Hathor was the cow-headed goddess associated with love and music in ancient Egyptian religion.
Hathor was one of Egypt’s most important and versatile goddesses. Her benevolent roles included love, beauty, sexuality, joy, dance, music, motherhood, and maternal care. She was also connected with the sky, queenship, fertility, and the afterlife, where she could welcome or guide the dead.
Her most familiar artistic form is a woman wearing a headdress of cow horns surrounding a sun disk, though she could also appear as a complete cow or as a woman with a cow’s head. The cow imagery expressed nourishment, motherhood, and her celestial character. Musicians honored her with the sistrum, a rattle used in ritual celebrations and temple ceremonies.
Hathor is sometimes confused with Isis because both could be maternal protectors and were linked to kingship. Hathor also had a fierce aspect as the Eye of Ra, capable of destroying his enemies. Her major cult center at Dendera preserved an important temple devoted to her worship, showing how widely her roles extended beyond love and music.