Neheb-Kau

**Neheb-Kau**

**Other Names:**

Nehebkau


 * Meaning of Name:**

“He Who Unites the //Kas// (Souls).” His name comes from the ancient Egyptian word for “yoke together” or “unite” (//nhb//), with the word for the plural of a part of the spirit, the Ka.


 * Family:**

Neheb-Kau was thought to be the son of Geb and Renenutet (as well as her husband.) Sometimes he was considered to be the son-husband of Selket, or the husband of Nehemtawy.

A benevolent snake god, Neheb-Kau was invoked to protect against serpents and scorpions. He was thought to have gained his great power by swallowing seven cobras, becoming immune to water, fire, and harmful magic. Neheb-Kau was linked to the sun god, swimming around in the primordial waters before creation. He was believed to be immortal and to reside in the Primordial Ocean, Nun.

After death, Neheb-Kau protected the pharaoh, and offered containers of food and the “Milk of Light” to the deceased. He also accompanied Ra during his voyage through the Duat. Legend has it the Ra tamed Neheb-Kau and made him his servant. His image often appeared on divine thrones, and protective amulets of Neheb-Kau, made from faience and bronze, were highly popular. He was prayed to for relief from snakebite, and was also associated with fertility and the growing of barley.

Described as a “great serpent, multitudinous of coils,” Neheb-Kau was pictured as a large constricting snake, sometimes with falcon wings, or as a serpent with human arms and legs, wearing the Atef Crown, White Crown, or the Two Feathers Crown and a pharaoh's beard. Less often, Neheb-Kau was shown as a snake-headed man or as a two-headed snake, with a head at each end of his reptilian body.

Egyptian Deities - N