Nehebkau
In
Egyptian mythology,
Nehebkau (also spelt
Nehebu-Kau, and
Neheb Ka) was originally the explanation of the cause of binding of
Ka and Ba after death. Thus his name, which means
(one who) brings together Ka. Since these aspects of the soul were said to bind after death, Nehebkau was said to have guarded the entrance to
Duat, the
underworld.
was one of the more important glyphs in his name, and although it was
technically a variation on the glyph for two arms raised in prayer, it
also resembles a
two-headed snake, and so Nehebkau became depicted in
art
as a snake with two heads (occasionally with only one). As a two-headed
snake, he was viewed as fierce, being able to attack from two
directions, and not having to fear as much confrontations. Consequently
sometimes it was said that
Atum,
the chief god in these areas, had to keep his finger on him to prevent
Nehebkau from getting out of control. Alternatively, in areas where
Ra
was the chief god, it was said that Nehebkau was one of the warriors
who protected Ra whilst he was in the underworld, during Ra's nightly
travel, as a sun god, under the earth.
When he was seen as a snake, he was also thought to have some power
over snake-bites, and by extension, other poisonous bites, such as those
of
scorpions, thus sometimes being identified as the son of
Serket,
the scorpion-goddess of protection against these things. Alternatively,
as a snake, since he was connected to an aspect of the soul, he was
sometimes seen as the son of
Renenutet, a snake-goddess, who distributed the
Ren, another aspect of the soul, and of the earth (
Geb), on which snakes crawl.
Ka is also the
Egyptian word for
sustenance, and is associated with spirit.
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