Details
Qadesh
Qadesh was originally depicted as a naked woman standing on the back of a lion with a crescent moon on her head. After her adoption into the Egyptian pantheon she was more commonly depicted wearing the headdress of Hathor or a pair of cow’s horns and a sun disc (also linked with Hathor and the "Eye or Ra") and a tight-fitting sheath dress. She was often shown holding snakes (thought to represent male genetalia) or a papyrus plant (representing Reshep) in her right hand and lotus flowers (representing either female genetalia or Min) in her left hand. Like Bes and Hathor, she is always pictured facing forward rather than in profile. Her name is possibly related to the Hebrew word "Qadesh". The meaning of the word is problematic. It is often translated as "holy woman" and (according to some) refers to the sacred prostitutes of the cult of Asherah known as Quedeshot (the Semitic nature goddess who was associated with Hathor in Egypt).