Tefnut Egyptian Mythology


In Egyptian mythology, Tefnut is a goddess of water and fertility, indeed her name means moist waters (i.e. rain). She was created by Atum (a solar god, as were Ra, Horakty, and Khepri) from the semen which resulted from his primordial act of masturbation or autofellatio (Heliopolitan version of the Myth), or from his mucus, a mythology that may be related to the alternative translation of her name - spat waters. Another version (the Memphite version of the myth) states that Atum sneezed once and Tefnut's brother Shu was born, and when he coughed to clear his throat Tefnut was born. With her brother, Shu, she was the mother of Geb and Nut.

In a myth describing the terrible weather disaster at the end of the Old Kingdom (which was responsible for the end of the Old Kingdom), it was said that Tefnut (moisture) and Shu once argued, and she left Egypt. The myth states that Shu quickly decided he missed her, but she fled to Nubia (somewhere much more temperate), and changed into a cat (symbolic of war), destroying any man or god that approached. Thoth, disguised, eventually succeeds in convincing her to return. Tefnut is sometimes depicted as a cat in reflection of this tale.