Donation Stela with Image of the God Heka ("Magic"), the Goddess Sakhmet and a Curse

This stela, or commemorative tablet, records the donation of a gift of land to a temple and invokes the protection of that gift by the local divine family. Two members of the family are depicted: the goddess Sakhmet, whose name means "the Power" or the "Powerful One," and the god Heqa, shown here as her young son. Usually depicted as leonine (signifying her powerful or dangerous nature), Sakhmet was one of the goddesses associated with the eye of the sun-god Re who could be great protectors but also, if enraged, great destroyers. Sakhmet controlled emissaries who could inflict disease and death but also guard against misfortune, including the evil eye.