Uræus
In the Egyptian antiquity, the uræus (pronunciation: |y.ʁe. 'ys}}) is the cobra female which has as a function to protect the Pharaon against his enemies. It is also a powerful goddess, mainly incarnated by Ouadjet (cobra of Bouto). The goddess Ouret-Hékaou (snake, or lioness) personifies it too.
In the Egyptian Mythology, the uræus is still the eye of Re (and his/her daughter), that is to say a solar goddess. One finds it most of the time represented on the cap of Pharaon of which it is one of the attributes. Generally drawn up on the face, the uræus can also multiplement decorate the royal crown and stringcourses (see the bust of Néfertiti, Ägyptisches Museum). It sometimes is represented engraved in relief on the walls of the funerary temples.
The term uræus is derived from the Greek
οὐραῖος
/ ouraĩos , “caudal”, via the Latin , but the Egyptian name is iaret (in traditional transcription: J ˁr.t ), “the drawn up cobra”:
On the Pharaonic caps, Ouadjet is often associated with the goddess vulture Nekhbet.
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