| Tayt | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Name inhieroglyphs |
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| Consort | Neper orHedjhotep | |||||||||||||||||||||
Tayt (alsoTait,Tayet, andTaytet) was anEgyptian goddess. Some attest her husband wasNeper while others state she was possibly the consort ofHedjhotep.
Tayt was theancient Egyptian goddess of weaving, textiles, and to a lesser extent mummification. Her role was similar toHedjhotep. The name Taytet originates from a word meaning garment.[2] Becauselinen was the most common textile used inancient Egypt, Tayt often wove or gave linen headdresses to deities and high-ranked officials. Statues of deities were clothed in high quality linen, the linen being considered divine due to its quality and attributes. Linen is derived from the stem of the flax plant: the younger the plant, the higher the grade and the higher the quality of the linen product. Due to linen's protective qualities, Tayt began being ascribed the role of a protective maternal figure. InPyramid Text spell 738a, Tayt guards the pharaoh’s head, and helps him garner favor among other deities.[3] Inancient Egypt, weaving was a popular commercial activity among workers’ women and royal women. Later, cotton was introduced to Egypt with theRoman Empire.[4]
Tayt became associated as a funerary goddess through the application of mummification bandages. Tayt is known as a goddess who “awakes in peace” and is associated with textile offerings to garner favor from deities.[5] As a funerary goddess, she is depicted in the Fifth Section of theBook of Caverns, which describesRa’s journey through the underworld and his dealings with the damned. She is shown greetingRa andOsiris in the lower register.[6] In the Pyramid Texts of theFifth andSixth Dynasties, Tayt is characterized as a motherly figure wrapping bandages on a dead king. Mummy bandages came from the “land of Tait.”[7]
Tayt was thetutelary goddess of the town Tait as referenced in one of thePyramid Texts.[3]
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