Weret Hekau was the name of an ancient Egyptian goddess associated with the protection of the sun god and was considered the wet nurse of the pharaohs. Because of this, and the fact the pharaonic succession was matrilineal, the mother of a future pharaoh was sometimes considered a personification of Weret Hekau.

Her name may be translated as "The Great One of Magics" and was referred to as ""She Who is Rich in Magic Spells." She is either depicted as goddess with a lion's head, or with a human head, the wings of an eagle, and a serpent body. She resembles a Seraph, but with only two wings instead of six. As the wife of Ra-Horakhty she is depicted with his solar disk on her head.

She may have been an alternate form of Isis rather than a separate goddess in her own right.

As a deity dedicated to protection, she often appeared on funerary objects, particularly weapons, to allow the decease to protect him or herself against the dangers of the underworld. She also was placed on ivory knives as a charm to protect pregnant and nursing mothers.

Notes

References

• Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, a 2006 Museum Exhibit, seen at the Field Museum, Chicago.
• Ancient Egypt Online article on Weret-hekau