Apep or Apophis was the ancient Egyptian deity who embodied chaos and was thus
the opponent of light and Ma'at. He appears in art as a giant serpent. His
name is reconstructed by Egyptologists as *ʻAʼpāpī, as it was written ꜥꜣpp(y)
and survived in later Coptic as Ⲁⲫⲱⲫ Aphōph. Apep was first mentioned in the
Eighth Dynasty, and he was honored in the names of the Fourteenth Dynasty king
'Apepi and of the Greater Hyksos king Apophis.
Development Ra was the solar deity, bringer of
light, and thus the upholder of Ma'at. Apep was viewed as the greatest enemy of
Ra, and thus was given the title Enemy of Ra, and also "the Lord of Chaos".
As the personification of all that was evil, Apep was seen as a giant snake or
serpent leading to such titles as Serpent from the Nile and Evil Lizard.
Some elaborations said that he stretched 16 yards in length and had a head made
of flint. Already on a Naqada I C-ware bowl a snake was painted on the inside
rim combined with other desert and aquatic animals as a possible enemy of a
deity, possibly a solar deity, who is invisibly hunting in a big rowing
vessel. Also, comparable hostile snakes as
enemies of the sun god existed under other names already before the name Apep
occurred. The etymology of his name is perhaps to be sought in some
west-semitic language where a word root ꜣpp meaning 'to slither' existed. A verb
root ꜥꜣpp does at any rate not exist elsewhere in Ancient Egyptian. Apep's
name much later came to be falsely connected etymologically in Egyptian
with a different root meaning spat out; the Romans referred to Apep by this
translation of his name. Apophis was a large golden snake known to be miles
long. He was so large that he attempted to swallow the sun every day.
Battles with Ra Tales of Apep's battles against Ra were
elaborated during the New Kingdom. Since everyone can see that the sun is not
attacked by a giant snake during the day, every day, storytellers said that
Apep must lie just below the horizon. This appropriately made him a part of
the underworld. In some stories Apep waited for Ra in a western mountain
called Bakhu, where the sun set, and in others Apep lurked just before dawn, in
the Tenth region of the Night. The wide range of Apep's possible location gained
him the title World Encircler. It was thought that his terrifying roar would
cause the underworld to rumble. Myths sometimes say that Apep was trapped
there, because he had been the previous chief god overthrown by Ra, or because
he was evil and had been imprisoned. The Coffin Texts imply that Apep used a
magical gaze to overwhelm Ra and his entourage. Ra was assisted by a number
of defenders who travelled with him, including Set and possibly the Eye of
Ra. Apep's movements were thought to cause earthquakes, and his battles with
Set may have been meant to explain the origin of thunderstorms. In some
accounts, Ra himself defeats Apep in the form of a cat.
Worship Ra was worshipped, and Apep worshipped
against. Ra's victory each night was thought to be ensured by the prayers of
the Egyptian priests and worshippers at temples. The Egyptians practiced a
number of rituals and superstitions that were thought to ward off Apep, and aid
Ra to continue his journey across the sky.
In an annual rite, called the Banishing of Chaos, priests would build an effigy
of Apep that was thought to contain all of the evil and darkness in Egypt, and
burn it to protect everyone from Apep's evil for another year, in a similar
manner to modern rituals such as Zozobra.
The Egyptian priests had a detailed guide to fighting Apep, referred to as
The Books of Overthrowing Apep. The chapters described a gradual process of
dismemberment and disposal, and include: Spitting Upon Apep
Defiling Apep with the Left Foot Taking a Lance to Smite Apep
Fettering Apep Taking a Knife to Smite Apep
Putting Fire Upon Apep In addition to stories about Ra's
winnings, this guide had instructions for making wax models, or small
drawings, of the serpent, which would be spat on, mutilated and burnt, whilst
reciting spells that would kill Apep. Fearing that even the image of Apep
could give power to the demon any rendering would always include another
deity to subdue the monster. As Apep was thought to live in the
underworld, he was sometimes thought of as an Eater of Souls. Thus the dead also
needed protection, so they were sometimes buried with spells that could
destroy Apep. The Book of the Dead does not frequently describe occasions when
Ra defeated the chaos snake explicitly called Apep. Only BD Spells 7 and 39 can
be explained as such. See also
99942 Apophis Egyptian influence in popular culture
Ethnoherpetology Jörmungandr
Mehen Unut
Wadjet Notes
External links Apep, Water Snake-Demon of Chaos, Enemy
of Ra... ancient Egypt: The Mythology - Apep