( Also Ernutet, Renenutet )
“Nurse”
“Mistress of the robes”(at Edfu)
In Egyptian mythology, Renenet is the goddess of the new year, the double granary and the coming of the fertile season after the long draughts. She is depicted as a hooded cobra, or, more often, a woman with the head of a cobra. This goddess represents the cyclical nature of time, and is often associated with motherhood (particularly the nurturing and raising of children). She is also the tutelary goddess of the pharaoh. Her gaze was said to have the power to defeat all enemies as well as ensure a bountiful harvest.
She is usually found in conjunction with Shai (fate). She invoked as a form of fate upon a newborn, giving the ren (soul name) which will define the child’s purpose from then on. The soul name also defines the personality and bestows fortune upon the newborn. In a similar vein, she offers gifts to her people as the earth itself, nurturing them with her bounty as she nurtures the young child with the ren.
She was associated with the magical properties believed to inhere in the linen bandages that wrapped the dead.
Sources:
http://www.kemet.org/glossary/renenet.html
http://www.angelfire.com/realm/shades/egypt/renenet.htm
http://www3.sympatico.ca/untangle/egyptian.html