wadjet goddess

Wadjet is the one of the oldest deities of ancient Egypt – her following date back as far as the pre-dynastic period. Originally, she is local deity in the area of Per-Wadjet (now Buto).However, over the years; her functions have changed and her responsibility grew as the patron goddess of Lower Egypt. Later on, she became the personification of the whole Lower Egypt. Together with Nekhbet (her twin Sister and representation of Upper Egypt), they are combined as one Egypt and are found in the crown of the Pharaoh’s “nebty” name signifying his rule over the two lands. Her name may also be spelled as Uadjet, Ua Zit, Wadjit, or Wedjet and in Greek as Edjo, Udjo, Uto and Buto, that roughly translates into “the green one” or “the papyrus-colored one” presumably the because of the green shade of the skin of the cobra.
She is often depicted as a woman wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt. She may also be seen as a woman with the head of a cobra, a winged cobra or a woman with the head of a lion. She may also be depicted as a rearing cobra ready to strike symbolic of her protective functions of the pharaoh. Nekhbet and Wadjet form the uraeus (two cobras around the sun disc) in the crown of the pharaoh – a unification emblem and royal insignia of the whole Egypt.
Her sacred animals include the cobra, ichneumon ( a mongoose-like animal), and shrew (tiny mice). The two latter animals were sacred to Horus. In fact, during the Late Period, Egyptians mummified them together inside the Wadjet statuettes. The ichneumon represented day and the Shrew represented night according to traditional Egyptian beliefs.
Wadjet is highly revered all throughout Egypt but her cult centers are found in the twin ancient towns of Pe and Dep where Buto was found. Her temples were created as far back as the old kingdom – a testament to her ancient roots.

image source:
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-wadjet-the-goddess-cobra-egyptian-ptolemaic-collection-louvre-museum-135053300.html