Egyptian mythology
Atum
Primordial Creator and God of the Setting Sun
- Mythology
- Egyptian mythology
- Parents
- Nun
- Group
- Ennead · Duat · Creation · Sun · Divine · Ruler · Primordials
- Appears in
- The Creation of the Ennead · Ptah and the Memphite Creation · The Separation of Nut and Geb · The Hermopolitan Cosmogony
- Places
- Giza · Heliopolis · Nun
- Objects
- Solar Barque · Sacred Scarab
Listen to “The Creation of the Ennead” in the app
Atum is the primordial creator, the first being to rise from Nun, the dark waters of chaos, standing alone before anything else existed. Self-generated and complete, he brought forth the first couple, Shu and Tefnut, from his own body, and from them descended the great Ennead of Heliopolis. He is shown as a man wearing the double crown of Egypt, kingly and aged. As the setting sun he is the day's end, the old sun sinking back into Nun to be reborn at dawn, while Ra is the blazing midday and Khepri the rising sun. At Heliopolis he was honored as father of the gods and ancestor of the pharaohs.
Related figures
Real episode from the app
The Creation of the Ennead
Chapter 1
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Atum?
- Atum is the primordial creator, the first being to rise from Nun, the dark waters of chaos, standing alone before anything else existed. Self-generated and complete, he brought forth the first couple, Shu and Tefnut, from his own body, and from them descended the great Ennead of Heliopolis.
- Which mythology does Atum belong to?
- Atum belongs to Egyptian mythology.
- Which stories does Atum appear in?
- Atum appears in The Creation of the Ennead, Ptah and the Memphite Creation, The Separation of Nut and Geb, The Hermopolitan Cosmogony, told as chaptered audio dramas in MythologyNow.
Cite this page
MythologyNow. (2026). Atum. https://www.mythologynow.app/en/gods/atum"Atum." MythologyNow, 2026, https://www.mythologynow.app/en/gods/atum.MythologyNow. "Atum." Accessed 2026. https://www.mythologynow.app/en/gods/atum.Listen to the stories of Atum
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