Which cobra goddess was the protector of Lower Egypt?

Wadjet was the cobra goddess who protected Lower Egypt.

Wadjet began as the local goddess of Dep, or Buto, in the Nile Delta. Her name is associated with the papyrus plant, a defining symbol of Lower Egypt. In her most recognizable form, she appeared as a rearing Egyptian cobra, ready to strike anyone threatening the king or the land under her protection.

Her cobra image became the uraeus, the upright serpent worn on the royal crown and forehead of the pharaoh. The uraeus represented divine authority and supernatural defense, not merely decoration. Wadjet was also connected with the Eye of Ra and, in some traditions, the Eye of Horus, both powerful protective symbols.

Wadjet’s Upper Egyptian counterpart was Nekhbet, the vulture goddess. After Egypt’s unification, the two were called the “Two Ladies” and symbolized the union of Lower and Upper Egypt. This pairing is why Wadjet is sometimes mistaken for a general Egyptian protector, but her distinctive regional identity is Lower Egypt and the Delta.