The figure of the sacred serpent, an emblem of sovereignty depicted on the headdress of ancient Egyptian rulers and deities.

The cobra symbolized divine protection and Enlightenment.

The Uraeus (plural Uraei or Uraeuses, from the Greek ο?ρα?ος, from Egyptian j?r.t (iaret) "rearing cobra") is the stylized, upright form of an Egyptian spitting cobra (or snake / serpent / asp), used as a symbol of sovereignty, royalty, deity and divine authority in ancient Egypt.

According to the Story of Re, the first uraeus was created by the goddess Isis who formed it from the dust of the earth and the spittle of the sun-god. The uraeus was the instrument with which Isis gained the throne of Egypt for her husband Osiris.

The depicted Uraeus is the associated form of the goddess Wadjet, who was often depicted as a cobra. She became the patroness of the Delta, Lower Egypt, and so was worn by the Kings as a head ornament, in effect part of the crown, as a claim over the land. There is evidence for this even in the Old Kingdom (3rd millennium BC). The king was seen as a manifestation of the sun-god Re, and so it was also believed that the Uraeus protected the kings by spitting fire on their enemies. In some mythological works, the 'eyes' of Re are said to be uraei.

As the Uraeus was seen as a royal symbol, Horus and Set were also depicted wearing one.

Another name for this is the term "Totaf" found also in the Bible.

Originally the cobra appeared on the red crown of Lower Egypt. When the Two Lands were united, their two crowns were also united. The red crown combined with the white crown of Upper Egypt to become the double crown of the Kings and Queens of Egypt (living Neter/Gods and Neterts/Goddesses) with the uraeus /cobra sitting on the sixth seal/third eye of the crown; representing their divine affinity and ascension.

On an alchemical level, the Black Serpent embodies the lunar circuit; the feminine mystery of creation and is related to the Void, the source from which all things are created (matter) The Gold Serpent, the solar circuit embodies the male aspect of creation and is related to light (spirit).

Uraeus occurs when the sekhem (life force) is brought up the djed (sacred pathway of the chakras) and into the brain. The movement creates a snake like energy form, known in the re-defined younger Hindu tradition as kundalini.