Who is the lioness goddess of war and healing?

The story behind the answer

Sekhmet is the lioness-headed “Powerful One,” the fierce Eye of Ra who embodies both destruction in war and restoration through healing. Myths tell how she was unleashed to punish humanity but was calmed by beer dyed red to look like blood; once pacified, she became a patron of physicians and healing rites, especially at Memphis as the consort of Ptah. Pharaoh Amenhotep III commissioned hundreds of her statues for protection and health.

By contrast, Isis is chiefly a goddess of magic and motherhood, Bastet is a gentler cat goddess of home and joy, and Neith is an ancient war and weaving deity. Memory tip: Sekhmet sounds like “sick-mend”—she could bring sickness to enemies and then mend the faithful.