Western Waters 431battle against “Asiatic Sand-dwellers,” obviously BEDOU-
INSof the SINAI. He speaks of a site called “Gazelle’s
head,” unknown today. Weni, however, moved half of his
troops by ship and half of them by land, thus catching
the enemy between two separate forces. The ferried units
landed behind the enemy position.
This commander also led expeditions to NUBIA(mod-
ern Sudan), where he dug canals at the northern cataracts
of the Nile and built naval vessels out of acacia wood.
The ships and barges carried granite blocks for Pepi’s
pyramid. Weni’s tomb also contained a song about the
army returning in safety after defeating Egypt’s enemies.
Wenis See WENI.
Wenut She was a rabbit or hare goddess of Egypt, serv-
ing as a patroness of THEBES. She was the consort of UNU,
the hare god, and she was depicted in the totems of the
Theban nome and as part of the Wa sSCEPTER.
Wepemnofret(fl. 26th century B.C.E.) Royal prince of
the Fourth Dynasty
Wepemnofret was the son of KHUFU (Cheops; r.
2551–2528 B.C.E.) and an unnamed queen. He was not
the heir. A stela belonging to Wepemnofret was found in
a MASTABAof the Great Western Cemetery near the Great
PYRAMIDat GIZA. The stela was set into the walls of the
tomb.
Wepwawet (Wapuat) The wolf deity of Egypt,
depicted as well as a JACKAL, he became part of the cult of
ANUBISbut remained popular in some nomes. Wepwawet
was a friend of OSIRISand was revered as “the Opener of
the Ways,” a reference to the roads of the TUAT, or the
realms beyond the grave. In some traditions Wepwawet
piloted the sun boat of the god RÉas it traveled through
the chambers of the night. He also aided the dead on
their journeys to paradise. The cult centers for Wep-
wawet were at ASSIUTand in some NOMES. The gods
HORUSand SETjoined Wepwawet at Assiut, where the
three roamed the hills as wolves.
Wereret (Weret)(fl. 19th century B.C.E.) Royal woman
of the Twelfth Dynasty
The consort of SENWOSRET II(r. 1897–1878 B.C.E.), Wer-
eret was the daughter of AMENEMHET IIand probably the
mother of SENWOSRET III. She is mentioned in the KAHUN
PAPYRUS, and a fragment of her statue was discovered on
ELEPHANTINEIsland. Wereret was buried near the pyra-
mid of Senwosret III at DASHURin a limestone MASTABA
containing a red granite sarcophagus. An intact jewelry
cache was found in a tomb wall, and 50 large pieces and
7,000 beads were uncovered intact. This large collection
of pieces included rings, bracelets, amulets, scarabs, and
two god lions. A portion of Wereret’s mummified remains
that were vandalized by tomb robbers was recovered.Weret (Wer) An ancient Egyptian god of the sky,
referred to as “the Great One” in hymns and litanies, he
was identified with the cults of THOTHand HORUSin vari-
ous regions. The sun and the moon were traditionally
held to be his eyes, and on moonless nights he was
thought to be blind. In this blinded state Weret was the
protector of priest-physicians who treated diseases of the
eyes and the patron of blind musicians. In some reliefs he
was depicted as a harp-playing god.Weret-Imtes (1) (Weretyamtes)(fl. 24th century
B.C.E.) Royal woman of the Sixth Dynasty
She was a lesser-ranked wife of TETI(r. 2323–2291 B.C.E.)
and probably the mother of WERET-IMTES(2).Weret-Imtes (2)(fl. 23rd century B.C.E.) Royal woman
of the Sixth Dynasty
She was a lesser-ranked consort of PEPI I(r. 2289–2255
B.C.E.) who was charged with a harem revolt on behalf of
her son. She appears to have conspired to eliminate Pepi I
from the throne, by exiling him or murdering him. An
official named WENI, a military genius of that historical
period, was called upon to investigate the accused royal
woman alone. Weret-Imtes was obviously punished,
along with her son, but no record was given as to the
exact requirements of fulfilling justice in this matter.
Penalties for those who attacked the sacred person of the
pharaoh normally included death, disfigurement, and/or
exile into the desert wastes.Wersu (Worsu)(fl. 15th century B.C.E.)Mining official
of the Eighteenth Dynasty
Wersu served in the reign of AMENHOTEP II(1427–1401
B.C.E.) as the superintendent of the gold-mining opera-
tions in the southern domains and may have served as
viceroy of NUBIAas well. Statues of him and his wife were
discovered in KOPTOS.Westcar Papyrus This is a document treasured for
historical details about the Fourth Dynasty, particularly
the reign of KHUFU (Cheops; 2551–2528 B.C.E.), the
builder of the Great PYRAMID. The TALE OF KHUFU AND
THE MAGICIANSand a prophecy concerning SAHURÉ(r.
2458–2446 B.C.E.), KAKAI (Neferirkaré; r. 2446–2426
B.C.E.), and USERKHAF(r. 2465–2458 B.C.E.) are contained
in this papyrus. The papyrus is now in Berlin, Germany.Western Waters (Western River) This was a term
used to denote the Canopic branch of the Nile in the