Editing Apophis

{{short description|Ancient Egyptian deity}}
{{about|the ancient Egyptian deity}}
{{redirect|Apep}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Egyptian
| name = Apophis 
| image = Apep (Deity).svg
| alt = 
| caption = A depiction of Apophis based on the depiction in the [[KV16|tomb of Ramesses I]].
| hiero = <hiero>O29:p*p-I14</hiero><ref name="Wörterbuch" /><ref>Hieroglyph as per Budge ''Gods of the Ancient Egyptians'' (1969), Vol. I, 180.</ref></td>
| abode = [[Egyptian underworld|Duat]]
| cult_center = 
| symbol = Snake
| texts = [[Spells of Coming Forth by Day]]
| parents = None, [[Neith]] (in some myths)
| siblings = None, [[Ra]] (in some myths), [[Sobek]] (in some myths)
| enemy = [[Ra]]
| offspring = 
}}
{{Ancient Egyptian religion}}

'''Apophis''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|.|ˈ|p|ɒ|.|f|ɪ|s}}; {{langx|grc|Ἄποφις|Ápophis}}), also known as '''Apep''' ({{langx|egy|ꜥꜣpp}}) or '''Aphoph''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|.|ˈ|f|ɒ|f}}, {{langx|cop|Ⲁⲫⲱⲫ|Aphōph}})<ref name="Wörterbuch">[[Adolf Erman|Erman, Adolf]], and [[Hermann Grapow]], eds. 1926&ndash;1953. ''Wörterbuch der aegyptischen Sprache im Auftrage der deutschen Akademien''. 6 vols. Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs'schen Buchhandlungen. (Reprinted Berlin: Akademie-Verlag GmbH, 1971).</ref> is the [[Ancient Egyptian deities|ancient Egyptian deity]] who embodied darkness and [[Isfet (Egyptian mythology)|disorder]], and was thus the opponent of light and [[Maat]] (order/[[truth]]). [[Ra]] was the bringer of light and hence the biggest opposer of Apophis.

==Features==
Because [[Ra]] was the [[solar deity]], bringer of light, and thus the upholder of [[Maat]], Apophis was viewed as the greatest enemy of [[Ra]], and thus was given the title ''Enemy of [[Ra]]'', and also "the Lord of Chaos".

"The Lord of Chaos" was seen as a giant [[snake]] or [[Serpent (symbolism)|serpent]] leading to such titles as ''Serpent from the Nile'' and ''Evil [[Dragon]]''. Some elaborations said that he stretched 16 [[yard]]s in length and had a head made of [[flint]]. 

Presented on a [[Amratian culture|Naqada I]] (c. 4000–3550 BCE) C-ware bowl (now in Cairo) a snake was painted on the inside rim combined with other desert and aquatic animals as an enemy of a deity, seemingly a solar deity, who is invisibly hunting in a big rowing vessel.<ref>C. Wolterman, in ''Jaarbericht van Ex Oriente Lux'', Leiden Nr.37 (2002).</ref> The snake on the inside rim is believed to be Apophis.

The few descriptions of the origin of Apophis in myth usually demonstrate that it was born after [[Ra]], usually from his [[umbilical cord]]. Geraldine Pinch claims that a much later creation myth explained that, "Apophis sprang from the saliva of the goddess [[Neith]] when she was still in the primeval waters. Her spit became a snake 120 yards long."<ref name="archive.org">{{cite book |last1=Pinch |first1=Geraldine |url=https://archive.org/details/handbook-of-egyptian-mythology-by-geraldine-pinch |title=Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt |date=2004 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-517024-5 |pages=106}}</ref> 
But Apophis was commonly believed to have existed from the beginning of time in the waters of [[Nu (mythology)|Nu]] of primeval chaos.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/TheCompleteGodsAndGoddessesOfAncientEgypt |title=The Complete Gods And Goddesses Of Ancient Egypt |language=English}}</ref>

==Battles with Ra==
[[File:Set speared Apep.jpg|thumb|right|[[Set (god)|Set]]  spearing the snake Apophis ([[Egyptian Museum]], [[Cairo]])]]
[[File:Apep 2.jpg|right|175px|thumbnail|The sun god [[Ra]], in the form of Great Cat, slays the snake Apophis<ref>tomb of Inherkha, [[Deir el-Medina]]</ref>]]

Tales of Apophis battles against [[Ra]] were elaborated during the [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]].<ref>J. Assmann, ''Egyptian Solar Religion in the New Kingdom'', transl. by A. Alcock (London, 1995), 49-57.</ref> Storytellers said that every day Apophis must lie below the horizon and not persist in the mortal kingdom. This appropriately made him a part of the [[duat|underworld]]. In some stories, Apophis waited for [[Ra]] in a western mountain called ''Manu'', where the sun set, and in others, Apophis lurked just before dawn, in the ''Tenth region of the Night''. The wide range of Apophis possible locations gained him the title ''World-Encircler''. It was thought that his terrifying roar would cause the underworld to rumble. Myths sometimes say that Apophis 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 Apophis used a magical gaze to overwhelm [[Ra]] and his entourage.<ref>[[Joris Borghouts|Borghouts, J. F.]] (1973). "The Evil Eye of Apopis". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology '''59'''. 114–115.</ref> [[Ra]] was assisted by a number of defenders who travelled with him, including [[Set (god)|Set]] and possibly the [[Eye of Ra]].<ref>Borghouts, J. F. (1973). "The Evil Eye of Apopis". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology '''59'''. 116.</ref> Apophis movements were thought to cause earthquakes, and his battles with [[Set (god)|Set]] may have been meant to explain the origin of thunderstorms.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pinch |first1=Geraldine |title=Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt |date=2004 |isbn=978-0-19-517024-5 |pages=107 |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=https://archive.org/details/handbook-of-egyptian-mythology-by-geraldine-pinch}}</ref> In one account, [[Ra]] himself defeats Apophis in the form of a [[Cats in ancient Egypt|cat]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pinch |first1=Geraldine |title=Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt |date=2004 |isbn=978-0-19-517024-5 |pages=107–108 |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=https://archive.org/details/handbook-of-egyptian-mythology-by-geraldine-pinch}}</ref>

==Religious Practices==
[[Ra|Ra's]] victory each night was thought to be ensured by the prayers of the [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] [[priest]]s and worshippers at [[temple]]s. The Egyptians practiced a number of [[ritual]]s and [[superstition]]s that were thought to ward off Apophis , and aid [[Ra]] in continuing his journey across the sky.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-20 |title=Never-Ending Battles Between God Ra And Indestructible Apophis In Ancient Egyptian Beliefs - Ancient Pages |url=https://www.ancientpages.com/2021/05/20/never-ending-battles-between-god-ra-and-indestructible-apophis-in-ancient-egyptian-beliefs/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=www.ancientpages.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

In an annual [[Ritual|rite]] called the ''Ritual of Overthrowing Apophis'', priests would build an [[effigy]] of Apophis that was thought to contain all of the evil and darkness in [[Egypt]], and burn it to protect everyone from Apophis evil for another year.

The Egyptian priests had a detailed guide to fighting Apophis , referred to as ''The Books of Overthrowing Apep'' (or the ''Book of Apophis'', in Greek).<ref>Chapters 3-5 of {{Cite thesis |title=Magic and religion as a performative theological unity : the apotropaic 'Ritual of Overthrowing Apophis' |url=https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3174997 |publisher=University of Liverpool |date=1999 |degree=phd |language=en |first=Panagiotis |last=I. Kousoulis}}</ref> The chapters described a gradual process of dishonoring, dismemberment, and disposal, which include:
*Spitting Upon Apophis 
*Defiling Apophis with the Left Foot
*Taking a Lance to Smite Apophis 
*Fettering Apophis 
*Taking a Knife to Smite Apophis 
*Putting Fire Upon Apophis 

In addition to stories about [[Ra|Ra's]] victories, this guide had instructions for making [[wax]] models, or small drawings, of the serpent, which would be spat on, mutilated and burnt, whilst reciting [[Spell (paranormal)|spells]] that would aid [[Ra]] in killing Apophis. Fearing that even the image of Apophis could give power to the demon, any rendering would always include another deity to subdue the monster.

As Apophis was thought to live in the underworld, he was sometimes thought of as an ''Eater of [[Egyptian soul|Soul]]s''. Thus the dead also needed protection, so they were sometimes buried with spells that could destroy Apophis . The ''[[Book of the Dead]]'' does not frequently describe occasions when [[Ra]] defeated the chaos snake explicitly called Apophis. Only ''Book of the Dead'' Spells 7 and 39 can be explained as such.<ref>J.F.Borghouts, ''Book of the Dead [39]: From Shouting to Structure'' (Studien zum Altaegyptischen Totenbuch 10, Wiesbaden, 2007).</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:LdM Imenemsaouf.jpg|Apophis below the barque of [[Ra]] with seven knives, Book of the Dead of Amenemsaouf, [[Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt|21st Dynasty]], [[Louvre|Louvre Museum]], [[Paris]]
File:Edfu16.JPG|The hieroglyph for Apophis name showing a serpent stabbed with five knives, [[Temple of Edfu]], [[Ptolemaic period]]
File:Papyrus of Hunefer, detail.jpg|[[Ra]], in the form of a [[cat]], smiting Apophis with a knife. [[Papyrus of Hunefer]], [[19th-dynasty|19th dynasty]]
File:Apep 1.jpg|[[Atum]] facing Apophis , [[KV16|tomb of Ramesses I]], 19th Dynasty (c. 1292–1290 BC)
File:A shallow white cross-lined ware bowl illustrating a man on a boat alongside a hippo and crocodile MET DP259217.jpg|Example of a Naqada 1 C-Ware bowl (though not the one depicting Apophis )
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[99942 Apophis]], near Earth asteroid
* [[Apep (star system)]], triple star system that is a gamma-ray burst progenitor in the Milky Way
* [[Ethnoherpetology]]
* Referenced in John Langan's [[The Fisherman (novel)|''The Fisherman'' (novel)]], the world-girdling serpent harnessed as a source of magical potency
* [[Nikko Jenkins]], American criminal who motivated his series of murders by claiming that he is a worshipper of Apophis 
* [[Jörmungandr]]
* [[Mehen]]
* [[Ouroboros]]
* [[Python (mythology)]]
* [[Unut]]
* [[Vritra]]
* [[Wadjet]]
* [[Leviathan]]
* [[Satan]]
* [[Serpents in the Bible#Ancient serpent|Ancient serpent]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Apep}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081105110138/http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/apep.html Apep, Water Snake-Demon of Chaos, Enemy of Ra...]
* [http://www.egyptianmyths.net/apep.htm Ancient Egypt: The Mythology - Apep]

{{Ancient Egyptian religion footer}}
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[[Category:African dragons]]
[[Category:Amratian culture]]
[[Category:Chaos gods]]
[[Category:Dragon deities]]
[[Category:Egyptian death gods]]
[[Category:Egyptian demons]]
[[Category:Egyptian underworld]]
[[Category:Evil gods]]
[[Category:Personifications]]
[[Category:Night gods]]
[[Category:Snake gods]]
[[Category:Underworld gods]]