“Be welcome in peace, my son!” Beautiful West and motherhood practices in CT 30-37

Beatriz Noria Serrano

doi:10.6018/pantarei.647511

Authors

Beatriz Noria Serrano Università di Pisa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5254-3945

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6018/pantarei.647511

Keywords: Egyptology, ancient egypt, religious history, gender roles, mothers

Supporting Agencies

Project PID2022-142974NA-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE and the VII Plan Propio de Investigación y Transferencia de la Universidad de Sevilla

Abstract

This paper analyses the role of the divine entity Beautiful West in the liturgy CT 30-37, in which she is referred to as the mother of the deceased and examine the maternal practices she is said to perform. To achieve this, each stanza mentioning her is examined, to elucidate her presence and her relationships with the other actors of the composition. Furthermore, her actions are compared to those attributed to human mothers. The study demonstrates that Beautiful West’s maternal role was essential in achieving the ultimate purpose of the liturgy and served as both a reflection and an idealised model of motherhood. However, significant ontological distinctions between divine and human mothers highlight Beautiful West’s status as an unattainable symbol, embodying an ideal of motherhood beyond human reach.

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