Apep

We are going to have a look at a creature called Apep today. He is also known by another name: Apophis. After reading my article you might be able to tell if Apep really is a “Creature from HELLas” or not.

Apep is a giant snake and supernaturally long. His enormous length is usually expressed in pictures with many windings of his body. His head is said to be made of flint. This leads to titles like “Serpent from the Nile” and “Evil Dragon”.

According to the legend the sun has to travel through the underworld every night. Every day Apep lies just below the horizon. In some stories, Apep waits in the west, where the sun sets, in others, Apep waits in the east before the sun rises. Because Apep appears in so many places, he is called the “World Encircler”. Apep’s magical gaze gives him the ability to overwhelm the sun. But the sun has many defenders who defeat Apep.

As Apep is a creature of the underworld he cannot be killed once and for all. He always comes back to the horizon to stop the sun.

Apep was of course not worshipped, he was only worshipped against. People practiced many rituals to repeal Apep and help the sun travelling around the Earth. Once a year, they took a box which was supposed to contain all the evil of Apep and burnt it. This ritual should protect them from Apep’s evil for the next year. Other rituals included kicking and stabbing Apep, spitting and putting fire upon him.

With all that information, can you find out if Apep is a creature from the Greek mythology? Or is his origin in another country? Could he just be a result of my imagination? If you have a guess, just click on the solution button below.