Sopdet

(G/R Sothis, Sirius) - "The Skilled Female" The deified embodiment of the visible star Sirius (Sirius is actually a binary-star system, with one of its bodies invisible to the naked eye) as a form of Aset, as counterpart to Sah (the constellation Orion), which is attributed to Aset's consort, Wesir. The annual rising of Sopdet (usually occurring toward the end of July or the beginning of August in the Gregorian calendar) coincided with the inundation of the Nile which brought fresh water and soil nutrients for another growing season, and so Sopdet became a celestial marker for both the New Year and the return of fertility to the land. The sighting of Sopdet was integral to the calculation of Kemet's calendrical system.