Ancient Egyptian Religion · primordial

Atum-Ra (the primordial waters' first god)

Atum / Ra
also: Atum · Khepri (morning form)
primordialcreationthe sunthe self-created god

In the Heliopolitan tradition, the self-created god who rose from the primordial waters (Nun) as the first being; identified with Ra and with Atum (the 'Completed One').

Ra — Ra Enthroned in the Tomb of Roy
Ra Enthroned in the Tomb of Roy · Unknown (tomb painting, Deir el-Medina area) · New Kingdom (approx. 14th-13th century BCE) · — (Wikimedia Commons) · Public domain
The account

Who they are

In the Heliopolitan (Heliopolis) creation tradition, the first god rose from the primordial waters of Nun — sometimes as a mound of earth (the benben), sometimes directly — and was named Atum, 'the Self-Completed.' He was identified with Ra, the sun god, and with Khepri, the scarab-headed morning sun [S1]S1 · Pyramid Textsc. 2400–2300 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic. From his own body (in one account, by spitting or sneezing) came Shu and Tefnut, the first divine pair [S1]S1 · Pyramid Textsc. 2400–2300 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic. The Heliopolitan account is only one of several Egyptian creation traditions; the Memphis tradition makes Ptah the self-created creator, and Hermopolis begins with a primeval Ogdoad of eight deities [S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic. We do NOT present one as 'the' Egyptian creation story — we present all three.
Worth knowing
  • The self-created god of the Heliopolitan tradition [S1]S1 · Pyramid Textsc. 2400–2300 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic.
  • Identified with Ra (the sun) and Atum (the completed one) [S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic.
  • In Memphis, Ptah plays the 'self-created creator' role instead [S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic.
Uncertainties & variants
  • Which god is 'first' depends on the local tradition: Atum-Ra (Heliopolis), Ptah (Memphis), or the Ogdoad (Hermopolis). These are genuinely competing accounts, not a single story with variants [S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic.
Relationships (2)

Connections

Creation

CREATEDShu — Atum-Ra created Shu (and Tefnut) from his own body.[S1] [S4]
CREATEDTefnut — Atum-Ra created Tefnut.[S1] [S4]
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Their corner of the divine world

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hierarchical — generations top → bottom, partners side by side
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FocusAtum-Ra (the primordial waters' first god)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 Atum-Ra (the primordial waters' first god)

2 stories

The Heliopolitan Creation (Atum-Ra)

In the Heliopolitan tradition, the self-created god Atum-Ra rose from the primordial waters (Nun) — sometimes on a mound of earth (the benben). From his own body he created Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture), the first divine pair. Their children were Geb (earth) and Nut (sky). This is the genealogy behind the Osiris cycle [S1]S1 · Pyramid Textsc. 2400–2300 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic.

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The Memphite Creation (Ptah)

In the Memphite tradition (preserved in the 'Memphite Theology'), Ptah is the self-created first god. He created the world 'in his heart and with his mouth' — by thought (the heart) and by speech (the mouth), naming things into existence [S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic. This is a distinct creation account from the Heliopolitan and Hermopolitan traditions [S4]S4 · Hornung, 'The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Dead' / 'Nile Religion' (academic)modern (translation & scholarship)academic.

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Artworks

Depictions

Ra — Ra Enthroned in the Tomb of Roy
Ra Enthroned in the Tomb of Roy · Unknown (tomb painting, Deir el-Medina area) · New Kingdom (approx. 14th-13th century BCE) · — (Wikimedia Commons) · Public domain
Ra Enthroned in the Tomb of Roy · New Kingdom (approx. 14th-13th century BCE)
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