Atum (Atem, Tem) comes into being with explosive convergence of the Ogdoad. He breathes the spark of life into the first two godly beings, Shu and Tefnut. A Divine Couple, Shu is god of peace, lions, air and wind. Tefnut is goddess of moisture, dew and rain.
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His name, Atum, derives from the verb 'to finish' or 'to complete.' As the first god he will also be the last, as his future role is to dissolve the Earth into the waters of Chaos from which it emerges in creation myths. He's called 'the complete one'.
As creator, Atum infuses the deities, universe and all life with his vital force or ka. Appearing at birth, The ka is the essence of all living things. It may be depicted as a smaller person inside the large one. His main center of worship is Heliopolis, in what's now Cairo.
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Besides the convergence of the Ogdoad, Atum has various origins. In Lower Egypt legend says he issues from an egg afloat in the primal seas. The depthless waters embody creator entity Nu.
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In another version Atum self-creates from or as a mound of clay, earth or mud. The mound comes from the matter or energies of Chaos. Atum is the first being to emerge from the darkness and endless abyss. Feeling lonely, Atum creates his children, the first two Gods.
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One theory states he creates the first two deities, Goddess Tefnut and God Shu, by masturbation; in another tale he spits them from his mouth. In yet another telling, he procreates with his shadow to produce Tefnut and Shu.
The two first Gods, curious about the primeval waters around them, go out to explore, and vanish into darkness. Heartbroken, Atum sends the Eye of Atum (representing the moon) to find his children. The tears of joy he sheds when they return become the first human beings.
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From their union, Tefnut and Shu have two children, Geb (Earth) and Nut (Sky). Their children in turn are the major Gods
Osiris - death, afterlife, resurrection, vegetation, agriculture
Isis - major Egyptian Goddess, especially known for resurrecting her brother Osiris
Set - desert, storms, disorder, violence, foreigners
Nephthys - mourning, night, childbirth, protection, magic, health, embalming, and beer.
In another version of the origin myth, the Memphites or Priests of Memphis (Giza) believe Atum is created by Ptah, the dominant Creator God in popular local belief. Ptah is tutelary deity to Memphis.
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According to this version of Atum's origin, Ptah creates him in a more intellectual or esoteric way, departing from the primal archetype. Ptah uses powers of speech and thought as portrayed on the Shabaka Stone, a sacred stone inscribed with religious text.
A deity of Lite, Atum also represents transition to the realm of Death. During the Old Kingdom of Egypt (c. 2700 - 2200 BCE) Atum is the one who lifts the soul of a dead monarch from his pyramid to the cosmic skies.
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Depending on purpose Atum may appear as various animals such as as a mongoose, lion, bull, lizard, or an ape. Linked to distant origins he may also be represented as the primeval mound, the earth or clay.
Atum may be shown as a serpent, a form he will take at the destruction of the world. The Serpent or Snake is sometimes seen as a primal form of Dragon. It's a symbol of life, death, healing, chaos, sensuality and rebirth.
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Khepri the Scarab-Faced God and Sun God Ra represent the Sun at morning and daytime. Khepri-Atum are the sunrise and sunset, east and west, reflecting the cycles and polarity of morning and evening.
Like most deities Atum carries an Ankh ☥ symbolic of physical life, eternal life, immortality, death, and reincarnation. As a solar deity, Atum relates to aspects of the primary sun god Ra. Atum is the deity of the evening sun. In some references he's called Ra-Atum.
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Atum, a long-lived God, enjoys popularity throughout the Dynasties and ages of Egypt. At the end of the world cycle, Atum, in the capacity of Creator God, and Osiris, god of the Underworld, are said to be only two gods left.
All else perishes in the great Flood which heralds the triumph of Chaos in the neverending cycles of creation. Destruction is complete with a return to the primal seas.
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As thousands of years go by stories change, Gods morph into other deities and branch out into aspects of themselves. A certain entity or another may be favored in the telling of tales. The myth of Atum's creation of the world is one of many.
... and what about Ra?
In the creation myth of Ra as the first God, he's either given life by a Creator Entity Atum, or gives birth to himself. When searching for his lost children he sends out the Eye of Ra to find them.
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