Kek (mythology)

Kekui in hieroglyphs
V31
V31		 N2

Kek
V31
V31		 yG43N2A40

Kekui
V31
V31		 yG43N2X1
H8		 B1

Kekuit
Keket
V31
V31		 N2B1
and Kekui
V31
V31		 Z7
y		 N2A40
depicted at Deir el-Medina.

Kek is the deification of the concept of primordial darkness (kkw sm3w[1]) in the Ancient Egyptian Ogdoad cosmogony 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 surmounted by a disk.[7]

In the Greco-Roman period, Kek's male form was depicted as a frog-headed man, and the female form as a serpent-headed woman, as were all four dualistic concepts in the Ogdoad.

In relation to the 2016 United States presidential election, individuals associated with online message boards, such as 4chan, noted a similarity between Kek and the character Pepe the Frog. This resulted in a resurgence of interest in the ancient deity.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ E. Hornung, "Licht und Finsternis in der Vorstellungswelt Altägyptens", Studium Generale 8 (1965), 72-83.
  2. ↑ Budge, E. A. Wallis (1904). The Gods of the Egyptians: Or, Studies in Egyptian Mythology. 1. Methuen & Co. pp. 241, 283–286.
  3. ↑ Budge, E. A. Wallis (1904). The Gods of the Egyptians: Or, Studies in Egyptian Mythology. 2. Methuen & Co. pp. 2, 378.
  4. ↑ Steindorff, Georg (1905). The Religion of the Ancient Egyptians. G. P. Putnam's Sons. p. 50.
  5. ↑ Budge (1904), p. 285f, vol. 1.
  6. ↑ Budge (1904), p. 283, vol. 1.
  7. ↑ Budge (1904), p. 286, vol. 1.
  8. ↑ David, Neiwert (May 8, 2017). "What the Kek: Explaining the Alt-Right 'Deity' Behind Their 'Meme Magic'". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  • Seawright, Caroline (2003). "Kek and Kauket, Deities of Darkness, Obscurity and Night".
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