Kek (mythology)

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Kek
Kuk and Kuket.jpg
Kauket (left) and Kek (right) sitting on thrones, relief from a temple at Deir el-Medina
Name in hieroglyphs
Kek (mythology)
Kek (mythology)
Kek (mythology)

Kek

Kek (mythology)
Kek (mythology)
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Kekui

Kek (mythology)
Kek (mythology)
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Kek (mythology)
Kek (mythology)

Kekuit

Kek (mythology)
Kek (mythology)
Kek (mythology)Kek (mythology)

Major cult center Hermopolis (as a member of the Ogdoad)
Genealogy
SpouseKauket

Kek is the definition, and concept of primordial darkness [1] in the ancient Egyptian Ogdoad cosmogony of Hermopolis.

Contents

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 was later paired with images of Pepe, [8] resulting in a resurgence of interest in the ancient deity. [9]

Believers in Kek say that repeating integers, often called “dubs”, are the prima materia of reality, and that their occurrence invoke the deity. [10]

See also

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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. Vol. 1. Methuen & Co. pp. 241, 283–286.
  3. Budge, E. A. Wallis (1904b). The Gods of the Egyptians: Or, Studies in Egyptian Mythology. Vol. 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 (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". Polygon . Archived 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'". Southern Poverty Law Center . Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  10. "The Truth About Pepe and the Cult of Kek". wordpress.com. Retrieved 2023-06-05.