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History

The primordial sun god, Atum, and the primordial moon good, Thoth, were sired by Neith (the primordial Earth Mother, also known as Gaea) and Nun (the sentient lifeforce of Earth's biosphere, also known as the Demiurge). After Atum transformed into the monstrous Demogorge and drove off the destructive Elder Gods that threatened Earth, he eventually came to be known as "Ammon Ra" and was suspected to have spawned the Ogdoad, the first generation of Egyptian gods. Atum ruled the Ogdoad, with his younger brother Thoth serving as his arbitrator and grand vizier. These Ogdoad governed from the Earth city of Hermopolis (also known as "Khmun") and became known to their mortal worshippers as the Hermopolitan gods.[1]

As the years passed, four primal gods of the Ogdoad emerged: Atum (also known as "Amun" to the Ogdoad), who ruled the air and the invisible; Nun/Nu of the primordial waters; Hauhet, whose influence was space and visible matter; and Keku, whose domain was darkness and chaos. The young, brilliant sorcerer known as Heka-Nut was chosen to act as the intermediary between these four primal gods of the Ogdoad. Heka-Nut served the Ogdoad faithfully for a thousand years until Keku tempted the sorcerer and corrupted him.[2][verification needed]

One member of the Ogdoad, the goddess Amaunet, coupled with Ammon Ra and gave birth to the gods Khonshu and Montu in Celestial Heliopolis.[3]

However, as Ammon Ra's first creations, the Ogdoad were imperfect and aged more rapidly than the virtually immortal Ra and Thoth, and most eventually perished under unrevealed circumstances. Following the death of the Ogdoad, Ra started anew, siring the first of the Ennead, the next generation of Egyptian gods.[1]

Centuries later, during Ancient Egypt's New Kingdom period in approximately the 11th century B.C., Ashake, a servant of the Elder Goddess Ma'at/Oshtur and ancestor of the modern-day mutant Storm, used divination cards crafted from bone with depictions of the Ogdoad on them.[2]

Miscellaneous

Representatives

The Ogdoad allegedly included four sets of gods and goddesses:

Atum, Nun, and the associated Thoth, were not of the Ogdoad proper.[4]

Notes

While mythology states that the Ogdoad spawned Ra and Thoth (the Ogdoad's senior appearance causing this misconception) it is suspected that the Ogdoad were in fact spawned by Ra.[1] However, one being associated with the Ogdoad, Nun/Nu, was the father of Ra and Thoth.[1]

See Also

Links and References

References

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