Eighth of Hermopolis

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Eightness in hieroglyphics
Z1 Z1 Z1 Z1
Z1 Z1 Z1 Z1 		M17 M17 G43

Chemenyu
Ḫmnyw The mindfulness

The ancient Egyptian doctrine of the " Eightiness of Hermopolis " developed in Hermopolis Magna is first documented in the Saïten period. In contrast to the " Ninth of Heliopolis ", the eighth represents the cosmogony before the creation of the world. The four pairs of primordial gods therefore describe the cosmic state before worldly creation .

mythology

Mindfulness on the ceiling relief in the temple of Dendera.

An explanation of the earlier mythological connections dates back to the Middle Kingdom : " Shu is enveloped with the breath of life from Benu's throat on the day Atum arose in Heh , Nun , Kek and Tenemu ." The newly developed doctrine of the gods says that before the emergence of the World eight gods ruled:

  1. Nun and Naunet stand for the primeval waters and for the primordial ocean (the element that begets and gives birth);
  2. Heh and Hehet for eternal space, for endlessness and for infinity (primeval times, the breath and love of creation, creative desire);
  3. Kek and Keket for the primeval eclipse (before the creation of the stars, the primordial space that creates light as a man and gives birth to the night and so the day as a woman);
  4. Tenem and Tenemu for pathlessness (the cosmic precipitation, which settles out of the primeval water in a circling manner).

The last pair is often replaced by

  1. Niau and Niaut , the void;
  2. Righteous and righteous , the want; and through the New Kingdom
  3. Amun and Amaunet for invisibility, for concealment, for concealment and being secret (the air ).

The male beings are shown in human form with frog heads , the female beings with snake heads.

The sun god Re as the son of eightness

The sun god Re was born according to the teaching of Hermopolis by the Eighth, which according to the demotic papyrus " The Return of the Goddess are described" as "his fathers". The main cult site of the eighth was in Hermopolis, another west of Thebes in a small temple near Medinet Habu .

According to the Hermopolitan doctrine, the sun god Schepsi is considered the creator of the eight primordial gods .

See also

literature

  • Hartwig Altenmüller : Mindfulness. In: Wolfgang Helck (Hrsg.): Lexikon der Ägyptologie (LÄ). Volume I, Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1975, ISBN 3-447-01670-1 , Sp. 56-57.
  • Hans Bonnet : Lexicon of the Egyptian religious history. 3rd unchanged edition. Nikol, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-937872-08-6 , pp. 5-6.
  • Kurt Sethe : Amun and the eight primordial gods of Hermopolis. An investigation into the origin and nature of the Egyptian king of the gods (= treatises of the Prussian Academy of Sciences. Philosophical-historical class. Year 1929, No. 4, ZDB -ID 2551975-X ). de Gruyter, Berlin 1929.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Altenmüller: LÄ I. Sp. 56.
  2. ↑ Altenmüller: LÄ I. Sp. 57.