Wadjet

Wadjet, also written Uaḏjet or Wadjit, is one of the oldest deities in ancient Egyptian religion. She is the goddess of protection and of Lower Egypt, typically depicted as a cobra or as a woman with a cobra head. The name is often translated as “the green one,” and Wadjet is closely linked with the uraeus, the protective cobra that appears on the pharaoh’s crown.

As a guardian of the king and the land, Wadjet was central to royal protection. Alongside Nekhbet, the vulture goddess of Upper Egypt, she symbolized the unity of the two lands. The uraeus representing Wadjet on the pharaoh’s crown was believed to ward off dangers and legitimize royal authority. In myth, Wadjet is associated with the Eye of Wadjet, a powerful protective force often connected with the Eye of Ra or the Eye of Horus in different traditions.

Wadjet’ worship centers were in Per-Wadjet (the ancient city of Buto) in Lower Egypt, though her protective role extended throughout Egypt. She appears in various texts, including the Pyramid Texts and New Kingdom funerary and ritual literature, underscoring her function as a guardian deity and symbol of kingship.

In art and iconography, Wadjet is commonly shown as a cobra, sometimes linked with a human form bearing the uraeus. Her enduring legacy persists in studies of Egyptian religion and iconography, where she is recognized as a foundational figure in the protection of the realm.