Maahes

In Egyptian mythology, Maahes was a lion-god, possibly of foreign origin. His cult was centered in Leontopolis and Bubastis. He was a son of Bastet and Ptah. The meaning of his name, “To See in Front,” was also the start of the Egyptian word for “lion.” Some of Maahes’s titles were “Lord of Slaughter,” “Wielder of the Knife,” and “The Scarlet Lord.” A god of desert storms and the destroyer of the pharaoh’s enemies, he was also a fierce protector. Maahes was described as the “devourer of the guilty and protector of the innocent.” He was pictured as a man with the head of a lion, occasionally wearing the double crown of Egypt, holding a knife. Sometimes Maahes was shown with a bouquet of lotuses near him. The Egyptian personification of the summer heat, Maahes was also depicted as a lion devouring a captive. Tame lions were kept in a temple dedicated to Maahes. He was thought to be the son of Bast, or Sekhmet and Ptah. The lion hieroglyphic was used in words such as “prince,” “strength,” and “power.”

An ancient Greek historian called Aelian said: “In Egypt, they worship lions, and there is a city called after them . . . the lions have temples and numerous spaces in which to roam; the flesh of oxen is supplied to them daily . . . and the lions eat to the accompaniment of song in the Egyptian language.”

Alternative: Mihos, Miysis, Mahes