Wepwawet |
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In Egyptian mythology, Wepwawet ("opener of the ways"; also Upuaut, Wep-wawet, Ophois), the son of Isis, is a jackal-god of death and war, worshipped especially in Asyut (Siut). He was supposed to have opened the ways for the armies of the Pharaohs as well as the spirits of the dead. He is depicted on the shedshed, a standard that led armies to battle. Wepwawet originated in Upper Egypt, as the patron deity of the 13th nome (Lycopolis), but symbolizes the unity of Upper and Lower Egypt.
Like Anubis, Wepwawet was a funerary deity, and was one of the earliest of the gods worshipped. This god led warriors to victory, watched over the dead, and was a champion of royalty. He also accompanied the king while hunting and while in this capacity was called "the One With the Sharp Arrow Who is More Powerful Than the Gods." He was often an integral part of the royal unification rituals.
Wepwawet was pictured as a man dressed as a solider with the head of a wolf or jackal with grey, white, or brown fur, carrying a mace and bow, or as a wolf/jackal. On rare occasions he was depicted as a man with the head of a rabbit. Sometimes Wepwawet was considered to be the son of Wadjet.
Originally, Osiris was the god of death, the cemetery and the underworld, but with the rise of the 12th Dynasty he was limited to the underworld and Wepwawet took over his duties as funerary god. Eventually, the mythology of Wepwawet was absorbed into that of the god Anubis.
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