Wepwawet
Wepwawet means 'opener of the ways' and he is the jackal — or, to the Greeks, wolf — god of Asyut in Upper Egypt, shown on the first standard of the royal procession and at the prow of the sun barque, clearing the road for the king and for Ra.
Wepwawet is a genuine ancient god with a long cult at Asyut, but almost no narrative myth survives: he is known from standards, titles, processions and the 'opening of the way' formulae, and the animal is variously translated jackal, wolf and dog — the Greek name of his city, Lycopolis, is a Greek reading of an Egyptian animal they took for a wolf. Greek sources render him Ophois, and in the later periods he is assimilated to Anubis. The planetary, zodiac, tarot and sabbat correspondences here are a modern Western overlay with no ancient Egyptian basis; the Egyptian sources themselves work with decans, nome cults and festival calendars, not with planets or zodiac signs.
Correspondences
- Planetary Correspondence
- Mercury
- Zodiac Affinity
- AriesGeminiSagittarius
Offerings
- Offerings
- IncenseBreadBeerThe first step of a journeyClearing an actual pathStanding at the front
Sacred timing
Symbols and forms
- Alternate Names
- UpuautWep-wawetOphoisThe Opener of the Ways
- Gender Expression
- Masculine
- Titles
- The Opener of the WaysLord of AsyutThe ScoutForemost of the Divine BarqueHe Who Goes Before the King
- Symbols
- StandardJackalMaceBowThe open road
Practice
- Invocation Approach
- ToneBrisk and formalAddressWepwawetOpener of the WaysForemostRelationshipThe scout who walks aheadWarningHe opens the road he does not promise the road is safeResonanceThose beginning travel those at a gateway
- Modern Practice
Wepwawet is called at the beginning of things that need a road: journeys, new work, the first step out of a stalled position, and at funerals. The practice is literal — clear a path, make the first move, and let the god walk in front rather than asking him to carry you.
Nature and meaning
- Domain
- Opening the wayRoadsBordersWarScoutingFunerary ritesThe vanguardThe guidance of the deadThe standard
- Mythology Summary
Wepwawet means 'opener of the ways' and he is the jackal — or, to the Greeks, wolf — god of Asyut in Upper Egypt, shown on the first standard of the royal procession and at the prow of the sun barque, clearing the road for the king and for Ra. In the Osiris mysteries at Abydos he goes before the god, and that role in the funeral procession makes him a guide of the dead as well as a scout for the living. An inscription in the Sinai records that he 'opens the way' for King Sekhemkhet's victory, and his standard led the procession in life and in the funeral.
Details
- Correspondences
- ColorsWhiteGreyRedScentsFrankincense boswellia carteriiJuniperCedarMetalsIronSilverAnimalsJackalWolfDog
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