Editing Atum (section)

{{short description|Ancient Egyptian creator deity}}
{{About|an Egyptian god|the company|ATUM|the Smashing Pumpkins album|Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts}}

{{Infobox deity
| type = Egyptian
| name = Atum
| image = Atum with Double Crown (Pschent, based on paintings).svg
| hiero = <hiero>t:U15-A40</hiero>
| image_upright = 0.8
| caption = Atum with Double Crown, a was-scepter to show his power, and an ankh to symbolize his ability to grant life
| cult_center = [[Heliopolis (Ancient Egypt)|Heliopolis]]
| consort = [[Iusaaset]]{{sfn|Wilkinson|2003|p=150}} or [[Nebethetepet]]{{sfn|Wilkinson|2003|p=156}}
| children = [[Shu (Egyptian deity)|Shu]] and [[Tefnut]]
}}
'''Atum''' ({{IPA|/ɑ.tum/}}, [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]]: ''jtm(w)'' or ''tm(w)'', ''reconstructed'' {{IPA|egy|jaˈtaːmuw|}}; [[Coptic language|Coptic]] {{Script/Coptic|ⲁⲧⲟⲩⲙ}} ''Atoum''),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://corpling.uis.georgetown.edu/coptic-dictionary/entry.cgi?entry=4083&super=1605|title=Coptic Dictionary Online|website=corpling.uis.georgetown.edu|language=en|access-date=2017-09-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aaew2.bbaw.de/tla/servlet/GetWcnDetails?wn=33040|title=Thesaurus Linguae Aegyptiae|website=[[Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities]]|access-date=2017-09-21|archive-date=2022-03-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315150139/http://aaew2.bbaw.de/tla/servlet/GetWcnDetails?wn=33040|url-status=dead}}</ref> sometimes rendered as '''Atem''', '''Temu''', or '''Tem''', is the primordial God in [[Egyptian mythology]] from whom all else arose. He created himself and is the father of [[Shu (Egyptian deity)|Shu]] and [[Tefnut]], the divine couple, who are the ancestors of the other Egyptian deities. Atum is also closely associated with the evening sun. As a primordial god and as the evening sun, Atum has [[chthonic]] and [[duat|underworld]] connections.{{sfn|Wilkinson|2003|pp=98–101}} Atum was relevant to the ancient Egyptians throughout most of Egypt's history. He is believed to have been present in ideology as early as [[Prehistoric Egypt|predynastic]] times, becoming even more prevalent during the [[Old Kingdom of Egypt|Old Kingdom]] and continuing to be worshiped through the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle]] and [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]], though he becomes overshadowed by [[Ra]] around this time.