The Uraeus is a winged serpent, primally depicted as an erect cobra in iconography, from ancient Egyptian mythology that is associated with royalty and the winged cobra goddess Wadjet. The word is Greek in origin and probably comes from Egyptian iaret or "the one who rears up"
Symbolism[]
The uraeus symbolizes the goddess Wadjet and all other serpent deities, the former of whom is one of the divine protectors of the pharaoh with the uraeus being adorned on royal headdresses and iconography.[1] Anyone who bore the Ureaus symbol was protected by the being, the serpent attacking anyone who went after the wearer through spitting fire or poison at them.[2]
Mythology[]
In mythology, the uraeus is said to protect the pharaoh by spitting fire onto his enemies. The serpent may also possess human appendages or even a human head depending on the situation as appearing in iconography. [3] According to myth, the first ureaus was the Solar Eye of Atum-Ra, Atum-Ra's first daughter. After the Solar Eye had returned from a mission to retrieve Atum-Ra's lost children and saw the god had replaced her with a new daughter, the Glorius One, the goddess became enraged to the point of tears, these tears according to this myth resulting in the creation of the first humans. To calm his daughter, Atum-Ra transformed her into the first ureaus and placed her on top of his head alongside the Glorius One, his daughter having reign over the majority of deities.[2]
Wadjet[]
Wadjet depicted as a winged cobra found in the Tomb of Nefertari, shown above Anubis
Wadjet (otherwise known as Wadjyt, Ouadjet, or Uto) is a winged cobra goddess who represented the intense power of the Eye of Ra and was so a light diety. Wadjet was one of the dual members of the Two Ladies alongside the vulture goddess Nekhbet, the two being the divine protecters of the pharaoh alongside the Two Lords, Horus and Seth. Wadjet and Nekhbet also represent Lower and Upper Egypt respectively, with the two representing the unity between them thanks to the pharaoh's divine kingship. In iconography, Wadjet was represented as the erect cobra on the pharoah's headdress or crown.[1]
Similar Creatures[]
The uraeus is similar to and likely the owed inspiration for the depiction of the fiery serpents that appear and confronts Moses and the Israelites in the Book of Numbers in the Old Testament.[3] The uraeus is also compared to by modern authors, and may have been the inspiration for, the basilisk as seen in Pliny the Elder's account of the creature.[4]
See Also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Geraldine Pinch (2002) Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt Oxford University Press pp.199-200, 211-213, 231
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Circle of the Dragon - Uraeus/Uraeon
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Karen Randolph Jones (December 1967) Winged Serpents in Isiah's Inaugural Vison Journal of Biblical Literature Vol. 86 No.4 pp.410-415 https://www.jstor.org/stable/3262795
- ↑ R. McN Alexander (October 1963) The Evolution of the Basilisk Greece and Rome Vol. 10 No. 2 pp.170-181 https://www.jstor.org/stable/642817