Who is the Goddess Wadjet
Earlier, Egypt was divided into two parts that were Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. It was a situation during the pre-dynastic period. Wadjet was considered as the patron goddess of Lower Egypt. She was also the goddess of the eleventh month of the Egyptian calendar. There were some alternative names of Wadjet such as Uadjet, Wadjit, Ua Zit etc.
She was one of the oldest deities of ancient Egypt.She was thought to be the wife of Hapi, the god of the Nile in Lower Egypt. According to another mythology, she was also thought to be the wife of Ptah and the mother of Nefertem.
Iconography
Wadjet was often depicted in the animal form such as a winged cobra, a rearing cobra. She was also depicted as a combination of human and serpent in a form of a woman with the head of a cobra.
On the other hand, she was also depicted as a women wearing a red crown that represents the Lower Egypt where she was mainly worshipped. Sometimes she took the form of a lion-like Sekhmet.
By the later period, she became associated with ichneumon, a mongoose-like creature. This animal was believed to be an expert in killing snakes. Mummified ichneumon can be seen inside statuettes of Wadjet.
Another interesting iconographic depiction of Wadjet has to be noticed. That is the combine depiction of Wadjet with Bast, the war-like cat goddess. In this depiction, she has a head of a lion. Here both attributes of a lion and a cobra are shown. According to scholars, this iconographic depiction shows both her protective and fierce nature.
Wadjet Goddess of Protection
In spite of her aggressive nature, she was considered to give protection to all women during childbirth. During the period of 18th Dynasty, she started to be represented as a protector of royal women.
Myth of Papyrus
According to ancient Egyptian pyramid texts, the first papyrus plant was created by her. There are several archaeological evidences that show her association with papyrus. His name was used to be written using the glyph of a papyrus.
Glyph was a hieroglyphic symbol. On the other hand, papyrus was the heraldic plant of Lower Egypt. These are the clear indications that she was associated with papyrus plant.
Connection with “Eyes of Ra”
There is another ancient myth that helps to establish the important role of Wadjet in the creation of human being. It was believed that once upon a time, Tefnut, goddess of moisture and Shu, goddess of air were lost in the waters of Nun, goddess of primordial waters.
At that time Atum, the sun god sent his daughter, Wadjet as his eye to find his children Tefnut and Shu. When she became succeeded in returning them back, Atum became so happy that he started to cry and his tears formed first human beings.
On the other hand, Wadjet was rewarded by getting placed upon Atum’s head in a form of a cobra. While depicted in connection with “Eyes of Ra”, she is portrayed as a lioness, wearing the solar disc of Ra.
Two Ladies Nekhbet and Wadjet
During the phase of unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, she was put together in a pair with another famous goddess that was Nekhbet, the vulture goddess and the patron goddess of Upper Egypt. From that time, this pair came to be known as the ‘Two Ladies’.
According to ancient Egyptian texts, the ‘Two Ladies’ concept basically was an important symbolism that represents the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. In the depiction of ‘Two Ladies’, the wings of these two goddesses represent their protective nature towards the pharaohs of Egypt. It was believed that these goddesses came into being during the crowning of pharaohs.
Wadjet, along with Nekhbet often were depicted as the ‘Uraeus’ that is two cobras around the sun disc and placed in the crown of the pharaohs. This revealed the unified power of Egypt.
Association with Horus
Another myth shows her association with Horus, god of the sky. It was believed that when Horus was fighting with their enemies in a form of burning, winged disc, Both Nekhbet and Wadjet protected him by staying on each side of him.
She was also known as a protector of pharaohs from childhood until death. As a protector, she was known as “The August one, the mighty one”.
Cult Center of the Goddess
The main cult centre of Wadjet was located at Buto. There was a famous oracle of Wadjet at Buto. Several grand processions were held there in honour of him such as Feast of Wadjet, Festival of Wadjet, Month of Wadjet, Going Forth of Wadjet, Ceremony of Wadjet, Returning of the Wadjet: one of the “Eyes of Ra” etc.
Common people could not get permission to enter her temples but during these grand processions, the mass got chance to be its part and to ask their desirable questions addressing to the Goddess Wadjet. It is believed that this form of practice was later adopted by ancient Greeks.
By the time, Wadjet was absorbed into other deities as a part of development in religious belief. It was during the period of New Kingdom when Wadjet was totally absorbed by the powerful divine mother goddess, Mut.
