Ogdoad Of Hermopolis – Ancient Egyptian Concept Of Eternal And Primeval Forces

A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com - In Egyptian mythology, references to the Ogdoad appear in texts as early as the 25th Dynasty, known as the Nubian Dynasty or the Kushite Empire.

Depiction of the Ogdoad with serpent and frog heads - Roman-era relief at the Hathor temple in Dendera. Image via wikipedia 

Mentioned in the Coffin Texts of the Middle Kingdom (1975 BC to 1640 BC), the Ogdoad  (in Greek - "the eightfold") was a very ancient Egyptian cosmological concept that embodied the four components of pre-creation (infinite time, darkness, the primeval waters, and the void).

The pantheon of the Ogdoad included eight deities (four pairs) worshiped in Hermopolis during the Old Kingdom period (27th to 22nd centuries).

The Ogdoad deities had their main cult center in Khmunu (‘Eight Town’ or ‘City of the Eight’), later known under its Hellenistic name, Hermopolis Magna. The center had also its Coptic name ‘shmun’ (means ‘eight’ in Middle Egypt) with which the god Thoth was also associated.

Thus, Nun and Naunet were primordial water in male and female form, while Huh (Heh) and Hauhet symbolized infinite space. On the other hand, Kek (Kuk) and Kauket had darkness as their domain, while Amun and Amaunet were identified with invisibility.

According to many versions of the Egyptian creation myths, the Ogdoad’s eight beings formed the first hill or the lotus flower or the cosmic egg from which the creator sun god emerged.

From left to right) the goddess Hathor and six of the eight deities of the Ogdoad of Khmoun-Hermopolis Megale: Kek and Kauket, Naune and Nun.

Thus, the beings were treated as “the fathers and mothers” of the creator, but not the same creator. Alternatively, creator gods such as Amun, Ptah, or Thoth, who were viewed as calling the eight into being. The creator was then “his” own ancestor, the “father of the fathers and mothers.”

The Hermopolitan concept of the Ogdoad pantheon was widely acknowledged throughout Egypt, and Medinet Habu, located in western Thebes was regarded as the mortuary cult-place of the “deceased” Ogdoad’s eight primordial deities. Then, the Graeco-Roman Period, started with the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 BC and the kings of Egypt traditionally came to Medinet Habu every ten years to honor the Ogdoad.

As we mentioned earlier, the Egyptian creation myth developed in late and Ptolemaic times was based heavily on that of Hermopolis, with references to the Ogdoad appearing in texts as early as the 25th Dynasty.

“The most important change in the Theban versions was the elevation of Amun-Ra, the supreme god of Thebes, as primordial creator identified with Nun, “the great one who came into being at the beginning,” he is said to be the progenitor of these eight male and female deities, “who built the builders and fashioned the fashioners,” and thus also the father of Ra, the sun god..." (Brett McClain, Cosmogony (Late Ptolemaic and Roman Periods).

Updated on March 4, 2024

Written by - A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

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