Atum

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Atum
Shu and Tefnut

Atum (/ɑ.tum/,

Shu and Tefnut, the divine couple, who are the ancestors of the other Egyptian deities. Atum is also closely associated with the evening sun. As a primordial god and as the evening sun, Atum has chthonic and underworld connections.[5] Atum was relevant to the ancient Egyptians throughout most of Egypt's history. He is believed to have been present in ideology as early as predynastic times, becoming even more prevalent during the Old Kingdom and continuing to be worshiped through the Middle and New Kingdom, though he becomes overshadowed by Re
around this time.

Name

Atum's name is thought to be derived from the verb tm which means 'to complete' or 'to finish'. Thus, he has been interpreted as being the "complete one" and also the finisher of the world, which he returns to watery chaos at the end of the creative cycle. As creator, he was seen as the progenitor of the world, the deities and universe having received his vital force or

ka.[6]

Origins

A representation of the Memphite idea of creation, stating Ptah as the original creator and father to Atum-Re.

Atum is one of the most important and frequently mentioned deities from earliest times, as evidenced by his prominence in the

egg within the primeval waters, being born during the primordial flood, becoming the source of everything that was created after him. The Memphites (priests of Memphis), on the other hand, believed that Ptah created Atum in a more intellectual way, using his speech and thought, as told on the Shabaka Stone.[7]

Role

20th Dynasty
(c. 1184–1153 BC)

In the

Shu and goddess Tefnut by spitting them out of his mouth.[9][10] One text debates that Atum did not create Shu and Tefnut by spitting them out of his mouth by means of saliva and semen, but rather by Atum's lips.[11] Another writing describes Shu and Tefnut being birthed by Atum's hand. That same writing states that Atum's hand is the title of the god's wife based on her Heliopolitan beginning.[12] Other myths state Atum created by masturbation, with the hand he used in this act that may be interpreted as the female principle inherent within him[13] and identified with goddesses such as Hathor or Iusaaset. Yet other interpretations state that he has made union with his shadow.[14]

In the

Old Kingdom, the Egyptians believed that Atum lifted the dead king's soul from his pyramid to the starry heavens.[10] He was also a solar deity, associated with the primary sun god Ra. Atum was linked specifically with the evening sun, while Ra or the closely linked god Khepri were connected with the sun at morning and midday.[15]

In the Coffin Texts, Atum has a vital conversation with Osiris in which he describes the end of the universe as a time in which everything will cease to exist with the exception of the elements of the primordial waters, stating that after millions of years he and Osiris would be the only ones to survive the end of time as serpents.[16] He claims that he will destroy everything he created in the beginning of existence and bring it back to Nu, the primeval waters,[17] thus describing the belief that the gods and goddesses would one day cease to exist outside of the primeval waters.[16]

In the

snake, the animal renewing itself every morning.[18][19][20]

Atum is the god of

post-existence. In the binary solar cycle, the serpentine Atum is contrasted with the scarab-headed god Khepri—the young sun god, whose name is derived from the Egyptian ḫpr "to come into existence". Khepri-Atum encompassed sunrise and sunset, thus reflecting the entire cycle of morning and evening.[21]

Relationship to other gods

Atum was a

Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the goddess of moisture. The brother and sister, curious about the primeval waters that surrounded them, went to explore the waters and disappeared into the darkness. Unable to bear his loss, Atum sent a fiery messenger, the Eye of Ra, to find his children. The tears of joy he shed upon their return were the first human beings.[22]

Iconography

Atum on right side facing Apep with a spear, tomb of Ramesses I, 19th Dynasty (c. 1292–1290 BC)

Atum is usually depicted in anthropomorphic form, wearing either the

bull, lizard, or ape.[6] When he is represented as a solar deity, he can also be depicted as a scarab and when in reference to his primeval origins he is also seen depicted as the primeval mound.[23]

Worship

Last surviving remnant of the Temple of Ra-Atum at Heliopolis, the obelisk, erected by Senusret I of the Twelfth Dynasty.

Atum was worshipped throughout Egypt's history; the center of his worship centered on the city of

obelisk located in Al-Masalla of Al-Matariyyah, Cairo. It was erected by Senusret I of the Twelfth Dynasty, and still stands in its original position.[24] In the Old Kingdom Atum was at the center of the Egyptian belief system, being partly responsible for the origins of existence, having created himself and everything else out of the primordial waters. He is believed to have been present in ideology as early as predynastic times, becoming even more prevalent during the Old Kingdom as indicated by the pyramid texts in which he appears frequently. He continues to be found in the Middle Kingdom, during which he is depicted in the Book of the Dead in which he appears in spells to help with the journey to the Afterlife. Later, in the New Kingdom, there cults attributed to Atum, such as the Theban royal high priestesses known as the Divine Adoratrices of Amun who acted as the Hand of Atum in temple rituals at the time.[25] Re would take centerstage later on but as Atum was overshadowed, the people of ancient Egypt would continue to worship him through cultic rituals in which he is depicted as having close relationships with the king, as well as being represented through lizards on small reliquaries and amulets closer to the Late Period[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ Wilkinson 2003, p. 150.
  2. ^ Wilkinson 2003, p. 156.
  3. ^ "Coptic Dictionary Online". corpling.uis.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  4. ^ "Thesaurus Linguae Aegyptiae". Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  5. ISBN 978-0-500-05120-7
    .
  6. ^ a b c d Wilkinson 2003, p. 99–101.
  7. OCLC 51668000
    .
  8. ^ The British Museum. "Picture List" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-09-22. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  9. OCLC 53242963
    .
  10. ^ a b "The Egyptian Gods: Atum". Archived from the original on 2002-08-17. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  11. ^ Lloyd 2012, p. 409.
  12. ^ Lloyd 2012, p. 150.
  13. ^ Wilkinson 2003, p. 17-18, 99.
  14. ^ "The Egyptian Creation Myth — How the World Was Born". Experience Ancient Egypt. Archived from the original on 2010-01-09.
  15. ^ Wilkinson 2003, p. 205.
  16. ^
    OCLC 51668000
    .
  17. OCLC 893336455
    .
  18. ^ Toorn, Becking & Horst 1999, p. 121.
  19. ISBN 9780835607124
    .
  20. ISBN 9780813536552
    .
  21. ^ Toorn, Becking & Horst 1999, p. 123.
  22. ^ Pinch, Geraldine (2004). Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press. pp. 63–64
  23. ^
    OCLC 51668000
    .
  24. ISBN 978-1-5275-2668-6
    .
  25. OCLC 730934370
    .

Bibliography

Further reading
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