TYPE: Sun God and Creator God
ORIGIN: Egyptian
KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP: Old Kingdom (circa 2700 BCE) to end of Egyptian history (circa 400 CE)
SYNONYMS: Atum-Re
CENTER(S) OF CULT: Heliopolis
ART REFERENCES: Wall paintings particularly in New Kingdom tombs in the Valley of the Kings (Thebes), votive inscriptions, contemporary sculpture.
LITERARY SOURCES: Pyramid Texts; coffin texts; Book of the Dead, etc.
CONSORT: Lusaaset or Nebethetepet
CHILDREN: Shu and Tefnut in some accounts
INFORMATION:Atum is one of several interpretations of the major creator god of Egypt whose company is the product of a fragmented pre-Dynastic tribal history. Atum shared Heliopolis with another son god, Re and eventually became joined with him as Atum-Re or Re-Atum. The god was self-created from the primeval ocean and by masturbation he produced the next two great deities of the Egyptian cosmos, Šu and Tefnut, who also constitute the beginnings of the pantheon of nine Heliopolis deities, the Ennead. Atum is generally represented in human form and often wears a crown that combines those of Upper and Lower Egypt. He is represented as various animals including the bull, lion, snake, and lizard. Atum was regarded as the progenitor of the Egyptian pharaohs.
Both Atum and Re are represented by a divine black bull. Mnevis of Mer-wer, wearing the sun disc and uraeus or snake between its horns. It acts as a intercessor between the sun god and his priests at Heliopolis.