Apophis
| Apophis in hieroglyphics | ||||
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| most of time |
Apep |
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| transcription | ˁ3pp | |||
| Greek | Ἄπωφις (Apophis) | |||
.jpg) ( TT359 , tomb of Inihercha) |
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The ancient Egyptian god Apophis , also Apep (i) , is the embodiment of dissolution, darkness and chaos ( Isfet ) and at the same time the great adversary of Maat , the daughter of the sun god Re . He is depicted as a giant snake or turtle .
Myths
Belief in him has only been documented since the Middle Kingdom . It was assumed that from the beginning of time Apophis lived in the sea of primal chaos , which existed before creation . Its existence consists in an eternal cycle of attack and destruction.
According to legend, the sun bark of Re was attacked by the snake deity every night while traveling through the underworld ( Duat in Egyptian ). This had to be defeated every morning so that Re could continue his journey and so the sun could rise. Apophis is said to have hindered the boat's passage with the coils of his huge snake ( sandbank of Apophis ). The snake deity is also said to have had the ability to hypnotize the god Re and his entourage with the exception of the god Seth . However, Seth, who was standing in the bow of the boat and was able to resist the serpent's gaze, struck Apophis back with his spear and thus enabled the sunrise. Contrary to this myth, however, Seth, among other things the god of chaos and violence, was equated in various texts with other evil-minded deities. Including the snake god Apophis. However, this only happened in the late period, when, in contrast to the monstrosity of Apophis, the reputation of the deity Seth as a member of the Egyptian family of gods had sunk far.
In the Neith cosmogony , Re and Apophis are called brothers. The further descriptions show interesting parallels to the Osiris myth . In Plutarch's portrayal of the Isis and Osiris cults , Re and Apophis are also described as siblings. In addition, the Metternich stele mentions Apophis as the umbilical cord of Re, which can also be seen as a mythological reason why Apophis was born after Re. In this context, Re hides as the firstborn in the reeds from Apophis.
In various legends, Apophis is killed by numerous gods, only to keep coming back to life as a symbol of rebirth and the eternal struggle between good and evil . The hymns of the sun tell how Apophis was cut up with knives or stabbed with lances. His blood turns the sky red at sunrise.
presentation
Apophis is represented as a large snake, mostly of supernatural size and with numerous coils. In most depictions, the snake deity is tamed, defeated, or killed to depict the victory of good.
One of the most common representations is based on Proverb 17 of the Book of the Dead . Re himself or the goddess Hathor in the form of the cat of Re , also called the cat of Heliopolis , kills and mutilates the snake with a knife.
In some temple scenes the pharaoh is shown fighting with a round object, which symbolizes the eye of Apophis .
cult
Apophis, since he symbolized evil, was not worshiped in a formal cult. However , it found its way into Egyptian mythology in the form of the antagonistic god or demon . It has been associated with natural phenomena such as storms and earthquakes . He represented a permanent threat to the cosmic stability of Maat , so that one tried to appease him with magical rituals.
The Book of Apophis is a collection of such rituals and texts from the New Kingdom . The best preserved text can be found on the Bremmer-Rhind papyrus, which is now in the British Museum . It originated in the 4th century BC. Chr.
See also
literature
- Hans Bonnet : Lexicon of the Egyptian religious history. Nikol, Hamburg 2000, ISBN 3-937872-08-6 , pp. 51-54.
- Lucia Gahlin : Egypt: gods, myths, religions; a fascinating guide through the mythology and religion of ancient Egypt to the magnificent temples, tombs and treasures of the first high culture of mankind. Edition XXL, Reichelsheim 2001, ISBN 3-89736-312-7 .
- Frank Lerch : Io Erbet. Volume 1: Myth and Magic of the Egyptian God Seth. Red Dragon, Rudolstadt 2008, ISBN 978-3-939459-14-9 .
- Alexandra von Lieven : The sky over Esna. A case study of religious astronomy in Egypt using the example of the cosmological ceiling and architrave inscriptions in the Temple of Esna. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2000, ISBN 3-447-04324-5 , p. 138.
- Lothar Störk : What bothered Hyksos Apophis about the roar of the Theban hippos? In: Göttinger Miscellen . (GM) Volume 43, Göttingen 1981, pp. 67-68.
- Richard H. Wilkinson : The world of the gods in ancient Egypt. Faith - Power - Mythology. Theiss, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-8062-1819-6 .
Web links
- Holger Kockelmann: Apophis. In: Michaela Bauks, Klaus Koenen, Stefan Alkier (eds.): The scientific biblical lexicon on the Internet (WiBiLex), Stuttgart 2006 ff., Accessed on May 26, 2012.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Richard H. Wilkinson: The world of the gods in ancient Egypt: Faith - Power - Mythology. P. 221
- ↑ F. Lerch: Io Erbet. Volume 1: Myth and Magic of the Egyptian God Seth. Rudolstadt 2008.
- ↑ John-Gwyn Griffiths : Plutarch's De Iside et Osiride. University of Wales Press, Cardiff 1970, pp. 174-175.
- ^ Constantin-Emil Sander-Hansen: The texts of the Metternichstele. Munksgaard, Copenhagen 1966, pp. 16-17.
- ↑ Alexandra von Lieven : Floor plan of the course of the stars - The so-called groove book . The Carsten Niebuhr Institute of Ancient Eastern Studies (inter alia), Copenhagen 2007, ISBN 978-87-635-0406-5 , p. 140.
- ↑ Richard H. Wilkinson: The world of the gods in ancient Egypt: Faith - Power - Mythology. Stuttgart 2003, p. 223.