Shai, God of Fate and Destiny

By Caroline Seawright


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Shai (Shay, Schai, Schay) was the ancient Egyptian god of fate and destiny. He was both a personification of these concepts as well as a deity - the Egyptians believed that he was 'born' with each individual, yet he was also a god. During the New Kingdom he appeared in the Book of the Dead, shown in the judgement scene in the Halls of Ma'ati. He was a god related to birth in the world and rebirth in the underworld. Shai from the Book of the Dead of Ani The name of the god - shay alt=shaalt=aalt=y - comes from the ancient Egyptian word for 'appoint' or 'command' - sha alt=shaalt=avertical scroll determinative The word shay alt=shaalt=aalt=y could mean 'extent' or 'bulk'. He was the god of the allotted life-span of a human being, relating Shai to the extent - the length - of their life. Another translation of his name could be 'that which is ordained'. Thus, the Egyptians believed that Shai was also related to the 'destiny' or 'fate' or even the 'luck' of a human being. The Turkish word kismet can closely describe the concept of the god Shai.













Do not set your heart upon seeking riches, For there is no one who can ignore Shai; do not set your thought on external matters: for every man there is his appointed time.An Alexandrian representation of Agathodaimon

-- Instructions of Amenemope


He was an important god in Graeco-Roman times, where the people of Alexandria linked him to the serpent god of fortune telling, Agathodaimon. (When speaking about Shai himself, they called him Psais or Psois.) Set was also linked to Agathodaimon, which could be because of Shai's unpredictable nature as well as because shai alt=shaalt=aalt=ipig determinative meant 'pig', a sacred animal to Set.


Shai did seem to have a cult of his own, as there was a Second Priest of Shai during 18th Dynasty, but little else is known about his cult. He was respected by the Egyptians as the master of their fates, the one who decreed how long they would live, and who would be with them when they faced their final destiny.



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