Apophis était-il un dieu que l'on adorait?

Non. Contrairement aux autres divinités, Apophis n'avait ni temple ni culte de vénération. Il était au contraire l'objet de rituels destinés a le conjurer et a le détruire symboliquement.

Pourquoi Apophis combat-il le dieu Rê?

Il incarne le chaos, opposé a l'ordre cosmique. Chaque nuit, il tente d'engloutir la barque solaire pour empêcher le lever du soleil, menaçant la continuité de la création.

Comment les Égyptiens se protégeaient-ils d'Apophis?

Ils pratiquaient des rites de conjuration, décrits dans le Livre pour terrasser Apophis, en fabriquant des figurines du serpent qu'ils mutilaient et brûlaient pour neutraliser sa force.

Back to the Codex

APOPHIS

neutral

Serpent of chaos

☥ SpiritÉgypte antique →Afrique du Nord — ÉgypteElder

Gender: Masculine

Apophis, also named Apep, is in the Egyptian religion the great serpent embodying chaos, darkness and disorder, designated by the concept of Isfet, opposed to the order of the world represented by Maat. He is not a venerated god but a hostile power that one seeks to repel. Each night, while the solar god Ra crosses the underworld aboard his barque, Apophis surges from the primordial waters of the Nun to try to swallow the star and interrupt the course of creation. Ra is defended by several deities, including Seth, posted at the prow, as well as the protector serpent Mehen, Isis or the feline form of a goddess. Defeated each night, Apophis is endlessly reborn, embodying a threat never definitively removed. The Egyptians opposed to him rituals of conjuration, gathered notably in the Book of Overthrowing Apophis, in the course of which priests fashioned effigies of the serpent to spit on them, mutilate them and burn them. Eclipses or storms could be interpreted as temporary victories of the serpent. Certain traditions, at Esna, make him the offspring of Neith.

Era

3,000–30 BCE

Frequently asked questions

Was Apophis a god who was worshipped?

No. Unlike the other deities, Apophis had neither temple nor cult of veneration. He was on the contrary the object of rituals meant to conjure him and to destroy him symbolically.

Why does Apophis fight the god Ra?

He embodies chaos, opposed to the cosmic order. Each night, he tries to swallow the solar barque to prevent the sunrise, threatening the continuity of creation.

How did the Egyptians protect themselves from Apophis?

They practised rites of conjuration, described in the Book of Overthrowing Apophis, fashioning figurines of the serpent which they mutilated and burned to neutralise its force.

Related spirits

RÊ SETH MAÂT NEITH

Sources and references

Richard H. Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt (2003)
Geraldine Pinch, Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt (2004)
, Wikipedia (FR/EN)