Apophis The Egyptian God | God Apep

Apophis The Egyptian God | God Apep

Apophis: The Serpent of Chaos

In Egyptian religion, Apophis was the big bad snake and enemy of the sun god Ra. Ra’s solar boat traveled from dawn to dusk across the sky and into the underworld at night. That’s when Apophis struck, to kill Ra and prevent morning.

Guardians and Rituals

On Ra’s boat were gods and goddesses from different eras, including the dead, all together to defend Apophis. Egyptian priests and people did rituals to save Ra and Apophis, that’s the connection between the living, the dead and the cosmic order of the gods.

Mythological Importance

Apophis wasn’t worshipped in a cult but was in stories about his never-ending attempt to kill Ra and chaos. He’s earthquakes, thunder, darkness, storms and death. He’s sometimes with Set, another chaos god, who defended Ra’s boat against the snake.

Legends and Cosmic Battles

First mentioned in the 8th dynasty, Apophis was in the names of later kings, like 14th dynasty’s Apepi and Hyksos king Apophis. Every night, Apophis attacked Ra during Ra’s ritual journey through the underworld on his solar boat. Set would try to protect Ra with his spear but Apophis would always come back, that’s the never-ending battle between order and chaos in Egyptian mythology