AKER
allyKeeper of the World's Gates
Aker is one of the most ancient deities of ancient Egypt, attested as early as the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom. God of the earth and guardian of the horizon, he personifies the strip of ground through which the sun enters the underworld at evening and emerges again at morning. He was first represented as a narrow band of earth with two heads, human or leonine, then in his classic form: two lions seated back to back, one facing west, the other east, bearing between them the sign of the horizon, the akhet, surmounted by the solar disc. The two beasts bear the names Sef and Duau — yesterday and tomorrow: Aker is the one who looks forward and backward at once. Keeper of the gates of the Duat, the underworld, he opens the passage each night to the barque of Ra and protects it through its crossing, notably against the serpent Apophis. The funerary texts, down to the Book of the Earth carved in the Ramesside royal tombs, also entrust him with the protection of the dead. In the ROHO ATU lore, this figure of the threshold becomes a child of fire, keeper of the gate between NZA and NZI and twin brother of Ayour, the Spirit of the Night: a contemporary creation that extends the Egyptian symbol of the double gaze.
Powers & Attributes
Role in the ROHO universe
Principal keeper of the gate between NZA and NZI. Without him, the borders between the two worlds dissolve. Twin brother of Ayour, the Spirit of the Night. Aker burns because he fears being alone. Their confrontation above the Red Sea under the eclipse is not a battle of enemies: they are the world's two first heartbeats, manipulated by their own fears as cosmic children. Roho must teach them to recognise each other rather than keep them apart — for light and shadow are one.
Sacred Mask
A double lion mask of gilded stone, keeper of the rising and the setting.
Era
3,000–1,000 BCE — Cycle of Elemental Powers
Words of the Spirit
“He watches over the passages between the visible and invisible worlds.”
Frequently asked questions
Who is Aker?
Aker is the guardian god of the horizon in ancient Egypt, attested as early as the Pyramid Texts. Represented as two lions seated back to back, one turned toward yesterday, the other toward tomorrow, he opens the gates of the underworld to the sun each night and protects the barque of Ra through its crossing.
Why is Aker represented by two lions?
Aker's two back-to-back lions, named Sef and Duau — yesterday and tomorrow — guard the two horizons: one watches over the sun's entry into the underworld in the west, the other over its emergence in the east. Between them stands the sign of the horizon, the akhet, surmounted by the solar disc. This image of the double gaze, toward past and future, earned Aker the title of the one who looks forward and backward.
What role does Aker play in the sun's nightly journey?
Each night the sun crosses the Duat, the Egyptian underworld. Aker keeps its gates: he opens them to the barque of Ra at sunset, protects it through the crossing — notably against the serpent Apophis — and opens the way again at dawn. The funerary texts, such as the Book of the Earth in the Ramesside tombs, also entrust him with the protection of the dead on this passage.
Related spirits
Sources and references
- Richard H. Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt (2003)
- George Hart, The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses (2005)
- Erik Hornung, Les Dieux de l'Égypte : le Un et le Multiple (1986)