Malevolence of Ancient Spirits
Tutankhamen and Other Essays, 1923, Malevolence of Ancient Spirits, Aurthur Edward Pearse Brome Weigall, page 122
Most people who have visited Upper Egypt will be familiar with the lioness-headed statue of Sekhmet which is to be seen in the small temple of Ptah, at Karnak. Tourists usually make a point of entering the sanctuary in which it stands by moonlight or starlight, for then the semi-darkness adds in an extraordinary manner to the dignity and mystery of the figure, and one feels disposed to believe the goddess not yet bereft of all power. Sekhmet was the agent employed by the Sun-God, Ra, in the destruction of mankind; and she thus as a sinister reputation in olden times. This has clung to her in the most persistent manner, and to this day the natives say that she has the habit of killing little children. When the statue was discovered a few years ago, a fall of earth just In front of her terminated the lives of two of the small boys who were engaged int he work, a fact which not surprisingly, has been quoted as an indication of the malevolence of the spirit which resides in this impressive figure of stone.
