3. The Was Scepter “Symbol of Power”

It was an ancient Egyptian symbol of power and dominion of the god and the king in ancient Egyptian history and culture. The ancient Egyptians believed the sky was supported on four pillars in the shape of a Was specter. It is known as “Sculptor of the Earth” which presented the absolute meaning of completeness and totality. The staff is topped with the head of a canine which was developed in the time of king Djet (c. 3000 – 2990 BCE) of the first dynasty. Each god had his own specter-like Hathor, Isis, Ra, and many others. The god Ptah was able to combine the Anka, Djed, and the Was into his scepter, that was the only thing that fit his holiness. Since it was featured many times with set the god of chaos, the symbol was linked to the ideas of the desert and war. The concept of the scepter would chance ideas depending on who was carrying the staff as in the hands of Isis; It represented duality and fertility, In the hands of Hathor; it represented happiness, In the hands of Horus; it symbolizes the sky, and in the hands of Ra; It symbolizes rebirth.

Note: The Was Scepter is an ancient Egyptian symbol for power, authority, dominion, plus wealth, and happiness. In the hands of Ptah, the Was scepter was combined with the Ankh and the Djed for the sculptor of the earth.

In a funerary context the was sceptre was responsible for the well-being of the deceased and was thus sometimes included in the tomb-equipment or in the decoration of the tomb or coffin. The sceptre is also considered an amulet. The Egyptians perceived the sky as being supported on four pillars, which could have the shape of the was. This sceptre was also the symbol of the fourth Upper Egyptian nome, the nome of Thebes (called wꜣst in Egyptian). Was sceptres were depicted as being carried by gods, pharaohs, and priests. They commonly occur in paintings, drawings, and carvings of gods, and often parallel with emblems such as the ankh and the djed-pillar. Remnants of real was sceptres have been found. They are constructed of faience or wood, where the head and forked tail of the Set animal are visible. The earliest examples date to the First Dynasty.