In Egyptian mythology, Taweret (also spelled Taurt, Tuat, Taueret, Tuart, Ta-weret, Tawaret, and Taueret) is the Egyptian Goddess of childbirth and fertility. The name “Taweret” means, “she who is great” or simply, “great one”. When paired with another deity, she became the demon-wife of Apep, the original god of evil. However, the Egyptians essentially treated Taweret as a benevolent figure and this deity is attested as early as the Old Kingdom period “when she took three principal names: Opet or Ipy (‘harim’ or favoured place), Taweret (‘the great goddess’) and Reret (the sow’).” While there is a temple of Opet at Karnak, dating to the Late Period and Ptolemaic era, “it was the cult of Taweret that gained particular importance over time.”
Early Beliefs
As the counterpart of Apep, who was always below the horizon, Taweret was seen as being the northern sky, the constellation roughly covering the area of present-day Draco, which always lies above the horizon. Thus, Taweret was known as mistress of the horizon. Like the dwarf god Bes, Taweret:
“appears to have had no cult temples of her own, although a few statues have survived, and she was sometimes portrayed in temple reliefs. The Egyptian system of constellations connected the hippopotamus with the northern sky, and it was in this role as Nebet-akhet (‘mistress of the horizon’) that Taweret was depicted on the ceiling of the tomb of Seti I…in the Valley of the Kings (KV15).”
She was “usually portrayed with the arms and legs of a lion and the back and tail of a crocodile (or even a complete crocodile perched on her back), while her pendulous breasts and full belly conveyed the idea of pregnancy.” On occasion, later, rather than having a crocodile back, she was seen as having a separate, small crocodile resting on her back, which was thus interpreted as Sobek, the crocodile-god, and said to be her consort.
Later Beliefs
Early during the Old Kingdom, the Egyptians saw female hippopotami as less aggressive than the males, and began to view their aggression as only protecting their young–not territorial, as was male aggression. Consequently, Taweret became seen, very early in Egyptian history, as a deity of protection in pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnant women wore amulets with her name or likeness to protect their pregnancies. Because of her protective powers during childbirth, “the image of the hippopotamus-goddess was considered a suitable motif for the decoration of beds and headrests.
In most subsequent depictions, Taweret was depicted with features of a pregnant woman. In a composite addition to the animal-compound she was also seen with pendulous breasts, a full pregnant abdomen, and long, straight human hair on her head. Faience vases in the shape of the goddess “provided with a small pouring hole at the nipple, were sometimes used to serve milk, presumably in an attempt to invoke extra divine potency into the liquid.”
As a protector, she often was shown with one arm resting on the sa symbol, which symbolized protection, and on occasion she carried an ankh, the symbol of life, or a knife, which would be used to threaten evil spirits. As the hippopotamus was associated with the Nile, these more positive ideas of Taweret allowed her to be seen as a goddess of the annual flooding of the Nile and the bountiful harvest that it brought. Ultimately, although only a household deity, since she was still considered the consort of Apep, Taweret was seen as one who protected against evil by restraining it.
Associated LOST Characters
 BES (Consort) |
 APEP (Consort) |
 SOBEK (Consort) |
 SET (Consort) |
 RERET (Counterpart) |
 IPY (Counterpart) |
 HATHOR |
 RA |
Claire Littleton (TAWERET)
Claire Littleton
1×01 – Pilot, Part 1
Claire Littleton was one of the middle section survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. When she was seventeen, Claire was involved in a car crash which caused her mother to fall into a coma for five years. The accident in turn led her to meet her biological father for the first time since he left her and her mother when Claire was younger. Claire later became pregnant and, with some coaxing from a psychic, decided to fly to LA to give the baby up for adoption, putting her on the fated flight.
During her time on the Island, she entered into an inconsistent relationship with fellow survivor Charlie Pace. She was kidnapped by one of the Others, Ethan Rom, and taken to their camp where she was drugged and tested because of her pregnancy. After escaping, Claire suffered amnesia but found comfort in Charlie and her memory eventually returned.
1×20 – Do No Harm
She later gave birth to her son, Aaron Littleton, and did her best to take care of him despite being a reluctant mother. Her relationship with Charlie grew stronger after he rescued Aaron from Danielle Rousseau, but when Claire learned of Charlie’s past with drugs and witnessed his erratic behavior, she became reluctant to let him into her and Aaron’s life. Later, when Aaron became sick, Claire, worried it was a side effect of what the Others did to her, traveled to the Staff to look for medicine. The station triggered memories of her capture. She eventually forgave Charlie after she learned of Desmond’s visions of Charlie’s death, and told him she wouldn’t give up on him. When Charlie sacrificed himself to save the other survivors, Claire heeded his warning about the people on the freighter not being who they said they were and joined Locke’s group during the split.
4×09 – The Shape of Things to Come | 4×10 – Something Nice Back Home
During Keamy’s attack on the Barracks, her house was destroyed, but strangely Claire was unharmed. When the Monster attacked the mercenaries, she went with Aaron, Sawyer and Miles into the jungle. On the way to the beach camp, she saw her dead father, followed him into the jungle and disappeared, leaving Aaron behind. She was then seen with “Christian” in Jacob’s cabin by Locke. She appeared eerily calm and did not inquire about Aaron.
6×05 – Lighthouse | 6×06 – Sundown
Three years later she reappeared, saving Jin, who was being attacked by the Others. According to Dogen she has been “infected” beyond redemption. She attempted to kill Kate, but was stopped by the Man in Black, who she has been residing with for the past 3 years. She left his side after Kate promised to get her home to Aaron, but was reunited with him after the debacle on Widmore’s Sub. She went against him again when she realized he intended to kill all her friends to leave the Island. Claire finally escaped the Island on the Ajira plane, along with Kate, Sawyer, Frank, Richard and Miles.
6×17 – The End
In the flash-sideways, she was reunited with her deceased lover, Charlie Pace after giving birth to Aaron, and along with their friends, they moved on.
The Statue of Taweret
5×16 – The Incident, Part 1
A giant statue of the Egyptian goddess Taweret stood in its entirety on the shore of the Island. Jacob lived in a chamber in the statue’s pedestal for an unknown amount of time, even after the statue’s near total destruction in 1867 by a storm surge that propelled the Black Rock into the head of the statue, smashing it to pieces. The ship’s impact preserved only the statue’s left calf and foot with its distinctive four toes. The remains of the statue are within view of the Orchid station.
Description
Statue Exterior
Before its destruction, the statue depicted Taweret, the Egyptian goddess of protection, birth and fertility. (Enhanced commentary) Egyptians also considered Tawaret the god of the northern sky and generally depicted her as a humanoid with the head of a hippopotamus. Built of grey stone, the statue stood some 240–250 ft (75 m) in height (about the size of a 15-story office building). (Official Lost Podcast/May 26, 2006) The figure stands one foot slightly forward, looking out to sea with a giant ankh held in each hand. Taweret is depicted as having four toes on each foot.
6×09 – Ab Aeterno
The statue was almost completely destroyed in 1867 after the Black Rock collided with it, with only the base and part of the left foot and ankle remaining.
Pedestal Interior
5×17 – The Incident, Part 2
The remains of the statue stand on a hollow pedestal, in which Jacob dwelled for an unknown amount of time. The pedestal can be entered by pushing part of the exterior wall in, opening up to a hallway which in turn leads to a large chamber.
The chamber contains columns, presumably to support the statue’s weight, and a fire pit is located at the center of the chamber. During Jacob’s time spent living there, he wove a tapestry on one of the walls. A ceiling vent permits a view of the remaining leg of the statue from inside. (“The Incident, Part 1 & 2”)
History
Egyptians on the Island built the statue sometime well before 1867. (Lost Podcast) The civilization left many other signs of their culture on the island, including hieroglyphs and other structures.
Pre-1867 – Jacob
5×16 – The Incident, Part 1
At some point in the early history of the Island, Jacob took up residence in the chamber inside the base of the statue. He appears to have lived there for a considerable period of time, working on a tapestry and making the thread by hand. (“The Incident, Part 1”)
Sawyer’s Group
5×08 – LaFleur
Caught in the time flashes, Sawyer’s group was briefly transported into an unknown time period sometime prior to the building of the well. From the site of the well, the group glimpsed the back of the giant statue above the trees. Moments later another time flash occurred moving them to 1974. (“LaFleur”)
1867
5×16 – The Incident, Part 1
Some time in 1867, Jacob and the Man in Black met on the beach adjacent to the statue, watching as the Black Rock drew near the Island. (“The Incident, Part 1”)
6×09 – Ab Aeterno
A massive storm soon blew in, and prisoners aboard the ship caught sight of the statue. One, thinking it the devil, concluded that “El Diablo” guarded the island. An enormous wave slammed the Black Rock into the head of the statue, depositing the vessel deep in the jungle. The statue was almost completely destroyed, leaving only the base and a single foot behind. (“Ab Aeterno”)
DHARMA Initiative
5×05 – This Place Is Death
The remnants of the statue are located fairly close to where the Orchid was constructed by the DHARMA Initiative in the 1970’s. (“This Place Is Death”) Given its close proximity, it is highly likely the DHARMA Initiative was aware of its existence.
2004
2×23 – Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1
After the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 in 2004, the statue was seen by Sun, Sayid, and Jin while sailing around the Island in a plot to attack the Others. Sayid spotted the statue first, commenting that he did not know which was more disquieting, that the rest of it was missing, or that the foot only had four toes. (“Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1”)
2007
5×16 – The Incident, Part 1
Three years later, after the crash of Ajira Airways Flight 316, an entity claiming to be John Locke approached Richard and demanded to be taken to Jacob, whom he secretly intended to kill. Richard, unaware that this person was not actually Locke, agreed, leading him to the statue’s ruins and showing him the entrance to the base, allowing Locke and Ben to enter.
Meanwhile, Bram and Ilana, passengers of Ajira Flight 316 who worked for Jacob, attempted to find Jacob at his cabin, but instead found a woven illustration of the statue pinned to the wall by a knife. Realizing that Jacob was likely at the statue instead of in the cabin, they burned the cabin and traveled to the statue. (“The Incident, Part 1”)
5×17 – The Incident, Part 2
Once they arrived at the Statue they revealing to Richard that the person inside the statue with Ben and Jacob was not John Locke by showing Richard the body of the real Locke which they, along with several other survivors of Flight 316, had carried around in a large metal case.
Once inside the Statue, the entity claiming to be Locke was revealed to be Jacob’s ancient enemy, who convinced Ben to stab Jacob and then kicked the dying Jacob into the fire pit, setting him alight and presumably killing him. (“The Incident, Part 2”)
6×01 – LA X, Part 1 & 2
The Taweret massacre took place inside the statue a short while after Ilana and Bram arrived with the Ajira crate. (“LA X, Part 1”)
Flash sideways
6×01 – LA X, Part 1
In the afterlife, the remnants of the statue, along with the rest of the Island, were somehow submerged deep under the ocean. An ankh and the left foot of the statue are visible. (“LA X, Part 1”)
>: 4-8-15-16-23-42 [EXECUTE] - LOST Solved 
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