The Symbolism of Drinking from Tree–Goddesses in Connection with Pools: Selected Examples from the NK Theban Tombs

Drinking from the tree–goddess was a religious ritual that many tomb owners tried to show. Egyptian trees took a strong part in the tree cult, and the sycamore was one of the most important of all. It is not surprising that the Egyptians believed that a goddess lived in a leafy tree with a well of water at its foot, and the syamore took a main position in Egyptian mythology. Only three sky goddesses played a major role in the tree cult, namely, Nūt, Hathor, and Isis. It will be of some interest to see how they played a crucial role in the tree cult. This paper aims to explore the symbolism of drinking from the tree–goddess in the Theban Necro­polis during the New Kingdom. It will discuss the feminine role represented in the tree–goddess figure, in connection with pools and sycamores. It will also demonstrate the importance of the feminine aspect in Egyptian religion linked to the pools through symbolism, mythology and the presence of the goddesses Hathor, Nūt and Isis. The presence of the sycamore goddess, who pours libation from the waters to the T–shaped pool, seen in Theban Tomb paintings, is referenced in relation to funerary practice.