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Egyptian deity of sky and death

Weneg

Weneg (also read as Uneg) was a sky and death deity of ancient Egyptian religion, believed to protect the earth and its inhabitants from the arrival of the 'great chaos'. He appears in the Pyramid Texts of the Sixth Dynasty, where he is linked with the deceased king himself.

The myth

In the spells of the Pyramid Texts, Weneg has a dual nature: he is both a death deity and the deceased king, who is addressed by his name. He is called 'Son of Ra', and the prayers ask that the king cross the sky alongside Ra in his celestial barque, just as Ra's follower once did. In one text, the dead king is presented as Weneg, son of Ra, who supports the sky, governs the earth and will judge the gods.

As a deity, Weneg is sparsely attested. In another spell from the same period he is identified with Shu, the god of the sky. The name also belongs to a king of the Second Dynasty, although his chronological position and length of reign remain uncertain.

Ancient sources: Pyramid Texts, spells of the Sixth Dynasty, where he is invoked as son of Ra.

Trivia

A play on the plant. In one of the spells, the king is called by the name Weneg and also by that of the wng plant, which is linked to the god's name.
A king with the same name. A king of the Second Dynasty bore the name Weneg, though it is not certain when he reigned or how long his reign lasted.

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