Primal Snake God Apep (Apepi, Aapep, Apopis) is the personification of chaos. He provokes destruction, confusion, darkness, miscommunication, lies, accidents, weather crises, war. He's the beginning which arises from Chaos, and the end to which it returns.
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Apep is an enormous serpent born from the umbilical cord of infant Sun God Ra, and considered the brother of Ra. He is enemy of light and a bitter foe of the Goddess Ma'at (Maat), deity of Order, Truth, Justice and the Law, often depicted as a winged woman.
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The Serpent is a primal form of Dragon. Apep first appears in the Eighth Dynasty of Egypt c. 2181 BC - 2160 BCE. His name is the basis for names of monarchs such as Apepi, and the Greater Hyksos king of the Nile Delta, Apophis.
The monster snake lives in the Duat, the first place one goes when deceased. Here the heart of the deceased is weighed, and if fails the test, the crocodile-headed demon Ammit gobbles it up. The dead person must remain in dreary Duat.
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If it passes the test, the deceased undertakes a long and difficult journey to reach Aaru, or Paradise. In later times, copies of the Book of the Dead are placed in the tombs of deceased rulers so they know what to expect.
Though brothers, Apep and Sun God Ra are fierce enemies. Ra embodies the light and order, and Apep the chaos and darkness. When Ra journeys in his solar barque through the Underworld to emerge in the east, Apep waits nightly in ambush.
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Origin myths vary. In one, Apep is created from the saliva of the cosmic goddess Neith. In another it's the umbilical cord of Ra. In general belief, Apep exists from the beginning of time in the waters of primeval chaos.
Titles of Apep include "Enemy of Ra", "Lord of Chaos," "Serpent from the Nile" and "Evil Dragon". Some descriptions say he's he's 48 ft (14.6 m) long and has a head of flint. In other tales he's 120 ft (36.5 m).
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Although his usual form is giant snake, Apep may appear as a Nile crocodile. His earliest depiction, as a tremendous serpent painted on pottery, dates back to c. 4000 BCE. In myth he's the primordial force at the beginning of time.
In the Chaoskampf, a hero of light sets out to destroy the forces of darkness. Chaos can manifest as a terrible sea serpent or the sea itself. In Mesopotamian lore Tiamet Queen of Chaos and the Sea, battles Marduk for twelve days, hence the 12 Days of Zagmuk.
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Apep's battle tales with Ra are legendary. In some stories, when Ra travels nightly on his golden barque through the Underworld, Apep waits for him in a western mountain, Manu, where the sun sets.
In others, Apep lurks just before the dawn in the eastern mountain Bakhu. He's bound to the Underworld but his activities are widely felt by mortals. His evil can cross dimensions. As his range stretches from one horizon to the other, Apep is also called World Encircler.
Ra's companions on the solar barque may include the God Set, the Eye of Ra (Sekhmet, perhaps), Sia (perception), Hu (command) and Heka (magic power). When the golden barque approaches, Apep uses his hypnotic gaze to overwhelm Ra and his entourage.
Apep's writhing coils and his mighty roar cause earthquakes, shifts and rumblings in the ground. His battles with Set unleash the most terrible of thunderstorms. In one story, Ra in the form of a cat defeats Apep.
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The victory of Ra over Apep each night depends on prayers of the Egyptian priests and temple worshippers. The Egyptians believe certain rituals and superstitions repulse Apep to help Ra continue his journey.
In an annual rite, the Banishing of Chaos, priests build an enormous effigy of Apep. The effigy snake is thought to contain all the evil in Egypt. Containment of chaos, with ritual magic, helps protect the people from the dark powers of Apep, enemy of light.
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