Shai
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:''For the 1990s R&B group, see [[Shai (band)]]; for the forebear of [[Mossad]] see [[SHAI]].''
{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
'''Shai''' (also spelt '''Sai''', occasionally '''Shay''', and in Greek, '''Psais''') was the deification of the [[concept]] of [[destiny|fate]] in Egyptian mythology<ref>[http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/shai.htm Shai, God of Fate and Destiny<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. As a concept, with no particular reason for associating with one gender over another, Shai was sometimes considered female, rather than the more usual understanding of being male, in which circumstance Shai was referred to as '''Shait''' (simply the feminine form of the name). His name reflects his function, as it means ''(that which is) ordained''.
As the god of fate, it was said that he determined the span of each man's life, and was present at the judgement of the soul of the deceased in [[duat]]. In consequence, he was sometimes identified as the husband of [[Mesenet]], goddess of birth, or, in later years, of [[Renenutet]], who assigned the [[Egyptian soul|Ren]], and had become considered goddess of fortune. Because of the power associated in the concept, [[Akhenaten]], in introducing [[monotheism]], said that Shai was an attribute of [[Aten]], whereas [[Ramses II]] claimed to be ''lord of Shai'' (i.e. ''lord of fate'').
During [[Ptolemaic Egypt]], Shai, as god of fate, was identified with the [[Greek mythology|Greek god]] [[Agathodaemon]], who was the god of fortune telling. Thus, since Agathodaemon was considered to be a [[Serpent (symbolism)|serpent]], and the word ''Shai'' was also the [[Egyptian language|Egyptian word]] for ''[[pig]]'', in the Hellenic period, Shai was sometimes depicted as a serpent-headed pig, known to Egyptologists as the ''Shai animal''. The concept of Shai' Gar is where an adversarial deity promotes the changing of your own fate.
Shai, is also a person's name, translated from Hebrew, it means gift/present.
== References ==
<references/>
[[Category:Egyptian deities]]
[[ca:Shait]]
[[de:Schai]]
[[en:Shai]]
[[fr:Chai (dieu égyptien)]]
[[hu:Sai]]
[[lt:Šai]]
[[sv:Shai]]