Hathor
Mythic, worshipped in ancient Egypt, circa 3150–30 B.C.E.
The Egyptian goddess of motherhood and fertility, Hathor was originally a personification of the Milky Way. She was also associated with water, since the Milky Way was believed to be a waterway for the gods, “The Nile in the Sky.” She was responsible for the yearly flooding of the Nile as well as each pregnant woman’s water breaking. Hathor was often worshipped and depicted as a cow, an Egyptian symbol of motherhood.
