Three different uses for the nswt-bjtj group of signs are known.
First, they represented the highest level of command, for the king himself as well for his subjects.
Thus, every title of an official containing the nswt- or bjt signs gave the holder the highest executive authority.
Examples of such titles are sḏꜣwtj-bjtj and sḏꜣwtj-nswt.
Despite using the bjt and nswt group of signs, both titles actually mean "sealbearer of the king".
However, when used separately and in mere economic contexts, the titles could have a more specific meaning, for example sḏꜣwtj-bjtj can be read as "sealbearer of the king of Lower Egypt" and sḏꜣwtj-nswt as "seal bearer of the king of Upper Egypt".
A unique case seems to be the birth name of the Third Dynasty king Huni: his name contains the nswt crest beside the signs for ḥw  meaning "utterance" or "appointment" or ḥwj for "smiting" or "beating".

Secondly, both sign groups could be used either alone or together to designate the personal property of the pharaoh or an order of him.
The former usage is similar to that of the hieroglyph of the sitting falcon while an example of the latter is found in a rock inscription in Sinai dating to the Second Dynasty.
The inscription, which names the "administrator of the desert and general Ankhenity", further reads wpwt nswt meaning "[commissioned] by order of the nswt king".
A similar factum is found in words describing royal actions.
The word wḏ nswt, for example, means "royal decree".

A third symbolic and also practical meaning of nswt lies in its use to express and accentuate relationships in the royal family.
Originally the nswt crest expressed a direct blood link with the pharaoh, for example in the titles sꜣ-nswt for "son of the king" and mwt-nswt for "mother of the king".
At some point during the Fifth Dynasty however, the titles for son or daughter of the king became honorific and were given to high officials and courtiers alike.
Indirect kinships and mere acquaintances with the king were expressed with titles such as smr-nswt meaning "friend/courtier of the king" and rḫ-nswt for "favorite of the king".
This kind of expression dates back to the First Dynasty, with the titles mry nsw, "beloved of the king", and ꜥnḫ-mrr-nsw, "living for and beloved by the king", appearing during the reign of Djet.
Both titles are rare and might point to elite positions held by the title bearers.

Finally, similarly to the nswt crest, the bjt crest also expressed royal authority.
For example, a "seal-bearer of the bjt-king" was - alongside the direct relatives of the king - the only one allowed to touch, count and seal the personal possessions of the pharaoh.

When used single or combined together with other symbols, nswt and bjt received advanced meanings in Egyptian heraldry, especially when connected with administrative and/or economic institutions.
The sign group pr-nswt, for example, meaning "house of the king", represented the royal household and/or the palace of the king.

Semerkhet, the seventh ruler of the First Dynasty, introduced the famous Nebty name as a complementary counterpart to the nswt-bjtj crest.
Semerkhet's predecessor, Anedjib, had introduced the nbwj name as a heraldic emendation.
But nbwj (meaning "the two lords") seemed to include the wrong gender.
Semerkhet seemed to seek for a "female" crest and thus changed the nbwj name into the nbtj name, the crest of the "Two Ladies" (Nekhbet and Wadjet).
From Semerkhet to Nynetjer (the third ruler of the Second Dynasty), the nswt-bjtj crest appeared in pair with the Nebty name.
Seth-Peribsen (possibly Nynetjer's direct successor) was the first to separate the crests and use the nswt-bjtj crest alone again.
He used the nbtj crest separately, too, but peculiarly, the name "Peribsen" was used in all crests.
Three different uses for the nswt-bjtj group of signs are known. First, they represented the highest level of command, for the king himself as well for his subjects. Thus, every title of an official containing the nswt- or bjt signs gave the holder the highest executive authority. Examples of such titles are sḏꜣwtj-bjtj and sḏꜣwtj-nswt. Despite using the bjt and nswt group of signs, both titles actually mean "sealbearer of the king". However, when used separately and in mere economic contexts, the titles could have a more specific meaning, for example sḏꜣwtj-bjtj can be read as "sealbearer of the king of Lower Egypt" and sḏꜣwtj-nswt as "seal bearer of the king of Upper Egypt". A unique case seems to be the birth name of the Third Dynasty king Huni: his name contains the nswt crest beside the signs for ḥw  meaning "utterance" or "appointment" or ḥwj for "smiting" or "beating".
Secondly, both sign groups could be used either alone or together to designate the personal property of the pharaoh or an order of him. The former usage is similar to that of the hieroglyph of the sitting falcon while an example of the latter is found in a rock inscription in Sinai dating to the Second Dynasty. The inscription, which names the "administrator of the desert and general Ankhenity", further reads wpwt nswt meaning "[commissioned] by order of the nswt king". A similar factum is found in words describing royal actions. The word wḏ nswt, for example, means "royal decree".
A third symbolic and also practical meaning of nswt lies in its use to express and accentuate relationships in the royal family. Originally the nswt crest expressed a direct blood link with the pharaoh, for example in the titles sꜣ-nswt for "son of the king" and mwt-nswt for "mother of the king". At some point during the Fifth Dynasty however, the titles for son or daughter of the king became honorific and were given to high officials and courtiers alike. Indirect kinships and mere acquaintances with the king were expressed with titles such as smr-nswt meaning "friend/courtier of the king" and rḫ-nswt for "favorite of the king". This kind of expression dates back to the First Dynasty, with the titles mry nsw, "beloved of the king", and ꜥnḫ-mrr-nsw, "living for and beloved by the king", appearing during the reign of Djet. Both titles are rare and might point to elite positions held by the title bearers.
Finally, similarly to the nswt crest, the bjt crest also expressed royal authority. For example, a "seal-bearer of the bjt-king" was - alongside the direct relatives of the king - the only one allowed to touch, count and seal the personal possessions of the pharaoh.
When used single or combined together with other symbols, nswt and bjt received advanced meanings in Egyptian heraldry, especially when connected with administrative and/or economic institutions. The sign group pr-nswt, for example, meaning "house of the king", represented the royal household and/or the palace of the king.
Semerkhet, the seventh ruler of the First Dynasty, introduced the famous Nebty name as a complementary counterpart to the nswt-bjtj crest. Semerkhet's predecessor, Anedjib, had introduced the nbwj name as a heraldic emendation. But nbwj (meaning "the two lords") seemed to include the wrong gender. Semerkhet seemed to seek for a "female" crest and thus changed the nbwj name into the nbtj name, the crest of the "Two Ladies" (Nekhbet and Wadjet). From Semerkhet to Nynetjer (the third ruler of the Second Dynasty), the nswt-bjtj crest appeared in pair with the Nebty name. Seth-Peribsen (possibly Nynetjer's direct successor) was the first to separate the crests and use the nswt-bjtj crest alone again. He used the nbtj crest separately, too, but peculiarly, the name "Peribsen" was used in all crests.
Prenomen (Ancient Egypt)