Nephthys (Nebt-het, Nebhet)
Lady of the house
Symbols: kite, crow, bones and skulls
Depiction: Depictions showed Nephthys as a woman wearing the symbol of her name on her head or her symbol on top of a pair of horns. Her name, Nebt-het, means “lady of the house,” house being the sky where Horus lived.
Mythology: According to myth, Nephthys was the daughter of Geb and Nut, the sister of Osiris and Isis, and the sister and wife of Seth. Throughout Egyptian mythology, Nephthys was always the counterpart to Seth. Nonetheless, Nephthys had a son, Anubis, by Osiris who was seduced by Nephthys after she got him drunk. Another myth says that Nephthys disguised herself as Osiris wife, Isis, and seduced him to conceive Anubis. Nephthys’ seduction of Osiris only fed Seth’s hatred of Osiris and fueled Seth’s desire to kill him. In myth, Nephthys was portrayed as a loyal friend to her sister, Isis, who helped her search for Osiris’ body after his death and who rebuilt Osiris’ body once it was found.
