Please note, lovely readers: All of this is a work-in-progress. It will change as I continue digging through books and other sources. Do not take this as a rock-solid encyclopedic entry at any point. :)<\/i><\/p>\n
Hail Ma’ahes, the Living Lion, my brother; I gather old truths about You in honor of Your name.<\/p>\n
– war
\n— destroyer of enemies
\n— devourer of enemies
\n— executioner
\n— punishes those who go against ma’at (truth\/balance\/justice)
\n– guardian\/protector
\n— of sacred places (shrines, sanctuaries, temples)
\n— of the innocent
\n— of Ra’s night-barque
\n– storms, darkness, and winds (Greek)
\n– personification of the summer heat
\n– horizons
\n– perfumes and oils (via His connection to Nefertem)<\/p>\n
– a lion
\n— wearing a sun-disk crown
\n— wearing a sun-disk and uraeus
\n— wearing Nefertem’s crown (either floral emblem or falcon + floral emblem)
\n— bearing knives (or a reed-leaf to symbolize the knife)
\n— with lotus buds
\n– a lion-headed man
\n— carrying a large knife
\n— wearing the atef crown
\n— wearing the double crown (indicating Heru-Ma’ahes)
\n— holding an ankh
\n— holding the was<\/i> scepter<\/p>\nrelationships<\/h3>\n
– son of Bast
\n– son of Ptah
\n– son of Sekhmet
\n– son of Ra \/ Amun-Ra
\n– brother of Nefertem through Sekhmet
\n– occasionally identified with Nefertem
\n– syncretized with Heru of Hebenu as Heru-Ma’ahes
\n– brother of Heru-Hekenu through Bast
\n– equated with the Kushite lion god Apedemak
\n– connected to Anhur (Onuris)
\n– connected to Shu<\/p>\n
– True Before Her (referring to Ma’at)
\n– The Great God
\n– The Raging Lion
\n– Wielder of the Knife
\n– The Scarlet Lord
\n– Lord of the Massacre
\n– The Lion
\n– The Noble God
\n– The Living Lion
\n– The Noble Power
\n– The Great Protector
\n– The Son of Bast
\n– The Son of the Goddess
\n– He of the Loud Roar
\n– He of the Grim Face
\n– He of the Great Roar
\n– He of the Great Respect
\n– He of the Raging Moment
\n– He of the Strong Body
\n– He of the Great Power
\n– Whose Arms Are Strong
\n– Whose Eyes Are Reddened
\n– The Lord of Bubastis
\n– The Lord of the Foreign Lands
\n– He Who Kills Adversaries
\n– He Who Robs Hearts
\n– He Who Devours Hearts
\n– He Who Dwells Amongst His Enemies
\n– Son of Bast, Lord of slaughter, Who Is Pleased With Your Blood (“your” here indicating an enemy)
\n– He Who Dwells In The Midst of the Oasis
\n– He Who Protects Sanctuaries From Isfet
\n– The Kindly One (Greek-given, Furies-related)
\n– Helper of the Wise Ones
\n– Avenger of Wrongs<\/p>\n
– His major cult centers were in Bubastis and Leontopolis.
\n– Ma’ahes is a word meaning “lion” from the Pyramid Texts; it did not indicate Ma’ahes-the-god until the Middle Kingdom.
\n– Inscription at Abaton: “To be said by Ma’ahes: I enter against them, my hands holding the knife, in this my name of the Raging Lion (Ma’ahes).”
\n– Poem: Beloved Maahes<\/a> by Terri Sharp<\/p>\nPrimary Sources<\/h3>\n