Aset behind Wesir, Abydos.
Image courtesy J. Whitfield
Relief at Abydos

Although her original appearance shows her with the hieroglyph of a throne above her head, Aset is sometimes depicted wearing the double-crown of Egypt and at times the Feather of Ma´at. She is also seen with the vulture headdress with a uraeus, in her role as Queen. She can carry a was scepter or a papyrus scepter.

More often she is seen wearing the solar disc surrounded by two cows horns and a uraeus. This began in the 18th Dynasty when she was merging with Het-Hert to a large degree. They are depicted very similarly and often the only way of differing these two Names of Netjer is by looking at their respective hieroglyphs. Sometimes you can tell by the difference in how they are dressed. While HetHert usually wears a tight-fitting dress of a single color, Aset's dress invariably wears a dress with a feather pattern, or so called 'rishi'-pattern.

She is often shown as an ordinary woman, wearing a woman´s headdress and with only the uraeus around her head. There are also depictions of her either in anthropomorphic form with wings along the length of her arms or in the form of a kite with two outstretched wings.

She can hold various symbols in her hand; either an ankh sign, the menat necklace or sistrum, these two she acquired from HetHert, or a papyrus or was staff. Sometimes she is seen kneeling on the sign for gold, with her hands on a shen ring, or holding her hands, palm towards her face in the traditional mourning position.

Statuettes of her holding a young Heru (Horus) are also frequent, especially in the Greek and Roman Period. It is also from this period that statuettes of her are seen in flowing, Roman or Greek clothes.