Wadjet
| Wadjet / Uto in hieroglyphics | |||||
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Wadjet / Wadjit W3ḏt / W3ḏjt |
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 ( Temple of Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahari ) |
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Wadjet , also Wadjit , Uto , Edjo or Buto , was an ancient Egyptian snake goddess of the delta area , whose main place of worship was Buto .
meaning
She is considered the country goddess of Lower Egypt and is together with Nechbet , the country goddess of Upper Egypt , the patron goddess of the king ( Pharaoh ). In the nebtiname (mistress name) of the Egyptian kings, both protective goddesses symbolize the united countries . Wadjet is said to be a "heavenly snake" that donates "the food of eternal life".
The transcription of the word papyrus is identical to that of Wadjet, which is supposed to strengthen the connection to Lower Egypt. According to a pyramid text , the papyrus plant emerged from this goddess, which means that the papyrus is associated with the northern part of Egypt. Her name also means the "green one", which is why Wadjet was also known as the "bringer of green vegetation".
presentation
Wadjet is usually depicted as an erect cobra or as a woman with the red crown of Lower Egypt . In Hibis there are different images of the goddess, who is shown here as a snake with a lion's head and as a standing woman with a vulture hood .
Wadjet was also equated with the uraeus serpent , the Egyptian symbol of rule on the forehead of the Pharaoh, which was supposed to protect him from his enemies. This also made it the Eye of Re .
In the late period, depictions of a woman enthroned with a lion's head, some of which were adorned with her symbol, the forehead snake, also appeared. Thanks to the solar connection, Wadjet can also appear with a lion's head and a sun disk attached. In Dendera there is a picture of Wadjet and Nechbet, which shows Nechbet sitting on a papyrus plant.
- Wadjet and Nechbet in the Roman Mammisi in Dendera
Nefertem in the midst of the crown goddesses on a lotus blossom , looking at Nechbet
Nefertem in the midst of the crown goddesses on a lotus blossom, looking at Nechbet
In Greek mythology
Here Wadjet was equated with the goddess Leto .
See also
literature
- Richard H. Wilkinson : The world of the gods in ancient Egypt: Faith, power, mythology . Theiss, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-8062-1819-6 , pp. 226-228.
- Geraldine Pinch: Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt . Oxford University Press, Oxford / New York 2004, ISBN 0-19-517024-5 , pp. 211-213.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Rolf Felde: Egyptian gods. 2nd expanded and improved edition, R. Felde Eigenverlag, Wiesbaden 1995, p. 68.
- ↑ Manfred Lurker : Lexicon of the gods and symbols of the ancient Egyptians. Scherz, Bern / Munich / Vienna 1998, ISBN 3-502-16430-4 , p. 220.