Marvel's Moon Knight: Who is the Egyptian hippo goddess Tawaret in Moon Knight Episode 5?

Warning: spoilers for Moon Knight Episode Five ahead.

A mysterious figure approaches Steven and Marc through a pair of swinging doors. Photo: Disney / Marvel.

We met her first in Episode Four, but Tawaret plays a big role in Episode Five. When Marc and Steven finally stop screaming, she guides them through the strange afterlife they find themselves in.

Tawaret, as she is called, has not appeared in any Marvel universe before, in the comics or the MCU, so we don’t know if she will continue to play a role in the show. Nonetheless, here’s a look at her place in Egyptian mythology, which is similar to what she does in Episode Five of Moon Knight, and what her character might represent for Steven, Marc, and the plot of Marvel’s Moon Knight. Here’s what you need to know.

The doors swing open to reveal a hippo, walking on two legs and able to speak. Photo: Disney / Marvel.

Who is Tawaret in Moon Knight Episode 4?

Voiced by Antonia Salib, Tawaret is a goddess in hippo form, dressed in Ancient Egyptian clothing. She speaks kindly to Marc and Steven, saying “hi” in a bright, cheerful voice.

Nontheless, they are shocked by her appearance (understandably) and the episode closes to them screaming.

According to Ancient Egyptian beliefs, Tawaret is the protective ancient Egyptian goddess of childbirth and fertility. The name ‘Taweret’ means "she who is great" or simply "great one", a common respectful address to dangerous deities.

She is typically depicted as a bipedal female hippopotamus with feline attributes, female human breasts, the limbs and paws of a lion, and the back and tail of a Nile crocodile. In Moon Knight, we only saw her hippo-like features, but she may have these other attributes as well.

Tawaret commonly also uses the epithets ‘Lady of Heaven’, ‘Mistress of the Horizon’, ‘She Who Removes Water’, ‘Mistress of Pure Water’, and ‘Lady of the Birth House’. Her affinity for birth through water could explain her presence in Marc/Steven’s consciousness, as Marc fell into a seemingly endless pool of water before awakening in the 'hospital’.

A fairly neutral figure in the show, Tawaret takes on the role of guide in Moon Knight, explaining where Marc and Steven are and encouraging them to right the scales. Although she makes no move to truly help them, she does say she was rooting for them and seems sad when they appear to fail at the end of Episode Five.