Kek (mythology)
Kek is the deification of the concept of primordial
darkness[1] in the ancient Egyptian Ogdoad cosmogony Kek
of Hermopolis.
The Ogdoad consisted of four pairs of deities, four male
gods paired with their female counterparts. Kek's
female counterpart was Kauket.[2][3][4] Kek and
Kauket in some aspects also represent night and day,
and were called "raiser up of the light" and the "raiser
up of the night", respectively.[5]
The name is written as kk or kkwy with a variant of the
sky hieroglyph in ligature with the staff (N2) associated
with the word for "darkness" kkw.[6]
History
In the oldest representations, Kekui is given the head of
a serpent, and Kekuit the head of either a frog or a cat.
In one scene, they are identified with Ka and Kait; in
this scene, Ka-Kekui has the head of a frog surmounted
by a beetle and Kait-Kekuit has the head of a serpent Name in
surmounted by a disk.[7] hieroglyphs
In the Greco-Roman period, Kek's male form was
depicted as a frog-headed man, and the female form as Kek
a serpent-headed woman, as were all four dualistic
concepts in the Ogdoad.
In popular culture Kekuit
Major cult Hermopolis (as a member of
center the Ogdoad)
Genealogy
Individuals associated with online message boards, such Spouse Kauket
as 4chan, noted a similarity between Kek and the
character Pepe the Frog. This was later paired with
Kauket
images of Pepe,[8] resulting in a resurgence of interest
Name in
in the ancient deity.[9]
hieroglyphs
Major cult Hermopolis (as a member of
See also center the Ogdoad)
Genealogy
Heqet Spouse Kek
Erebus
References
1. Hornung, E. (1965). "Licht und Finsternis in der Vorstellungswelt Altägyptens". Studium Generale.
8: 72–83.
2. Budge, E. A. Wallis (1904a). The Gods of the Egyptians: Or, Studies in Egyptian Mythology (http
s://archive.org/stream/godsofegyptianso00budg#page/282/mode/2up). Vol. 1. Methuen & Co.
pp. 241, 283–286.
3. Budge, E. A. Wallis (1904b). The Gods of the Egyptians: Or, Studies in Egyptian Mythology (http
s://archive.org/stream/godsofegyptianso02budg#page/378/mode/2up). Vol. 2. Methuen & Co.
pp. 2, 378.
4. Steindorff, Georg (1905). The Religion of the Ancient Egyptians (https://archive.org/stream/religion
ofancien00stei#page/50/mode/2up). G. P. Putnam's Sons. p. 50.
5. Budge (1904a), p. 285f, vol. 1.
6. Budge (1904a), p. 283, vol. 1.
7. Budge (1904a), p. 286, vol. 1.
8. Sarkar, Samit (September 14, 2017). "Bungie explains how Destiny 2 armor resembling hate
symbol made it into the game" (https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/14/16310330/destiny-2-armor-wh
ite-nationalist-kek-symbol-explanation). Polygon. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20190520
062428/https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/14/16310330/destiny-2-armor-white-nationalist-kek-sym
bol-explanation) from the original on May 20, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
9. David, Neiwert (May 8, 2017). "What the Kek: Explaining the Alt-Right 'Deity' Behind Their 'Meme
Magic' " (https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/05/08/what-kek-explaining-alt-right-deity-behin
d-their-meme-magic). Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
External links
Seawright, Caroline (2003). "Kek and Kauket, Deities of Darkness, Obscurity and Night" (https://w
eb.archive.org/web/20170513182345/http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/ke
k.html). Archived from the original (http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/kek.ht
ml) on 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
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