Nekhbet

From ArchaeoWiki

Nekhbet was the vulture goddess of the ancient Egyptian city of Nekheb (modern Elkab).

Function

From the Old Kingdom period onwards, Nekhbet was closely identified with the White Crown of Upper Egypt.

Iconography

Nekhbet was most frequently depicted as a vulture—specifically, Vultur auricularis, the Sociable Vulture, still quite prevalent in Upper Egypt. This avian form appeared with the deity's earliest depictions, the vulture goddess shown either standing in profile—one wing raised, the other lowered—or commonly with wings stretched out in frontal view, head and legs only shown in profile. The goddess in vulture form frequently clutches the shen symbol in one or more talons, or occasionally held close before her wings.

Nekhbet on occasion was given serpentine form as a vulture-winged cobra, by way of iconographic assimilation with the goddess' northern counterpart, the cobra goddess Wadjet. In the form of a serpent, Nekhbet is normally made to wear the White Crown of Upper Egypt in order to aid her identification and emphasise her regional identity.

Cult

A large cult sanctuary at Nekheb was dedicated to the worship of Nekhbet from earliest times, though very little has survived the passage of time.

Bibliography

• Dodson, Aidan [1996-1997], "El Kab, City of the Vulture-Goddess", KMT 4 (1996-1997), pp.60-68.

• Gardiner, Alan H. [1910], "The Goddess Nekhbet at the Jubilee Festival of Ramses III", ZÄS 48 (1910), pp.47-51.