| Imentet | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Drawing of Imentet based on depictions from tombs | |||
| Other names | Amentet, Imentit, Amentit | ||
| Name inhieroglyphs |
| ||
| Symbol | Emblem of the West | ||
| Consort | Aqen | ||
Imentet (Ament, Amentet or Imentit, meaning "She of the West"[1]) was a goddess inancient Egyptian religion representing thenecropolises west of theNile.
She was the consort ofAqen, a god who guidedRa through parts of the underworld. Although she was never officially worshipped, she was mentioned in various hymns and passages of theBook of the Dead.
As goddess of the deceased, Imentet lived in a tree looking out at the entrance to theDuat (underworld).[1] Her main job, other than being a minor fertility goddess, was to offer food and drink to the newly dead, which would restore their spirits enough to travel to the"field of reeds". The field of reeds is often equated withparadise inancient Egyptian religion by modern authors. However, Imentet was so closely linked withHathor andIsis in their afterlife roles that she may be less an independent deity than an alternate form of those two goddesses.[2]
_(Vall%25C3%25A9e_des_Rois_Th%25C3%25A8bes_ouest)_-2.jpg)
She was usually depicted in a red sheath dress wearing thehieroglyph for "west" on her head and a sceptre and anankh in her hands. She often appears in tombs welcoming the deceased into the afterlife, sometimes with wings, and sometimes as akite because of her connection toIsis andNephthys.[1]
Her title "She of the West" is not just a statement related to geography, but also related as her role in mythology because, as the sun sets towards the west, it was to be accompanied by death, which was where Imentet usually reigned. Additionally,amenti (oramentet) was thought to be where the sun set, and where the entrance to theUnderworld was located, although later the term began to associate itself with graveyards and tombs as well.[1]
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