Neith was the goddess of war and hunting, as her emblem clearly indicates: two crossed arrows on a shield. However, she is a much more complex deity than is generally known, as some ancient texts only hint at her true nature. In her usual representation, she is always presented as a fierce goddess, a human female wearing a red crown and wielding or sometimes even wielding a bow and arrow, in other cases a spear. In fact, the hieroglyphs of its name contain elements used by archers. With the shield symbol explained above, there are two bows (opposite), intersected by two arrows (usually attached to the bows). Its symbol has also been unified with the city of Sao.

This symbol was placed on the top of her head when depicted in Egyptian art, and in her form as a goddess of war, she was considered a maker of weapons for warriors and a guardian of their bodies at their death.