Dictionary

deshret en · NOUN

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Egyptian S-r:t*-S3 (dšrt), from S-r-G27 (dšr, “red”) with S3 as determinative + t (-t, feminine ending), thus literally meaning “the red one”.

Meanings

1. A red crown of Ancient Egypt symbolizing control over Lower Egypt.
   • Deshret This red, chair-shaped crown indicated that Tut was ruler of Lower Egypt. Gods and goddesses also wore deshrets, but without the cobra. Tut would mainly wear his deshret to really important ceremonies (he would certainly never be seen wearing it to do the dishes). 2007, Michael Cox, “King Tutankhamun – ruler of every subject under the sun!”, in Tutankhamun and His Tombful of Treasure (Horribly Famous), London: Scholastic Children’s Books, published 2012, →ISBN, page 57:
   • She [Neith] was a war goddess and huntress whose regalia included a deshret, or red crown, which symbolized Lower Egypt and the fertile Nile basin. 2019, Rand Flem-Ath, Rose Flem-Ath, “The Widow’s Son”, in The Murder of Moses: How an Egyptian Magician Assassinated Moses, Stole His Identity, and Hijacked the Exodus, Rochester, Vt.: Bear & Company, →ISBN:
   • The deshrets of the rest of the Legion were polished and plumed with gold and amethyst. 2010 March, Graham McNeill, “Skarssen / The Demands of War / Wyrdmake”, in A Thousand Sons: All Is Dust… (The Horus Heresy; 12), Nottingham, Notts.: Black Library, →ISBN:
   • On the other side, the ruler sports a deshret from Lower Egypt as he surveys his fallen foes. 2022 May–June, “Narmer: First Pharaoh of Egypt”, in Amy E. Briggs, editor, National Geographic History, volume 8, number 2, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Partners, LLC, →ISSN, page 20, column 2:

Forms

Synonyms

Red Crown