Amulet in the form of a serpent decan with raised arms

This amulet depicts a hybrid supernatural being in the form of an upright serpent with raised human arms. First appearing in the Third Intermediate Period, this form of amulet and other similar representations of a snake with arms or legs have traditionally been identified as images of Nehebkau, an obscure deity associated with the judgment of the deceased in the Old Kingdom Pyramid Texts but better known as one of the forty-two underworld judges in chapter 125 of the Book of the Dead.

While Nehebkau’s name can be classified with a hieroglyphic sign depicting an extended serpent with arms, this amulet (and the others like it) are probably not representations of the deity, as this particular form of armed serpent—upright, with a tail curling upward and raised arms—has no known examples associated with the name Nehebkau. Instead, this form of serpent deity is found in association with the decans, a term used for special stars (or groups of stars) that ancient Egyptians used to divide up the night sky along the ecliptic (similar to the present-day zodiac but with thirty-six divisions instead of twelve). Each decan was associated with and represented by a divine being, and beginning in the Third Intermediate Period, the decanal deities began to be depicted in new forms, particularly as lion-headed humanoids or, as seen in this amulet, as snakes with various added limbs, including arms, legs, or wings. Given that the deities associated with the decans were seen and invoked as protective entities, this amulet likely would have been thought to protect its wearer.