A third account belongs to Hermopolis in Middle Egypt, the city of Thoth (see Gods and Their Cities). It does not begin with one creator, as at Heliopolis, but with eight gods who stood for the waters before creation.
Key idea
At Hermopolis, creation began with the Ogdoad, "the Eight": four pairs of gods and goddesses standing for the waters, endlessness, darkness and hiddenness. Ogdoad (eight, Hermopolis) is not the Ennead (nine, Heliopolis).
| God | Goddess | Stands for |
|---|---|---|
| Nun | Naunet | the waters |
| Heh | Hauhet | endlessness |
| Kek | Kauket | darkness |
| Amun | Amaunet | hiddenness |
Why it works
The eight do not describe a world but the state before one: water with no edge, no light and nothing that can be seen. By naming these as gods, the account made the chaos itself the starting point of creation. Pairing each quality as male and female made it able to produce something new. The gods were often shown with frogs’ heads and the goddesses with snakes’ heads, creatures of the mud and water.
The city’s Egyptian name was Khemenu, "Eight Town", after these gods. The Greeks matched Thoth with their god Hermes, and so called it Hermopolis. In some versions the eight brought forth a lotus flower on the waters, from which the sun rose; in others, a cosmic egg.
Worked example: Ogdoad or Ennead?
A text speaks of "the Eight who were in Nun". Which account is it drawing on?
- "Eight" is the Ogdoad.
- The Ogdoad belongs to Hermopolis.
- The Ennead of Heliopolis has nine.
Answer: The Hermopolis account.
Worked example: A god in two places
Amun is in the Ogdoad. Why did that matter to the priests of Thebes?
- Amun stands for hiddenness in the Ogdoad.
- Amun was the great god of Thebes.
- Theban priests could say the Eight were Amun’s, making their god part of the first moment.
Answer: It let Thebes claim Amun was present at creation.
Common mistake
Confusing the Ogdoad (eight gods, Hermopolis) with the Ennead (nine gods, Heliopolis). Quick check: Hermopolis’s own name, Khemenu, means "Eight Town", so the Eight belong there.