BUTO, the Cobra Goddess

BUTO, the Cobra Goddess, ©  February 16, 2009 by Donna L. Faber.  The original is 8 x 10 and done in pen & ink on Strathmore Smooth Bristol paper, then cut out and mounted on black textured paper. The highlights are done in silver metallic ink, just a tiny bit of colored pencil was used.  

I have so many past life memories from Ancient Egypt that it sounds contrived. But trust me, they're real. The cells don't lie.  I did this piece just before I did Gregor.  Here, I first experimented with the scaling technique that would eventually be all over my dragon.  This piece also signifies a re-emergence of my art, after a period of dormancy.

This information about Buto was swiped from the internet.  All credit goes to the author, but I can't remember where I got it.  If it's yours, please write me and do most certainly let me know.

Buto
(Uatchit, Udjat, Wadjit, Edjo)

Buto was a cobra-goddess whose original home and cult center was in the Delta of the Nile at Per-Uatchit. In time she became a prominent protectress of all of Lower Egypt. As such she was routinely connected to the goddess of Upper Egypt, Nekhebet. Together, they appeared in many pieces of art as symbols of the Two Lands, a united Egypt.

Buto did not just protect Egypt, she also was an aggressive defender of the king. She was portrayed as the uraeus cobra first worn on the brow of Re, and later the pharaohs'. Her hood is spread in a threatening position and she is ready to spit poison on all of the pharaoh's enemies or burn them with her fiery glare. It is thought perhaps that her powers could be used against the pharaoh as well. Her bite may have been the deadly device used by Anubis at the appointed time of the pharaoh's death.

Buto was a personification of the sun's burning heat and she was called the "Lady of Heaven" and the queen of all of the gods. She was closely associated with Horus the Elder, who was the protector god of Lower Egypt. Also she was associated with Harpokrates (Horus the Younger); she protected him from Seth in the marshes of the Delta while Isis was searching for the body of Osiris. 

BUTO, the Cobra Goddess, ©  February 16, 2009 by Donna L. Faber.  The original is 8 x 10 and done in pen & ink on Strathmore Smooth Bristol paper, then cut out and mounted on black textured paper. The highlights are done in silver metallic ink, just a tiny bit of colored pencil was used.  This original art is available for purchase. Please contact the artist directly for pricing and information.

Print Sizes

5" x 7" $20.00 8" x 10" $30.00