Egyptian Gods
Ancient Egyptian Gods, Goddesses and Religion
Wadj-Wer
Picture: The god Wadj-Wer (at right), his body covered in symbolic waves, in a procession of deities bringing offering-hieroglyphs into the sanctuary of the mortuary temple of Sahure, Abusir, 5th dynasty. Egyptian Museum. Berlin. A Hapy-like fecundity figure whose name means 'the great green', Wadj-Wer was long believed to have personified the Mediterranean Sea, or the sea in general, but actually may have represented the large lakes and lagoons of the north Delta region. This conclusion is based on the fact that certain texts seem to describe the crossing of the 'great green' by foot - which could refer to travelling between nearly contiguous lakes - and some texts use the determinative sign for dry land rather than that for water in writing the term. In any event, the deity is attested as early as the Old Kingdom in the mortuary temple of the Pyramid of Sahure at Abusir, where he is depicted with water line across his body along with other 'fecundity figures', and it is clear the he represents the rich yield of the area he represents. The god's protective underworld role also meant that he appears in the New Kingdom royal tombs, and he is clearly depicted in the monument Ramesses III made in the Valley of the Queens for his son Amenherkhepeshef. The Egyptian god seems to have been represented in amulets, but these may also represent the combined Ptah-Tatenen.
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
|