Ancient Egyptian Religion · monster

Apep (Apophis)

Apep / Apophis
also: Apep · Apophis
monsterchaosthe night serpentthe enemy of the sun

The great chaos serpent who tries each night to devour the sun god in the Duat; he is defeated every night — but must be defeated again.

Ra slays Apep, tomb scene from Deir el-Medina — Ra slays Apep
Ra slays Apep · user:Hajor~commonswiki · undated · Wikimedia Commons (institution in source file) · CC BY-SA 3.0
The account

Who they are

Apep (Apophis) is the great serpent of chaos who dwells in the primordial waters and tries every night to devour the sun god Ra as Ra travels through the Duat (the underworld) [S2]S2 · Book of the Dead (e.g., Papyrus of Ani)c. 1250 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic. At the hour of the sun's weakest point (around midnight), Apep strikes; the sun god (helped by Thoth and others) defeats him — often with a knife or by the 'Eye of Ra' (Sekhmet) [S2]S2 · Book of the Dead (e.g., Papyrus of Ani)c. 1250 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic. The defeat is repeated nightly: Apep is not permanently destroyed, he is merely driven back. This nightly battle is the mythic basis for the Egyptian understanding of the sun's daily rising [S2]S2 · Book of the Dead (e.g., Papyrus of Ani)c. 1250 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic. Priests performed rites each night to 'bind' Apep [S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic.
Worth knowing
  • The nightly enemy of the sun god in the Duat [S2]S2 · Book of the Dead (e.g., Papyrus of Ani)c. 1250 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic.
  • Defeated every night but never permanently destroyed [S2]S2 · Book of the Dead (e.g., Papyrus of Ani)c. 1250 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic.
  • Priests performed nightly rites to bind him [S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic.
Uncertainties & variants
  • Apep's relationship to Nun (the primordial waters) is close but not identical: Apep is the active threat, Nun the passive pre-creation state [S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic.
Relationships (2)

Connections

Conflict & enmity

ENEMY_OFRa — Ra and Apep are the great enemies: the sun vs. the chaos serpent.[S2] [S4]
FOUGHTRa — Ra defeats Apep nightly in the Duat.[S2] [S4]
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Their corner of the divine world

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hierarchical — generations top → bottom, partners side by side
Overlays
FocusApep (Apophis)Egyptian
EGYPTIAN · 25variant♥♥♥♥Heka (the Crook…AnkhPschent (the Do…Amundeitythe hidden one1 relationsAnubisdeitythe mummification2 relationsApep (Apophis)monsterchaos2 relationsAtum-Ra (the primor…primordialcreation2 relationsBastetdeitythe home0 relationsHathordeitylove2 relationsHorus the Elder (Ha…deitythe elder sky-falcon1 relationsNun (the primordial…primordialthe primordial waters0 relationsHeh & Hehet (primor…primordialprimordial infinity (Hermopolitan account)1 relationsKhenunu & Khenunit …primordialprimordial mystery (Hermopolitan account)1 relationsNun & Naunet (prime…primordialthe primeval waters (Hermopolitan account)3 relationsSat & Satet (primor…primordialprimordial duration (Hermopolitan account)1 relationsPtahdeitycreation0 relationsRadeitythe sun6 relationsSekhmetdeitywar2 relationsShudeitythe air6 relationsTefnutdeitymoisture5 relationsThothdeitywisdom1 relationsGebdeitythe earth8 relationsNutdeitythe sky10 relationsIsisdeitymagic8 relationsNephthysdeitythe dead4 relationsOsirisdeitythe dead10 relationsSet (Seth)deitythe desert8 relationsHorusdeitythe sky9 relations
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Myths featuring Apep (Apophis)

1 story

Ra's Journey Through the Duat (the Night)

Each night, the sun god Ra enters the Duat (the underworld) in his 'Night Barque' and travels through the twelve hours of the night. At the hour of greatest danger (around midnight), the chaos serpent Apep strikes; Thoth and other gods help Ra defeat Apep. Ra rises again at dawn [S2]S2 · Book of the Dead (e.g., Papyrus of Ani)c. 1250 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic. The justified dead 'sail with Ra' through the night [S2]S2 · Book of the Dead (e.g., Papyrus of Ani)c. 1250 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic.

READ THE STORY →

Artworks

Depictions

Ra slays Apep, tomb scene from Deir el-Medina — Ra slays Apep
Ra slays Apep · user:Hajor~commonswiki · undated · Wikimedia Commons (institution in source file) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ra slays Apep · undated
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