Editing Qetesh (section)

== Character ==
In Egyptian religion, the functions of Qetesh are hard to determine due to lack of direct references, but her epithets (especially the default one, "lady of heaven") might point at an astral character, and lack of presence in royal cult might mean that she was regarded as a protective goddess mostly by commoners. In contrast with previous theories and sources, those that are currently known and considered reliable do not associate her with fertility or sex, and those that presented her as a "[[Temple prostitute|sacred harlot]]" are regarded as obsolete in modern scholarship due to lack of evidence.<ref>I. Cornelius, ''[http://www.religionswissenschaft.uzh.ch/idd/prepublications/e_idd_qudshu.pdf Qudshu]'', ''[http://www.religionswissenschaft.uzh.ch/idd/prepublication.php Iconography of Deities and Demons in the Ancient Near East]'' (electronic pre-publication), p. 4</ref>

Her epithets include "Mistress of All the Gods", "Lady of the Stars of Heaven", "Beloved of [[Ptah]]", "Great of magic, mistress of the stars", and "[[Eye of Ra]], without her equal".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.matrifocus.com/LAM07/spotlight.htm|title=The "Holy One" by Johanna Stuckey|website=www.matrifocus.com|access-date=19 March 2018|archive-date=31 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080131132738/http://www.matrifocus.com/LAM07/spotlight.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> A connection with Ptah or Ra evident in her epithets is also known from Egyptian texts about Anat and Astarte.<ref>M. Smith, ''[https://www.academia.edu/12709064/_Athtart_in_Late_Bronze_Age_Syrian_Texts 'Athtart in Late Bronze Age Syrian Texts]'' [in:] D. T. Sugimoto (ed), ''Transformation of a Goddess. Ishtar – Astarte – Aphrodite'', 2014, p. 66</ref><ref>K. Tazawa, ''Astarte in New Kingdom Egypt: Reconsideration of Her Role and Function'' [in:] D. T. Sugimoto (ed), ''[https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/135405/1/Sugimoto_2014_Transformation_of_a_Goddess.pdf Transformation of a Goddess. Ishtar – Astarte – Aphrodite]'', 2014, p. 110</ref>