Mask of Tutankhamun's mummy featuring a uraeus from the eighteenth dynasty when the cobra image of Wadjet from the original uraeus had been joined by the white vulture image of Nekhbet because of the unification of Lower and Upper Egypt

The Uraeus (plural Uraei or Uraeuses, from the Greek οὐραῖος, from Egyptian jʿr. "Amarna period" redirects here For information on Amarna see Amarna The Eighteenth Dynasty (1550-1292 BC is perhaps the best known of Cobras ( are venomous Snakes of the family Elapidae, of several genera, but particularly Naja. In Egyptian mythology, Wadjet, which means the Green One ( Egyptian egy w3ḏyt; also spelt Wadjit or Wedjet Vultures are scavenging Birds feeding mostly on the carcasses of dead Animals Vultures are found on every continent except Antarctica and In Egyptian mythology, Nekhbet (also spelt Nechbet, and Nekhebit) was an early Predynastic, local Goddess who was the patron of the t (iaret) "rearing cobra") is the stylized, upright form of an Egyptian spitting cobra (asp, serpent, or snake), used as a symbol of sovereignty, royalty, deity, and divine authority in ancient Egypt. The Egyptian cobra ( Naja haje) commonly confused with the Snouted cobra ( Naja annulifera) is a type of venomous Snake native The Egyptian cobra ( Naja haje) commonly confused with the Snouted cobra ( Naja annulifera) is a type of venomous Snake native Serpent is a word of Latin origin (from serpens serpentis "something that creeps snake" that is commonly used in a specifically mythic or A snake is an elongate Reptile of the suborder Serpentes Like all reptiles snakes are covered in scales. Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself A royal family is the extended family of a monarch. Generally the head of a royal family is a king or queen regnant See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now

The Uraeus is a symbol for the goddess Wadjet, one of the earliest of Egyptian deities, who often was depicted as a cobra. In Egyptian mythology, Wadjet, which means the Green One ( Egyptian egy w3ḏyt; also spelt Wadjit or Wedjet Cobras ( are venomous Snakes of the family Elapidae, of several genera, but particularly Naja. The center of her cult was in Per-Wadjet, later called Buto by the Greeks. Buto or Butos or Butosos ( Greek:, Herod ii 59 63 155, Steph B Buto or Butos or Butosos ( Greek:, Herod ii 59 63 155, Steph B She became the patroness of the Nile Delta and the protector of all of Lower Egypt, so her image was worn by the pharaohs as a head ornament, first as the body of Wadjet atop the head or as a crown encircling the head, always remaining in effect part of their crown, indicating her protection and as a claim over the land. The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River Lower Egypt is the northern-most section of Egypt. It refers to the fertile Nile Delta region which stretches from the area between El-Aiyat and Zawyet Pharaoh is the title given in modern parlance to the ancient Egyptian kings of all periods The pharaoh was recognized only by wearing the uraeus, which conveyed legitimacy to the ruler. There is evidence for this tradition even in the Old Kingdom during the third millennium B. The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to that period in the 3rd millennium BCE when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement C. Several goddesses associated with, or being considered aspects of Wadjet are depicted wearing the uraeus also.

At the time of the unification of Egypt, the image of Nekhbet, who was represented as a white vulture and held the same position as the patron of Upper Egypt, joined the image of Wadjet on the Uraeus that would encircle the crown of the pharaohs who ruled the unified Egypt. In Egyptian mythology, Nekhbet (also spelt Nechbet, and Nekhebit) was an early Predynastic, local Goddess who was the patron of the Vultures are scavenging Birds feeding mostly on the carcasses of dead Animals Vultures are found on every continent except Antarctica and Upper Egypt (صعيد مصر Sa'id Misr) is a narrow strip of land that extends from the cataract boundaries of modern-day Aswan to the area between The importance of their separate cults kept them from becoming merged as with so many Egyptian deities. Together they were known as, The Two Ladies, who became the joint protectors and patrons of the unified Egypt. In Ancient Egyptian texts Two Ladies is a religious Euphemism for Wadjet and Nekhbet, the deities who were the patrons of the

Later, the pharaohs were seen as a manifestation of the sun-god Re, and so it also was believed that the Uraeus protected them by spitting fire on their enemies from the fiery eye of the goddess. Ra (pronounced Rah and sometimes as Rê, is an Ancient Egyptian sun god. In some mythological works, the eyes of Ra are said to be uraei. The Eye of Horus ( Wedjat) (previously Wadjet and the Eye of the Moon; and afterwards as The Eye of Ra) or (" Udjat " Wadjets existed long before the rise of this cult when they originated as the eye of Wadjet as cobra and are the name of the symbols also called the Eye of the Moon, Eye of Hathor, the Eye of Horus, and the Eye of Ra—depending upon the dates of the references to the symbols. In Egyptian mythology, Wadjet, which means the Green One ( Egyptian egy w3ḏyt; also spelt Wadjit or Wedjet In Egyptian mythology, Hathor (Pronounced Hah-Thor ( Egyptian for house of Horus) was originally a personification of the Milky Way The Eye of Horus ( Wedjat) (previously Wadjet and the Eye of the Moon; and afterwards as The Eye of Ra) or (" Udjat " The Eye of Horus ( Wedjat) (previously Wadjet and the Eye of the Moon; and afterwards as The Eye of Ra) or (" Udjat "

As the Uraeus was seen as a royal symbol, Horus and Set also were depicted wearing one. In Ancient Egyptian mythology, Set (also spelled Seth, Sutekh or Seteh) is an ancient god who was originally the god of the Desert In early mythology, Horus would have been the name given to any king as part of the many titles taken, being identified as the son of the goddess. According to the later mythology of Re, the first uraeus was said to have been created by the goddess Isis who formed it from the dust of the earth and the spittle of the then current sun deity. Isis is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and is celebrated in their mythology as the ideal mother and wife patron of nature and magic friend of slaves sinners In this version of the mythology, the uraeus was the instrument with which Isis gained the throne of Egypt for Osiris. Isis is associated with, and may be considered an aspect of Wadjet.

Another name for this is the term "Totaf" found also in the Bible.

Golden uraeus of Senusret II

In 1920, after only a half-hour excavation, the Qufti worker Hosni Ibrahim held in his hands the solid gold Golden Uraeus of Sesostris II. Khakeperre Senusret II was the fourth Pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Khakeperre Senusret II was the fourth Pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. It had been decided to make a (follow-up) complete clearance of the El-Lahun Pyramid's rooms, at Saqqara. Located in the Faiyum, Kahun (كاهون is the workers village of the Pyramid of Senusret II. Saqqara or Sakkara, Saqqarah ( Arabic: سقارة is a vast ancient burial ground in Egypt, featuring the world's oldest standing Step The start in the rock-cut offering chamber, leading from the tomb, on the south, immediately revealed in the turnover of the six inches of debris, the Golden Uraeus, crown ornament.

Prior to the 1922 find of Tutankhamun's tomb, this Golden Uraeus was the only ornament ever known to be worn by an entombed pharaoh and it was thought that it was passed to the next pharaoh.

The Golden Uraeus is of solid gold, 6. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 7 cm, black eyes of granite, a snake head of deep "ultramarine" lapis lazuli, the flared cobra hood of dark carnelian inlays, and also inlays of turquoise. Granite (ˈɡrænɪt is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, Felsic, igneous rock. Carnelian, sometimes spelled cornelian, is a red or reddish-brown variant of Chalcedony. For mounting on the pharaoh's crown, two loops in the rear-supporting tail of the cobra, provide the attachment points. Pharaoh is the title given in modern parlance to the ancient Egyptian kings of all periods See Reeves Ref, pg. 157 (1920). Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar See Hagen Ref, pg. 202.

Uraeus, as a hieroglyph

Beside the Uraeus being used as an ornament for "Statuary", or as an adornment on the pharaoh, it also was used for jewelery and in amulets. Jewellery (also spelled jewelry, see spelling differences) is a personal Ornament, such as a necklace ring or bracelet made from Gemstones An amulet ( the Elder|Pliny]] meaning "an object that protects a person from trouble" a close cousin of the talisman (from Arabic However another important use is as the Hieroglyph. Egyptian hieroglyphs (ˈhaɪərəʊɡlɪf from Greek grc-Grek ἱερογλύφος " sacred carving " also hieroglyphic = grc-Grek

• For Uraeus ornament as a mummy grave example, See: Djedptahiufankh, "High Priest" of 21st Dynasty, Shoshenq I. A mummy is a Corpse whose Skin and Flesh have been preserved by either intentional or Incidental exposure to Chemicals extreme Grave goods, in Archaeology and Anthropology, are the items buried along with the body Djedptahiufankh served as the Third or Fourth Prophet of Amun and was the husband of Nestanebtishru during the reign of pharaoh Shoshenq I, founder of the 22nd Dynasty Hedjkheperre Setepenre Shoshenq I ( Egyptian ššnq) also known as Shishak, Sheshonk or Sheshonq I (for discussion of the spelling

The simplest hieroglyph is the "Cobra" (the Uraeus), however there are subcategories, referring to: a goddess, a priestess, the goddess Menhit, the shrine of the goddess (àter), the goddess Isis, and lastly goddess: (Cobra (uraeus) at base of deity (ntr)). In Egyptian mythology, Menhit (also spelt Menchit) was originally a foreign War goddess

The Rosetta Stone uses the plural of the last example, "3 x "god flag" with Cobra at each base of flag". The Rosetta Stone is an Ancient Egyptian artifact (حجر رشيد in Arabic which was instrumental in advancing modern understanding of hieroglyphic writing Ancient Egyptian religion was Polytheistic and often Zoomorphic. The story of the Rosetta Stone has the king (the priests of the king), listing his reasons for being honored, and in return, "The Gods and Goddesses (plural)" reward him. The last (2/3) of the Rosetta Stone relates how he will be honored, including erecting the Rosetta Stone, for all to read.

Another example of the hieroglyph usage, is as adornments upon the hieroglyph for "shrine", and also for buildings. Egyptian hieroglyphs (ˈhaɪərəʊɡlɪf from Greek grc-Grek ἱερογλύφος " sacred carving " also hieroglyphic = grc-Grek See the Budge Ref.

See also

• Wadjet
• Serpent symbolism
• Nekhbet

References

• Budge, Sir E.A.Wallis. In Egyptian mythology, Wadjet, which means the Green One ( Egyptian egy w3ḏyt; also spelt Wadjit or Wedjet Serpent is a word of Latin origin (from serpens serpentis "something that creeps snake" that is commonly used in a specifically mythic or In Egyptian mythology, Nekhbet (also spelt Nechbet, and Nekhebit) was an early Predynastic, local Goddess who was the patron of the Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge ( July 27, 1857 &ndash November 23, 1934) was an English Egyptologist, An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, in Two Volumes, Sir E. A. Wallis Budge, (Dover Publications, Inc, New York), c 1920, Dover Edition, c 1978. (Large categorized listings of Hieroglyphs, Vol 1, pp xcvii-cxlvii (97-147, 50 pgs. )
• Hagen, R. Hagen, R. Egypt; People, Gods, Pharaohs, Rose-Marie & Rainer Hagen, (Barnes and Noble Books, New York), c 2003, (originally: Taschen, GmbH, Koln), c 2003, 1999, pg 202.
• Reeves, Nicholas. Ancient Egypt, The Great Discoveries, a Year-by-Year Chronicle, Nicholas Reeves, (Thames and Hudson Ltd, London), c 2000. See 1920, The Golden Uraeus of Sesostris II from el-Lahun, pg. 157.