Apepi (Greek Apophis)

The great serpent, the impersonation of spiritual evil; and head of the powers of darkne against whom the sun under the form of Ra or Horus waged his daily war. He is represented as a serpent of many folds having a knife stuck into each. As the sun went towards the west, he was confronted by Apepi with his troops of fiends called Qettu, Sebau, Sheta, ., and battled with them all night until dawn. The 39th chapter of the "Book of the Dead" is devoted to details of the combat. There is also a work entitled "The Book of the Overthrowing of Apepi" (see below; also Nehi-Amsu), which treats entirely of this opponent of Ra who is, through Ra, the opponent of all souls of deceased persons. The dead were identified with Osiris, who was another form of the sun-god, lord of the underworld; therefore on the sun's ultimate victory depended their safety. In some instances we find Apepi identified with Typhon, and in Graeco-Roman times with Set. "Apepi was never called a god. He therefore represents, not a regularly occurring phenomenon, but an irregular and occasional one. He is the strong, dark, storm-cloud, and is overcome by the fire and flinty sword of the Sun-god and forced back into his subterranean cavern. One of his names is the Roarer; he is represented as blind, and another of his names, Ubar, signifies 'the blind one', like the Latin Cacus, or Caeculus." (Renouf.)