Editing Hathor (section)

===Popular worship===

[[File:Plaque of a woman giving birth assisted by Hathor.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Plaque showing a woman squatting while cow-headed women stand at either side|Ptolemaic plaque of a woman giving birth assisted by two figures of Hathor, fourth to first century BC]]

In addition to formal and public rituals at temples, Egyptians privately worshipped deities for personal reasons, including at their homes. Birth was hazardous for both mother and child in ancient Egypt, yet children were much desired. Thus fertility and safe childbirth are among the most prominent concerns in popular religion, and fertility deities such as Hathor and [[Taweret]] were commonly worshipped in household shrines. Egyptian women squatted on bricks while giving birth, and the only known surviving birth brick from ancient Egypt is decorated with an image of a woman holding her child flanked by images of Hathor.{{sfn|Ritner|2008|pp=173–175, 181}} In Roman times, [[terracotta]] figurines, sometimes found in a domestic context, depicted a woman with an elaborate headdress exposing her genitals, as Hathor did to cheer up Ra.{{sfn|Morris|2007|pp=218–219}} The meaning of these figurines is not known,{{sfn|Sandri|2012|pp=637–638}} but they are often thought to represent Hathor or Isis combined with Aphrodite making a gesture that represented fertility or protection against evil.{{sfn|Morris|2007|pp=218–219}}

Hathor was one of a handful of deities, including Amun, Ptah, and Thoth, who were commonly prayed to for help with personal problems.{{sfn|Pinch|1993|pp=349–351}} Many Egyptians left offerings at temples or small shrines dedicated to the gods they prayed to. Most offerings to Hathor were used for their symbolism, not for their intrinsic value. Cloths painted with images of Hathor were common, as were plaques and figurines depicting her animal forms. Different types of offerings may have symbolized different goals on the part of the donor, but their meaning is usually unknown. Images of Hathor alluded to her mythical roles, like depictions of the maternal cow in the marsh.{{sfn|Pinch|1993|pp=119, 347, 354–355}} Offerings of [[Sistrum|sistra]] may have been meant to appease the goddess's dangerous aspects and bring out her positive ones,{{sfn|Pinch|1993|pp=157–158}} while [[phalli]] represented a prayer for fertility, as shown by an inscription found on one example.{{sfn|Lesko|2008|pp=203–204}}

Some Egyptians also left written prayers to Hathor, inscribed on [[stela]]e or written as graffiti.{{sfn|Pinch|1993|pp=349–351}} Prayers to some deities, such as Amun, show that they were thought to punish wrongdoers and heal people who repented for their misbehavior. In contrast, prayers to Hathor mention only the benefits she could grant, such as abundant food during life and a well-provisioned burial after death.{{sfn|Sadek|1988|pp=89, 114–115}}