Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained.
In today’s video, we’re going to discuss the Ogdoad, the group of 8 primordial gods
who embody the qualities of chaos in Egyptian mythology - a group of 8 self-created gods
so ancient they existed for years uncounted before creation even began.
We’re going to begin with the Waters of Nun and at how the ancient Egyptians conceptualized
the universe.
Then we’re going to discuss the Ogdoad: where they came from, who they were, and what
their purpose was.
And finally, we’re going to wrap up by taking a quick look at the complementary nature of
different creation myths in Ancient Egyptian mythology
Alright, let's get into it.
The Waters of Nun, also known as the Primordial Waters, are a fundamental concept in ancient
Egyptian cosmology, referring to the formless, chaotic, and boundless expanse of water that
existed before creation.
In ancient Egyptian beliefs, the universe emerged from this watery abyss, with the primeval
mound, or Benben, rising from the waters to become the first dry land and the site of
creation.
This process of emergence from the chaos of the Waters of Nun is often referred to as
the "Zep Tepi," or the "First Time," which marked the beginning of time and heralded
the beginning of life on Earth.
Similar concepts of an infinite chaos preceding creation can be found in other mythologies.
In Greek mythology, Chaos is the primordial deity representing the void or formless state
from which the cosmos emerged (Hesiod, 2006).
In Norse mythology, Ginnungagap is the primordial void that existed before the creation of the
cosmos.
It is described as a vast abyss, lying between the realms of fire (Muspelheim) and ice (Niflheim).
When the fire and ice met in Ginnungagap, they formed the first giant, Ymir, marking
the beginning of creation.
Once the earth and the sky and the underworld all existed, the ancient Egyptian conceptualization
of the universe looked something like this: the earth was the nucleus of it all.
Stretched over top of it was the sky, and beneath it was the underworld.
Then, beyond the sky and the underworld were the Waters of Nun.
Paralleling this with our modern understanding of our planet and the universe, you can think
of things like this: earth is the earth, the sky and the underworld are the atmosphere,
and the Waters of Nun are the void of space, only made of water and without stars or planets.
Now that we’ve covered the Waters of Nun and how the ancient Egyptians conceptualized
the universe, we can move on to the Ogdoad, the 8 gods of chaos, a group of eight deities
comprising four male-female pairs who embodied the qualities of the Waters of Nun.
The oldest archaeological evidence of the Ogdoad dates back to the Pyramid Texts, inscribed
in the pyramids of the Old Kingdom pharaohs around 2400-2300 BC.
These texts mention the Ogdoad as a group of primeval gods associated with the creation
of the cosmos.
The Ogdoad were believed to have emerged from the Waters of Nun, the primordial chaos that
existed before creation.
They are self-engendered, signifying their existence before other deities and the ordered
cosmos.
In terms of appearance, the Ogdoad were often depicted as anthropomorphic beings with the
heads of various animals, depending on the depiction.
The male deities (Nun, Amun, Kuk, and Huh) were shown with the heads of frogs, while
the female deities (Naunet, Amaunet, Kauket, and Hauhet) had the heads of serpents.
As well, some depictions of the Ogdoad, particularly in later periods of Egyptian history, show
them as baboons.
The association of baboons with the Ogdoad can be attributed to their connection with
the sun and the dawn, as baboons were known to greet the rising sun with loud calls.
This solar symbolism is linked to the concept of creation and the emergence of the ordered
cosmos from the chaotic Waters of Nun, which the Ogdoad personify.
Each of the male-female pairs of the Ogdoad represent an aspect of the Waters of Nun,
which are moisture (the waters themselves), hiddenness, darkness, and infinity.
We’re now going to go over each pair one at a time.
Nun (the male counterpart) and Naunet (the female counterpart) represent the primeval
waters themselves.
They symbolize the formless, boundless, and chaotic watery abyss from which the cosmos
emerged (Wilkinson, 2003).
As embodiments of these waters, Nun and Naunet are considered to be the source of all life
and the potential for new creation.
Amun (the male counterpart) and Amaunet (the female counterpart) personify the hidden or
invisible aspect of the primordial waters.
They reflect the mysterious and concealed nature of the forces that existed before creation.
In later periods of Egyptian history, Amun became one of the most important and powerful
gods, eventually fusing with the sun god Ra to form Amun-Ra.
Kuk (the male counterpart) and Kauket (the female counterpart) embody the concept of
darkness.
They signify the state of obscurity and stillness that characterized the universe before the
emergence of light and order.
Kuk and Kauket highlight the transition from the darkness of the primordial chaos to the
light and order of the created world.
Huh (the male counterpart) and Hauhet (the female counterpart) symbolize infinity and
boundlessness.
They represent the limitless expanse and potential of the primordial chaos from which the ordered
world arose.
Huh and Hauhet emphasize the vastness and the unending potential of the Waters of Nun,
which eventually gave birth to the cosmos.
Eventually, the Ogdoad came together, yielding to some creative compulsion.
And to explain what happened next, here’s a passage from Egyptian Mythology, A Guide
to the gods, goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt:
“Obeying some primitive instinct, the eight came together to make the place (the primeval
mound or the Island of Flame) or object (the primeval lotus or the cosmic egg) from which
the creator sun god emerged.
This made the Ogdoad “the fathers and mothers’” of the creator.
Alternatively, creator gods such as Amun, Ptah, and Thoth were viewed as calling the
eight into being.
[Here, then,] the creator was his own ancestor, the “father of the fathers and mothers”...
The amphibian and snake forms of the Ogdoad were thought of as mating in and fertilizing
the primeval waters.
An image of the waters alive with glutinous frog spawn may be what the Egyptians had in
mind.
In some sources the Ogdoad seem to be forces that the creator had to subdue before the
work of creation could begin.
In others they simply seem to die after bringing forth life.
[Therefore,] the primeval mound…
[can be viewed as] both the place of creation and the tomb of the Ogdoad.”
What’s interesting about the various versions of the ancient Egyptian creation myth is that
they aren’t in direct conflict with each other, expanding through amalgamation rather
than clashing.
The Ogdoad and the Ennead are both groups of gods in ancient Egyptian religion that
are associated with creation myths.
While the Ogdoad represents the primordial aspects of chaos and the Waters of Nun, the
Ennead represents a group of nine gods, led by the creator god Atum, who is associated
with the Heliopolitan creation myth.
The connection between the Ogdoad and the Ennead lies in the transition from chaos to
order in the creation of the universe.
In the Hermopolitan creation myth, the Ogdoad's union around the primeval mound leads to the
emergence of the sun god.
This event marks the beginning of the cosmos and the ordered world.
In the Heliopolitan creation myth, Atum, the head of the Ennead, emerges from the Waters
of Nun and creates the gods Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture) by either sneezing or masturbating.
These two gods then give birth to Geb (earth) and Nut (sky), who in turn produce the remaining
gods of the Ennead, including Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys.
The Ogdoad's role in the creation process can be seen as a precursor to the emergence
of the Ennead.
The chaotic and formless state represented by the Ogdoad transitions into the ordered
cosmos personified by the Ennead.
In this way, the Ogdoad and the Ennead are interconnected, joining to create an extended
narrative rather than being mutually exclusive, with the Ogdoad representing the initial stages
of creation and the Ennead symbolizing the resulting order and the formation of the gods
responsible for maintaining the cosmos.
Egyptian creation myths, such as the Hermopolitan and Heliopolitan myths, do not conflict with
one another, but rather complement each other in describing the complex process of creation.
While each myth originates from different centers of worship and highlights the primacy
of different gods, they can be seen as different aspects of the same creation story, providing
a more comprehensive understanding of how the ancient Egyptians perceived the origins
of the cosmos.
This harmony between myths allows for the interconnection of the Ogdoad and the Ennead,
two key groups of gods involved in the creation process, and demonstrates the ancient Egyptians'
willingness to embrace diverse perspectives and integrate them into a coherent cosmogonic
framework.
And that’s it for this video.
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