Qebehsenuef (Qbḥ-sn.w⸗f) was the falcon-headed son of Horus, and protected the intestines of the deceased. He was in turn protected by the goddess Serket. It appears that his role was to refresh the dead person, and his name means literally “he who libates his siblings”. Horus commands him, “Come refresh my father; betake yourself to him in your name of Qebehsenuef. You have come that you may make coolness for him after you… “
Libation or bathing with cool water was a traditional form of worship in Ancient Egypt. There are many images of the pharaoh presenting libation to the gods. There is a sense of a dual function of cleansing and refreshing them.
After Set murdered Osiris he cut the body into pieces and scattered them around the Delta. This was anathema to the Egyptians and the service that Qebehsenuef gives to the dead is to reassemble their parts so they can be properly preserved. In Spell 151 of the Book of the Dead he is given the following words to say: “I am your son, Osiris, I have come to be your protection. I have united your bones for you, I have assembled your limbs for you. have brought you your heart, and placed it for you at its place in your body.”
Qebehsenuef was the guardian of the west.
