Editing Wepwawet

{{short description|Ancient Egyptian god of war}}
{{for|the Great Pyramid exploration project|The Upuaut Project}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Egyptian
| name = Wepwawet
| image = Wepwawet standing.svg
| caption = Wepwawet, the opener of ways. Wepwawet is depicted as a white or grayish haired wolf or jackal in the [[Temple of Seti I (Abydos)|Temple of Seti I]].
| cult_center = [[Asyut|Lycopolis]], [[Abydos, Egypt|Abydos]]
| symbol = Wolf, Jackal, the [[mace (bludgeon)|mace]], bow and arrows.
| image_upright = .6
| animals = Wolves
| hiero = <hiero>wp-N31:t*Z2-E18</hiero>
| god_of = {{unbulleted list|God of war, royalty, and funerary rites}}
}}
{{Ancient Egyptian religion}}
In [[Egyptian mythology]], '''Wepwawet''' ([[hieroglyphic]] ''wp-w3w.t''; also rendered '''Upuaut''', '''Wep-wawet''', '''Wepawet''', '''Apuat''', and '''Ophois''') was originally a jackal deity of funerary rites, war, and royalty, whose [[cult (religious practice)|cult]] centre was [[Asyut]] in [[Upper Egypt]] (Lycopolis in the [[Egypt (Roman province)|Greco-Roman period]]). His name means ''opener of the ways'' and he is often depicted as a wolf standing at the prow of a solar-boat. Some interpret that Wepwawet was seen as a [[Reconnaissance|scout]], going out to clear routes for the army to proceed forward.<ref>Pat Remler, ''Egyptian Mythology A to Z: A Young Readers Companion'', Facts on File Inc., 2000. p. 170 Note: Remler's reference only states that Wepwawet's name means 'Opener of the ways'.</ref> One inscription from the [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]] states that Wepwawet "opens the way" to king [[Sekhemkhet]]'s victory.<ref name="Remler, p.170">Remler, p.170</ref> In royal and religious processions, Wepwawet was often depicted on the first standard, opening the way for subsequent standards. He also stands at the prow of the Barque of [[Ra]], usually in human-headed form.

Wepwawet originally was seen as a jackal, or, according to some, a wolf deity, with his cult center being at the ''[[Asyut|Lycopolis]]'', (meaning ''city of wolves'' in Greek). He is one of the earliest Egyptian Gods on record. Wepwawet was heavily seen in association with royalty and the Pharaoh (''My face is that of Wepwawet'', Pyramid Texts), symbolizing and protecting their rise to power, accompanying them on hunts (in which capacity he was titled ''[one with] sharp arrows more powerful than the [[Egyptian pantheon|gods]] alone)'' or in the pharaoh's ascent to the Duat, or afterlife.<ref>{{Cite book |last=DuQuesne |first=Terence |title=Jackal at the Shaman's Gate |publisher=Darengo Publications |year=1991 |isbn=1-871266-14-9 |pages=12 |quote=You will ascend towards towards the sky as Horus, Upon the celestial sledge of the Opener of the Ways" [Pyramid Texts §§796-799 (Sethe)]}}</ref>

Over time, the connection to war and thus to [[death]] led to Wepwawet also being seen as one who opened the ways to, and through, [[Duat]], for the spirits of the dead. Through this, Wepwawet became associated with [[Anubis]], a deity that was worshiped in Asyut, eventually being considered his brother. 

The Pyramid Texts state that Wepwawet was born in the Peru-nu, the sacred shrine of the goddess Wadjet, while an alternative myth suggests he emerged from a tamarisk bush. Consequently, Wepwawet is often confused with Anubis.<ref name="Remler, p.170" /> This deity appears in the [[Temple]] of [[Seti I]] at Abydos.<ref name="Remler, p.170" />

In [[Art of ancient Egypt|Egyptian art]], Wepwawet was depicted as a black jackal, or as a man with the head of a jackal. In the temple of Seti I at Abydos, Wepwawet appears to have grey-colored fur, though this is likely due to loss of pigmentation, as elsewhere in the temple, black paint is almost entirely faded. In rare cases, he appears in fully human form.

He was sometimes depicted dressed as a soldier, as well as carrying other military equipment&mdash;a [[mace (bludgeon)|mace]] and a [[bow (weapon)|bow]].

For what generally is considered to be lauding purposes of the pharaohs, a later [[mythology|myth]] briefly was circulated claiming that Wepwawet was born at the sanctuary of [[Wadjet]], the sacred site for the oldest goddess of Lower Egypt that is located in the heart of [[Lower Egypt]]. Consequently, Wepwawet, who had hitherto been the standard of Upper Egypt alone, formed an integral part of royal rituals, symbolizing the unification of Egypt.

In later [[Pyramid Texts]], Wepwawet is called "[[Ra]]" who has gone up from the horizon, perhaps as the "opener" of the sky.<ref name="Remler, p.170" /> In the later Egyptian funerary context, Wepwawet assists at the [[Opening of the mouth ceremony]] and guides the deceased into the [[Book of the Netherworld|netherworld]].<ref name="Remler, p.170" />

== Etymology ==
In [[Egyptian hieroglyphs]], Wepwawet's name is rendered as ''wp-wꜣwt'', and translates from the [[Egyptian language]] as "opener of ways," with ''wpj'' meaning "to open/split" and ''wꜣwt'' being the direct genitive construction of the plural of ''wꜣt'', meaning "road."  

Though there are several ways to write Wepwawet's name in hieroglyphs, similarly to other gods such as [[Horus]], Wepwawet has a unique hieroglyph specific to him which resembles a jackal on a standard (𓃧). The hieroglyph which respresents Wepwawet resembles similar ones used for Anubis (𓃣, 𓃢) due to their association with one another.

==In popular culture==
In ''[[Crusader Kings III]]'', God Wepwawet is the supreme deity of the Kordofan faith.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ck3.paradoxwikis.com/Religion | title=Religion - CK3 Wiki }}</ref>

Wepwawet is the personal god or totem of Thu, the main character in the ''Lady of the Reeds'' books by Canadian author [[Pauline Gedge]] (House of Dreams, 1994; and House of Illusions, 1996).

==Animal origin==
[[File:Amulet of Anubis on his Shrine MET 04.18.12 8 9.jpg|thumb|Jackal amulets in the form of Wepwawet]]
While we do not know for certain the exact species of animal represented by the Ancient Egyptian ''sꜢb'' / sAb animal (''Jackal''), the [[African wolf]] (''Canis lupaster'') was one species thought to depict and the template of numerous Ancient Egyptian deities, including Wepwawet.<ref>{{cite book |author=Remler, P. |title=Egyptian Mythology, A to Z |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2010 |isbn=978-1438131801 |location= |page=99 |chapter= |chapter-url=}}</ref> Other species theorized include the [[black-backed jackal]] also called the silver-backed Jackal (''C. mesomelas'' or ''Lupulella mesomelas'') and [[golden jackal]] or [[Asiatic jackal]] (''Canis aureus'').

The [[Egyptian jackal]] was listed as a subspecies of the [[golden jackal]] but molecular and [[osteology|osteological]] data has established that it is a unique species in its own right. It is native to Egypt, [[Libya]], and [[Ethiopia]], though its post-[[Pleistocene]] range once encompassed the [[Palestine region]].

Inter-breeding between species also cannot be ruled out, and it has been posited that a species sharing the characteristics of both African jackal and wolf species could be the missing link, such as the combination of ''C. aureas'' and ''C. lupus lupaster'' appearing as ''[[Egyptian wolf|Canis aureus lupaster]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pouls Wegner |first=Mary-Ann |title=Wepwawet in Context: A Reconsideration of the Jackal Deity and Its Role in the Spatial Organization of the North Abydos Landscape |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27801611 |journal=Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt|date=2007 |volume=43 |pages=139–150 |jstor=27801611 }}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery class="center">
File:AbydosSethosCh-191.jpg|Wepwawet giving scepters to [[Seti I]], bas-relief from the Temple of Seti I. Nearby hieroglyphs and elements which are usually painted black also appear grey.
File:Painted Relief of Seti I with Wepwawet ... (35875692304).jpg|Painted Relief of Seti I embraced by Wepwawet. Nearby hieroglyphs and elements, e.g. the pupils of the eyes, which are usually painted black, also appear grey or white. 
File:IvoryLabelOfDen-BritishMuseum-August19-08.jpg|Ivory label depicting the pharaoh [[Den (pharaoh)|Den]], found at his tomb in [[Abydos, Egypt|Abydos]], c. 3000 BCE. Wepwawet is at the upper right atop a standard.
File:Wepwawet, 664–332 B.C.E.,16.580.168.jpg|Figure depicting Wepwawet, 664–332 BCE, [[Brooklyn Museum]]
File:Wepwawetemsaf.png|Sketch of a stela depicting pharaoh [[Wepwawetemsaf]] standing before Wepwawet, c. 17th century BCE.
File:SFEC-MEDINETHABU-2009-11-14-0148-d.jpg|[[Ramesses III]] before Wepwawet in a relief from [[Medinet Habu (temple)|Medinet Habu]], c.
File:Isis and Wepwawet, god of Asyut,with the name of Siese,Overseer of the Two Granaries of Ramesses II MET DP310779.jpg|A statue of Wepwawet with the goddess [[Isis]]-[[Hathor]], which belonged to an official named [[Siese the Younger|Siese]] who worked under [[Ramesses II]]
File:Flickr - Nic's events - London - 14-15 Dec 2007 - 029.jpg|A figure of Wepwawet, [[British Museum]] 
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs]]
* [[List of wolves]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Ancient Egyptian religion footer|collapsed}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Egyptian death gods]]
[[Category:Hellenistic Egyptian deities]]
[[Category:War gods]]
[[Category:Underworld gods]]
[[Category:Animal gods]]
[[Category:Mythological canines]]
[[Category:Hunting gods]]

[[ca:Llista de personatges de la mitologia egípcia#W]]