus, was shown to be nursed by Hathor in this state in carvings located at Dier al-Medina.

Hathor has also been connected to Menkaure, a male pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty. She is depicted as being equal to him, as well as guiding him to the afterlife.

Hathor was also connected to the afterlife. Due to her maternal nature, she was believed to help the dead reach the afterlife, and many would pray to her for prosperity once passing on. Depictions of Hathor guiding rulers into necropolis exist, but some scholars believe that lower-class Egyptians would also seek her favor, suggesting she would help any who were worthy. Hathor’s connection to cows was very prevalent in depictions of the goddess. She was often presented as a woman with horns, a cow with a woman’s face, or more simply, just a cow.

Hathor has also been linked to cats, especially within New Kingdom Egypt. Often, Ra was depicted as “The Great Cat”, a large cat which fought and killed one of the Sun God’s rivals, Apep. However, other texts suggest that gods closely associated with Ra, including Hathor herself, assumed this role. Hathor was also associated with Tefnut, who was also depicted as the Eye of Ra at times, as well as a lioness and the “Distant Goddess”. In the “Distant Goddess” myth, Tefnut takes the form of a lioness, as well as a cat in other translations. She is sought out in the desert and convinced to return to Egypt, where she transforms into Hathor once back.

Festivals and Worship
Hathor was often invoked for successful pregnancies. Being the Goddess of Fertility, many would pray to her and leave offerings of fruits and wooden phalli. Small statuettes similar to venus figurines were also found left at some of Hathor’s temples, although excavators and historians differ on what these could have represented. Some believed they were fertility statues left to gain the goddess’s favor, while others have suggested they served as children’s dolls.

Hathor was also associated with drunkenness and revelry, which was often a characteristic of her festivals.

There is some debate over the difference between Hathor in Dendera and Mistress of the Sycamore Shrine Hathor. Some scholars believe that there were differences in worshipping the two Hathors, while others believe this is a matter of local cults using different terms for the same goddess.