Nekhbet Sightings
- The Southern Oracle 3400BC
At Nekheb, one of Egypt's two oldest cities (across the Nile from the other city, called Nekhen), Nekhbet had a temple where an oracle told people's fortunes. It's the oldest oracle we know of in Egypt, and is much older than similar oracle temples in Greece and Rome. Nekhbet herself, whose name means "She of the city of Nekheb," was so popular and easily recognized that her vulture symbol ended up as the first letter in the Egyptian hieroglyphic alphabet created during this time.
- The Big Vulture 3200BC - 2400BC
Nekheb (called El Kab today) was Egypt's largest city and its official capital, until the later city of Memphis (near modern Cairo) became the new capital. As many as 10,000 people lived in Nekheb—a huge city by ancient standards. Think Manhattan, but without any taxicabs.
- One of the Two Ladies 3200BC
Nekhbet's association with the White Crown of Upper (southern) Egypt paired her with Wadjet, the cobra goddess associated with Lower (northern) Egypt's Red Crown. Together, as the Two Ladies, they protected every pharaoh who wore both crowns, and sometimes appeared on the diadems or tiaras the pharaohs wore, as two cobra heads and/or a cobra head and a vulture head, respectively, like the beautiful one on the funeral mask of King Tutankhamun.
- Freebird 2400BC
As one sign of a king's divine favor, Nekhbet was shown flying behind him, carrying the ostrich-feather of Ma'at (the goddess of truth and justice and order). The most popular images of Nekhbet this way are flying free above a pharaoh's chariot. Sometimes, Horus takes her place (or just Horus's sacred eye, given Nekhbet's wings, weird as that is). But it's Nekhbet's job to get the king's back.
- Dancing on the Ceiling 2400BC
The inside ceiling (roof) of many ancient Egyptian temples, palaces, and tombs showed images of Nekhbet in vulture form. Her wings stretched out to protect everything beneath. If you see vultures painted on a ceiling, you know you're in a sacred place!
- Still Dancing on the Ceiling 1891
Even thousands of years after she stopped showing up on temple ceiling, Nekhbet's vulture sometimes gets added to Egyptian-style buildings. The ceiling at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria is painted to look like most of the ancient ceilings she appeared on. It keeps the mummies from getting homesick!
- Protecting a (sorta) royal? 1910
Nekhbet gets a new job! The Viscount of Llanteno built a beautiful tomb for himself in Madrid. It's called the Pantheon, and while it's got lots of Greek and Roman imagery, he was thoughtful enough to include Nekhbet on the outside walls! (Nekhbet closeups 1 and 2.)