Through the Duat - Sean Cruz - Source: Deviant Art
Apep, God of Chaos
"Listen, child, and I will tell you of the journey of our Sun God Ra, ruler of all.
"Long ago, Ra, most powerful of all beings, created our world. Ra drew each man and creature into existence by speaking their secret names. Though each common beast had a title given by man, only Ra knew each being's true name, which could call to obedience even the most wicked of hearts.
"Now Ra was a just ruler, and the times of his ruling were filled with peace and abundance. Ra desired to give warmth, protection, and light to those whom he had created. He saw the sins of the people that he had spoken into being, and it grieved him. Yet he also saw the beautiful things that they created to honor him as creator, and he resolved that he might forgive them.
"The people of men and servants of Ra destroyed the enemies of the sun God, and by slaughter atoned for their sins. Though Ra forgave them, for he knew that they were imperfect, he saw that he could no longer dwell in the places of men, and he left the realms of the earth to make his home in the heavens.
"As Ra ascended into the sky, he spoke into existence the heavenly beings and deities, and they praised him. In his wake gre beauty and order, the night sky, and all of the constellations. When he had done this, Ra looked to the earth and the lands under it and saw that they were filled with terrible beasts untouched by the light of the sun.
"Though Ra had fear in his heart for the terrible beasts of the deep, he knew that in order to give to his people light and protection, he must face the demons and rise in the morning. Ra mounted his boat and began to traverse the overarching sky.
"As the night drew near and Ra's boat approached the horizon, the journey through the sky took its toll, and he grew increasingly frail and old. His journey would be one of many struggles, and he knew that to regain his youth and strength, he must complete it and rise at daybreak, victorious over the disorder of the Duat.
"At eventide, Ra met the sorcerers of the west gate, who chanted invocations over him for his journey. Passing through the gate, Ra entered the Duat, land of darkness. As the boat approached the river of the underworld, Ra chose three companions for his travels: Watcher, Striker, and Steersman. Together, they protected our frail evening God against the works of evil and darkness.
"The hours of the journey passed, and the demons that Ra's boat faced grew ever stronger. Striker and Watcher guarded the sun God with javelins, fending off the lesser beasts, but the most fearsome of all was still to come. Though he hid beneath the dark waves, Apep God of Chaos accompanied the boat, hoping to devour Ra. This dragon, nemesis of Ra, plotted to destroy the order that Ra had created through his years of peaceful ruling.
"The great dragon of the Duat remained constantly with the boat. His darkened length shadowed the voyagers and threatened the purpose of their journey. After a time without seeing the serpent, the travelers and boat arrived at the throne of Osiris, king of the dead. In order to continue his journey, Ra needed to pass the judgement of the king. Ra paused at the foot of the throne awaiting a decision.
"In this moment of distraction, the dragon Apep attacked. The God of Chaos, nemesis of the order of Ra and creature of the darkness, could not look on Ra's light without being struck down. While his golden eyes were closed tight, the beast managed to strike the side of the boat with his dark coils, nearly jolting Ra into the frigid waters. As Ra fell to his knees, Steersman steadied the boat while Watcher and Striker jumped to assist the sun God, but their weapons could not pierce the metallic scaled armor of the dragon.
"Ra, having regained his feet, shouted with the voice of a thousand souls, commanding the serpent to meet his gaze. The demon resisted him, turning his head away. Yet Ra called again, speaking the true name of the beast, and ordered him to look upon his maker. Hearing his name, the serpent turned and met the gaze of our God Ra with his golden eyes. Overcome by the light, the demon plunged again into the depths to await his next chance to devour Ra.
"Seeing the battle of this mighty warrior, Osiris declared Ra worthy and allowed him to pass. Though there were still demons to battle in order to return to the light, Ra had regained some of his youth and strength, and he quickly overcame the works of darkness. In the twelfth hour, he was reborn into his full glory, ascending into the sky as the very sun that gives life, prepared to brighten another day for the children of men.
"Now, my child, rest and know that Ra watches over you and keeps the demons away. Though the darkness seems to prevail, the light will always overcome it. I will see you again in the morning, and I will tell you another tale of the Gods."
Author's Note: I read the Ancient Egyptian unit a few weeks back and hoped to retell some of these stories that I read as a child. I wanted to tell this tale in the context of a parent teaching their own child about the gods, and since Ra protects against the demons of the night, I figured that it would serve especially well as a bedtime story. Because Apep is the god of chaos, it made sense to use this story in my storybook to tie things off with the element of void/chaos. I haven't changed much about the story itself, aside from the way that Apep the dragon is overcome. In the original tale, the dragon is defeated by Ra's companions in the boat, but I wanted to give Ra a larger role in that fight, despite his aged status at that point of the night. Additionally, since Ra creates order and Apep is the god of chaos, I hoped to have a moment of "arch-nemesis" showdown. I accomplished that by having Ra overcome Apep with light, the very thing that he would be known for as the god of the sun. Despite the temporary defeat and the promise of another battle the very next evening, it is comforting to know that all that is required to overcome chaos and darkness is order and light.
Story Source - The Sun's Journey from Mackenzie's Egyptian Myth and Legend in the Ancient Egypt Readings.