One of the most prominent gods of the Predynastic and Early Dynastic city of Nekhen was a falcon deity, Nekheny, or, as he was also known, "The Nekhenite". Whether the city was named after the god or vice versa is anyone's guess at this point and while the origins of the god are obscured by time, it does seem that Nekheny predated Horus in that region, at least within the city precincts. During the 1898 excavations of Nekhen, James Quibell unearthed a gold falcon head (produced during the 6th Dynasty) that probably represents the god Nekheny in some fashion - if not as Nekheny himself, then surely as "Horus the Nekhenite". "Horus the Nekhenite" was a composite deity, comprised of the combination of the gods Horus and Nekheny - a situation that is found quite often when researching the earlier gods of Egypt. As new gods became more prominent and their realm of influence increased, older deities - in many cases local gods - were assimiliated into these new counterparts.

There are no known details of the Cult of Nekheny or what rituals they observed, but the predynastic temple currently being excavated by Renee Friedman and her team does help to provide clues. On a general assumption, animals were sacrificed to the god as offerings and the king probably would have officiated during any major religious ceremonies. One interesting feature of the Temple of Nekheny is a proposed pole with crossbar that would have stood in the courtyard, possibly exhibiting an artistic rendition of the god Nekheny or, even more tantalizing (though not supported) - could it possibly have been utilized as a resting perch for a more lively avatar of the god? Interestingly enough, one of the earliest hieroglyphic signs for 'netjer' was shown depicting a falcon, sometimes on a perch. The Temple at Nekhen is the only known Temple to this particular deity, however, that does not preclude that there weren't others within the realm of the Kings of Upper Egypt. Because of Nekhen's long time association with the religious cult of a falcon god (regardless of name) the Greeks came to call the city Hierakonpolis or "City of the Hawk".

In closing I find that I must ask at least one question that can stimulate the imagination (at least a little one would hope). Considering that the earliest kings of at least Upper Egypt originated from the area of Nekhen and would have actively participated in the Cult of Nekheny - is the falcon perched upon the serekhs of these earliest kings Horus or Nekheny? Should their names be read as (ie) Horus Ka or perhaps Nekheny Ka?