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| Goddess Werethekau name |
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| Goddess Werethekau from Luxor temple |
Goddess Werethekau was a cobra or lioness Goddess, shielder of the pharaoh. Her name agency Great of
Magic which as an name ofttimes follows the names of leading goddesses such as
goddess Hathor,
goddess Isis, goddess Mut, goddess Pakhet or Sakhmet. In the Pyramid Texts, the style Great of Magic is besides given to the Crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt.
As an clear deity, Werethekau occurs in reliefs and inscriptions of the
New Kingdom. On the Eighth Pylon of the
Temple of Amun at
Karnak, Werethekau with the head of a lioness accompanies the king Thutmose III (
18th Dynasty) in the advance of the spiritual boat conducted the priests shoulder joints. The most enjoyable histrionics of the lioness goddess are on the interior northern wall of the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak where she gives the pharaoh Sety I (
19th Dynasty) with the symbol of the jubilee fete. On the small Golden shrine described in the tomb of King
Tutankhamun (18th Dynasty) the name of the king, and that of his queen Ankhesenamun, is often united to Werethekau, sometimes named Mistress of the Palace. In the shrine itself was an amulet showing Werethekau as a cobra-goddess, with a human head and arms, breastfeeding Tutankhamun. Her familiarity to royalty is particularly tried on the inscription on the pair statue of the king Horemheb (18th Dynasty) and his queen Mutnodjmet, nowadays in Turin Museum. The inscription describes how during Horemhebs coronation ceremonial in the
Temple of Karnak, Werethekau addresses the new pharaoh and constitutes herself as the Uraeus on his brow. In the Graeco-Roman Era Werethekau takes part in the mourning rituals depicted on the walls of the
Osiris chapel on the roof of the Temple of Philae.
