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Atum

Sun-god and creator of theuniverse.The name Atum, carries the idea oftotality in the sense of an ultimate andunalterable state of perfection. Atum is frequentlycalled Lord of Heliopolis (Iunu

in Egyptian), the major centre of sun worship.The presence of another solar deityon this site leads to a coalescence of thetwo gods into Ra-Atum.

Temple of Sety I, Abydos,Dyn. XIX.

Illustrations of Atum normally showhim in anthropomorphic form sometimeswearing the combined crowns of Upperand Lower Egypt, sometimes the royalheadcloth. He can appear upright andstately or in the stance of a respected officialleaning on his staff of office. The notion ofan elderly Atum symbolises the setting sun.

A number of creatures are sacred toAtum including the lion, bull, ichneumonand lizard. Also Atum as a snake is verysignificant because it represents a conceptnot as a rule mentioned by theEgyptians namely a cosmic collapseand a Gotterdmmerung from whichonly Atum and OSIRIS survive. In a dialoguebetween these two deities in theBook of the Dead Atum states that he willeventually destroy the world, submerginggods, men and Egypt in the primal waters(NUN) which were all that existed at thebeginning of time. In this holocaust Atumand Osiris will live on in the form of serpents.A similar idea occurs in a rockinscription at Hatnub in Middle Egyptwhere, in mythological time, an earliercycle of catastrophe resulted in the onlysurvivor being the kerhet snake. Theimagery is taken from the snake sheddingits skin (i.e. destruction) and emerging ina new form (i.e. survival).As early as the Pyramid Era there arereferences to the creation of gods of theelements by Atum. Arising self-engenderedout of the primeval water, Atum took hisphallus in his hand and brought it toorgasm. This hand performing the vital

act of creation can figure in the hieroglyphswriting the gods name and is alsothe original source of the title GodsHand adopted for the Theban priestessregarded as symbolically married toAMUN. The semen of Atum then producesthe first two divinities in his cosmos, SHUandTEFNUT. These become the parentsand grandparents of the remaining deitiesthat form Atums ENNEAD (or company of

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nine gods) at Heliopolis. A coeval butvariant explanation of the means by whichAtum created his offspring is based on thesimilarity of the sound of the names ofShu and Tefnut to the words for to spitand expectorate, the two deities beingenvisaged as arising from Atums mucus.

Atum is called the father of the king ofEgypt, intensifying the link between thesun-god as Ra and the monarchy which isof paramount importance from at leastDynasty IV. Thus the paternal protectionof Atum is sought for the pyramid inwhich the king is buried. In the AfterlifeAtum embraces his son, the deadmonarch, raising him into the sky as headof the star-gods. By using magic formulaethe king might even hope to surpass thepower of Atum, becoming himself thesupreme deity and rule as Atum overevery god. Through this solarisation ofthe king the royal flesh itself becomes

a manifestation of Atum.In the political sphere it is essential forAtum to be seen participating in the coronationritual of the pharaoh. For instance,in the temple of Amun at Karnak reliefsshow Atum together with MONTU, twogreat gods of North and South Egyptrespectively, conducting the king into thesacred precinct. The underlying messageis that Atum as creator-god is the ultimatesource of pharaonic power: it was after allto HORUS (of whom the king of Egypt isthe living manifestation), belonging to thefifth generation of Atums family, that the

throne of Egypt was awarded.Atums omnipotence quells hostileforces in the Underworld. He overcomesthe dangerous snake NEHEBU-KAU by pressinghis fingernail on its spine. BeforeGate 9 of the Underworld Atum standsconfronting the coiled serpent APOPHIS condemninghim to be overthrown and annihilated.Also in tombs of all periods of the

New Kingdom in the Valley of the Kingsat Thebes, e.g. (Amenhotep II) DynastyXVIII, Sety I (Dynasty XIX) and RamessesVI (Dynasty XX), the walls depict Atumresting on his staff supervising the punishment

of the enemies of the sun which isusually drowning or beheading. It is Atumwho offers protection to the deceased onhis journey through the Underworld toparadise, ensuring a safe passage past theLake of Fire where there lurks a deadlydog-headed god who lives by swallowingsouls and snatching hearts. Despite Atumsinvincibility one would like to know moreabout a tantalising reference in the Coffin

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Texts to Atum losing his beard on the dayof rebellion an inestimable trophy for thesun-gods opponents

The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses