In ancient Egypt, snake symbolism abounds, but what does it represent?

Somewhere, archived away in The British Museum is a green-tinged, oxygen-mottled cobra, fiercely raising its head in attack mode. Carved into it are ladder-like central vertebrae, and some circles, right around where the snake's heart and stomach would be, which look like an infinity symbol. The snake has a long tail and is simply described as 'magician's equipment'. But what would the 18th dynasty Egyptian magicians have used this strange object for?

There are many of these cobras in The British Museum. Collectively, this cobra shape is known as a uraeus. Uraeus were found everywhere in ancient Egypt, on furniture, amulets, paintings and almost always on the pharaoh's head. The uraeus is thought to represent sovereignty. But sovereignty over what? Perhaps over the land, the kingdom, the people and their enemies. Surely if you could command a deadly cobra to act upon your will, you would be considered very powerful. Ancient Egyptians, it seems, thought snakes were incredibly important.

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