Shemat-khu
second of the twelve goddesses of the Ninth Division
Identified
Group: the twelve goddesses of the Ninth Division of the Am-Tuat, called Best-aru-ankhet-kheperu [budge-1905].
1. Perit · 2. Shemat-khu · 3. Nebt-shat · 4. Nebt-shefsheft · 5. Aat-aatet · 6. Nebt-setau · 7. Hent-nut-s · 8. Nebt-mat · 9. Tesert-ant · 10. Aat-khu · 11. Sekhet-metu · 12. Netert-en-khentet-Ra
The Ninth Division is the weaving division. Two of its three registers sit on looms: the twelve gods are "seated firmly on their instruments for weaving," and the twelve uraei below are "mounted each on its instrument for weaving," each pouring fire from its mouth. Thirty-six figures, and the middle twelve are the goddesses.
What they do
Those who are in this picture with their bodies of the Tuat are they who are in the forms which Horus made. This great god crieth out to them after he hath arrived at the place where they are, and they come to life and they hear [his] voice. Their work in the Tuat is to raise the praises of Osiris, and to embrace the hidden Soul by means of their words, and to bring life and strength to the risings of the god of the Tuat, and they utter words on [his behalf] in the chamber each day. [budge-1905]
They come to life when he arrives and speak him back into strength. Embrace the hidden Soul by means of their words is the phrase worth keeping — an embrace performed by speaking.
Under the companies rule (C246) this is a pointer rather than an entry. Found by reading the division whole (C393).
The record
Every claim above traces to a row here. Source, exact place in that source, and what it actually supports.
| Source | Locus | Attests |
|---|---|---|
[budge-1905] | *Book of Am-Tuat* I, **Ninth Division (Best-aru-ankhet-kheperu)**, pp. 196–201 | **Shemat-khu** among the twelve goddesses; the full roster; the register structure of three twelves |
[budge-1905] | *ibid.* | the gods "**seated firmly on their instruments for weaving**… in the form of the figures which Horus made"; the uraei "**mounted each on its instrument for weaving**," pouring fire |
[budge-1906] | *Egyptian Heaven and Hell* I | the same passage in a second scan |
Sources
[budge-1905]— Budge, The Book of Am-Tuat (1905), vol. I. Public domain, archived. Transcribed rosters with the scene described around them.[budge-1906]— Budge, The Egyptian Heaven and Hell (1906), vol. I, alternative scan. Public domain, archived.
Open questions
- Most of this division's thirty-six names are not in the census (C397). Of the twelve goddesses, only some reached the aggregate list at all.
- Three of the twelve uraei's names are lost to the scan, and the line above them is mutilated — Budge prints Maspero's restoration. Get a cleaner text.
- Why weaving? Two registers of thirty-six figures sit on looms in the hour that follows the hiding of Osiris' body. The connection between the wrappings and the weavers is stated once and never explained.
- Is aru in the division's name the same as aru in "Aat-aru"? The division is Best-aru-ankhet-kheperu; one of the uraei is Aat-aru.
Cite this entry
Research grade: ⇄duplicate — A second spelling or roster listing of a name entered elsewhere.
"Shemat-khu", The Egyptian God Corpus,
graded duplicate, retrieved 2026-08-10.