The tragic part is that female lions will let it happen. If a new lion beats the previous lion king, he will kill all the small cubs so that lionesses will be able to breed with him. Only the current male lion’s cubs are allowed to be in the pride. The second responsibility is to raise their cubs. They provide food for the male lion and cubs. Lionesses are the main hunters in the group of lions (pride). Lisa Bevere, Lioness Arising What is the job of a lioness? In groups, lionesses become a creative and strategic force to be reckoned with, acting as one to change the world around them. She stands for a fierce defender of her family and a more than capable provider. The lioness is a magnificent image of strength, passion, and beauty. They are wary of outsiders and do not tolerate outside females and the pride membership changes only with the births and deaths of lionesses.Ī group of lions is called a pride and it consists of a few adult males, related females and cubs. They have strong maternal instincts but are also skilled hunters. Lionesses, much like their human counterparts, hold three corners of the house. Other authors have noted that Ammit's lioness characteristics, and the lake of fire, may be pointers to a connection with the goddess Sekhmet.What are the personality traits of a lioness? Some experts have linked Ammit with the goddess Taweret, who has a similar physical appearance and, as a companion of Bes, also protected others from evil. In that case the symbolic meaning would seem to be that if one's aims in life have not surpassed the ones associated with the three lowest chakras and into the realm of those associated with the four highest chakras, one will be devoured by the swallower after death. It has been suggested, most notably by mythologist Joseph Campbell, that the seven balls in that painting represent a prototype of the chakra system. In one rendering Ammit a pole is depicted with seven balls on it.Īmmit, the swallower, bites the pole just between the third and the fourth ball. An evil person then dissolved forever in her stomach.Īlthough Ammit is seen as a swallowing entity, its order is neutral and strictly serves at the whim of the other deities to take souls that have sinned against the gods and consign them into oblivion. In still another version, Ammut ate the condemned person, rather than only the heart. In this role, Ammit was more the lake guardian than a destroyer, which some scholars believe may be evidence of syncretism of a fiery lake belief, from an as yet unidentified elsewhere. In some traditions, Ammit was said to stand by a lake of fire, into which the unworthy hearts were cast, rather than eating them. Her role is reflected in her name, which means Devourer or, more accurately, and less euphemistically, Bone Eater, and her titles such as Devourer of the dead, Devourer of millions (Am-heh in Egyptian), Eater of hearts, and Greatness of Death. Although often referred to as a demon, by destroying evil she acted as a force for good. Thus Ammit was depicted with the head of a crocodile or dog, the front part of her body as a lioness or leopard, and her hind quarters in the form of a hippopotamus, a combination of those animals which were considered as the most dangerous to the Ancient Egyptians. Instead, she embodied all that the Egyptians feared, threatening to bind them to eternal restlessness if they did not follow the principle of Ma'at. In myth Ammit was not worshipped, and she was never regarded as a goddess. If the heart was lighter than a feather then the soul was judged by the god of the underworld, Osiris. Those whose souls were devoured were not permitted to enter Aaru, having to be restless forever - effectively dying a second time. The hearts of those who were heavy with wrongdoing failed the test were given to Ammit for her to devour. In the Ancient Egyptian underworld (known as Duat) hearts of the dead were weighed by Anubis against a feather from Ma'at's headdress. She dwelt in the Hall of Ma'at, who was the personification of the concept of truth, balance, and order. In Egyptian mythology, Ammit (also spelled Ammut, Ammet, Amam, Amemet and Ahemait) was the personification of divine retribution for all the wrongs one had committed in life.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |