Ogdoad
The
name of eight Egyptian deities who were especially worshipped
in Hermopolis in Upper Egypt. They form the basis of the
creation myth.
The
Ogdoad consist of four gods and four goddesses who together
personify the essence of the primordial chaos before the
creation of the world. They are Nun
and Naunet (the primordial water),
Huh and Hauhet
(infinite space), Kuk and Kauket
(darkness), and Amun and Amaunet
(representing hidden powers).
From
themselves they created the mound upon which lay the egg
from which the sun god emerged.
The
gods of the Ogdoad are represented as frogs or with the
head of a frog; the goddesses in the shape of a snake or
as a woman with the head of a snake.
Their
cult centered on the town of Khemnu (Greek Hermopolis) in
Middle Egypt. They also had a sanctuary at Medinet Habu
in western Thebes.
Source(s):
Encyclopedie van de Mythologie.
The
Encyclopedia Mythica
