Hathor’s family tree is not fixed: in most Egyptian texts she is the daughter of the sun god Ra, the wife of Horus, and the mother of Ihy, but some sources make her the mother of Ra or the wife of other gods. The variations reflect Egypt’s many local cult centers and the way deities merged over time.
Who Hathor Is in Egyptian Myth
Hathor was one of ancient Egypt’s most beloved goddesses, associated with the sky, the sun, music, dance, fertility, love, and motherhood. She was often depicted as a cow, a woman with cow horns and a sun disk, or a lioness. Her name literally means “House of Horus,” linking her to the falcon god from the earliest periods. She was worshipped from the Predynastic era (before 3100 BCE) through the Greco-Roman period, and her cult centers included Dendera, where her great temple still stands, and the turquoise mines of Serabit el-Khadim in the Sinai.
Hathor’s Parents: Ra, Nut, or Atum
The most common tradition, found in the Pyramid Texts (c. 2400–2300 BCE), calls Hathor the daughter of Ra, the sun god. In that role she was the “Eye of Ra,” a fierce solar force that could punish humanity. However, other texts give her different parents:
- Ra and Nut: Some New Kingdom sources list her mother as Nut, the sky goddess, making Hathor a sister of Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys.
- Atum: In the Heliopolitan creation myth, Atum (or Ra-Atum) creates Shu and Tefnut, who then give birth to Geb and Nut. Hathor is sometimes said to be born from Atum’s eye, making her his daughter in a more abstract sense.
- Ra alone: In the “Book of the Heavenly Cow,” Hathor emerges from Ra’s eye without a mother, emphasizing her solar nature.
Because Egyptian theology was not standardized, priests at different temples could present her as a daughter of the local creator god. The only consistent point is that she belongs to the solar family.
Hathor’s Siblings and the Ennead
If Hathor is the daughter of Ra and Nut, she is a sister to Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. This grouping places her in the Great Ennead of Heliopolis, the nine deities who formed the core of Egyptian cosmology. In that scheme, her siblings’ children include Horus the Elder (sometimes her husband) and Anubis (son of Nephthys and Osiris). But if Hathor is simply Ra’s daughter, her siblings are less clear—some texts list Ma’at, the goddess of truth, as her sister, both being “daughters of Ra.” The lack of a single canonical list means that any family chart is a composite of several traditions.
Hathor’s Husband: Horus the Elder or Horus the Younger
Hathor is most often paired with Horus, but there are two Horus figures. Horus the Elder is a sky god, sometimes the son of Geb and Nut, and in some texts he is Hathor’s husband. Horus the Younger is the son of Isis and Osiris, the avenger of his father, and in many New Kingdom texts he is also called Hathor’s consort. The two Horuses were often conflated, so it is not always clear which one is meant. At Dendera, Hathor’s temple was aligned with the temple of Horus at Edfu, and the two deities were celebrated as a divine couple in an annual festival called the “Beautiful Reunion.”
Hathor’s Children: Ihy and Others
Hathor’s most consistent child is Ihy, the god of music and the sistrum (a rattle used in rituals). Ihy is usually called the son of Hathor and Horus, and he appears in texts from the Old Kingdom onward. His name means “sistrum player,” and he personifies the joyful sound of the instrument. In some local traditions, Hathor is also the mother of Harsomtus (Horus-Sema-Tawy), a child god who united Upper and Lower Egypt. Less commonly, she is said to have mothered the four sons of Horus, the funerary deities who guarded the organs of the deceased, but that is a rare variant. In her cow form, Hathor was sometimes called the mother of the Apis bull, a sacred bull worshipped at Memphis.
Hathor as the Mother of Ra
A striking twist appears in the New Kingdom “Book of the Heavenly Cow”: Hathor is called the mother of Ra, even though she is also his daughter. This paradox is typical of Egyptian cyclical theology, where the sun god is reborn each morning from the sky goddess. In this myth, Hathor (or Nut) gives birth to the sun at dawn, making her both mother and daughter of the sun. The same logic applies to other goddesses like Isis, who is sometimes called “the mother of the god” while being the sister-wife of Osiris. For a reader trying to draw a simple family tree, this is the most confusing aspect, but it reflects the Egyptians’ view of time as repeating cycles rather than a linear line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Hathor’s parents?
Most commonly, Hathor is the daughter of Ra, the sun god. Some texts name her mother as Nut, the sky goddess, while others say she was born from Ra’s eye. In the Heliopolitan tradition, she can be a daughter of Atum, the creator god.
Is Hathor married to Horus?
Yes, Hathor is usually paired with Horus, either Horus the Elder or Horus the Younger. At the temple of Dendera, she is the wife of Horus of Edfu, and their union was celebrated annually. In some myths, she is also the mother of Horus, but that is less common.
Who is Hathor’s son?
Hathor’s son is Ihy, the god of music and the sistrum. In some local traditions, she is also the mother of Harsomtus, a child god. The Apis bull is sometimes called her son in her cow form.
Why does Hathor have so many different family relationships?
Egyptian religion was not a single unified system. Each temple had its own local theology, and deities were often merged or given multiple roles. Hathor’s many relationships reflect her importance and the desire of priests to connect her to the major gods of their region.
Is Hathor the same as Isis?
No, Hathor and Isis are distinct goddesses, but they were sometimes conflated. Both were mothers and protectors, and both were associated with the throne and the sun. In the Greco-Roman period, they were often worshipped together, and some temples dedicated to one also honored the other.
Does Hathor have any siblings?
If Hathor is the daughter of Ra and Nut, her siblings are Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. If she is simply Ra’s daughter, she may be a sister of Ma’at. The answer depends on which myth you read.
Related
- Aba in Greek Mythology: Origins & Meaning
- Pothos in Greek Mythology: Desire Personified
- Tai Sui in Chinese Mythology: Origins and Roles
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