A staff with a stylized animal head on top and a forked end. As a symbol of power it is carried by many of the gods, who in numerous representations pass it on to the king, often with other emblems such as the ankh-sign and the djed-pillar. 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 known as an amulet. The Egyptians perceived the sky as being supported on four pillars, which could have the shape of was-sceptres. The 'was'-sceptre is also the symbol of the fourth Upper Egyptian nome, the nome of Thebes (called 'Waset' in Egyptian).