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# Apophis

🏷 Egyptian mythical creature pun spook enemy · name — by Gerry · Aug 2021 · 436 words

In Egyptian mythology, the monster Apophis or Apep was a gargantuan snake, enemy of all gods, who attacked the sun god Ra in his barque each night. Apophis was written ˤȝpp, and the official pun is probably with bbn “snaking”, in combination with ḫppw “enemy”. But since the Egyptian elites were already spooks or proto-spooks, the secret pun was probably with jpp “exploration” & “reckoning” by their subjects, which has always been their worst enemy!

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As usual, Apophis consists of semi-official punnery, and secret spooky puns:

- Apophis is written ˤȝpp, and depicted as a giant snake, often with many knives stuck in it.
- Apophis is an enemy, probably because ˤȝ-ḫppw means “the great enemy”.
- Apophis is a snake, probably because ˤȝ-bbn means something like “the great slitherer”.
- Apophis tries to stop the sun barque, probably because ḥpp means “holding back”.
- Apophis tries to stop the sun barque, perhaps because ˤpp is a name for the winged sundisk, probably derived from ˤpj “flying”.
- Apophis tries to stop the sun barque on its journey, perhaps because ˤpp / ˤppt means “passing” & “traversing”, and hbhb also means “traversing”. This may also allude to the sun.
- Apophis tries to stop the sun barque on its journey through the underworld, perhaps because ḫp means “deceased”.
- Apophis is a spook enemy, because jp / jpp means “searching”, “exploring”, “discerning”, “examining”, “assessing”, “reckoning”. If you reverse Apophis’ name, it even puns with jpp-ˤȝ, which means “examining the aristocracy”, and also “great reckoning”. That is what the aristocrats have always feared most: That their corrupt dealings would be examined & discerned by their subjects, and that there would be a great reckoning!!!

For more punnery linked to Apophis, see Ra, and especially Ra’s 2 barques.

The gods who helped Ra to defend against Apophis are probably spook puns as well. One such defender was Seth, who puns with being “hidden”, the spooks’ main defense against being “examined”.

#### Egyptian ˤȝpp = Apophis; ḫppw = enemy; bbn = slither

𓉻𓊪𓊪𓆙 ˤȝpp : Apophis; snake god, enemy of gods — Egyptian (TLA)

𓐍𓊪𓊪𓀏 ḫppw : enemy (?) — Egyptian (TLA)

𓐍𓊪𓊪𓀏 ḫppw : foe, stranger — Egyptian (Vygus)

𓃀𓃀𓈖𓂻 bbn : to wriggle (of a snake) — Egyptian (TLA)

𓃀𓃀𓈖𓂻 bbn : crawl, creep, slither (of a snake) — Egyptian (Vygus)

#### Egyptian jpp, jp = search, explore, reckoning; ˤȝ = great, leader, noble

𓇋𓊪𓊪 jpp : search, explore — Egyptian (Vygus)

𓇋𓊪𓊪 jpp : explore — Egyptian (TLA)

𓇋𓊪𓏛 jp : exact, detail, claim, examine, recognize, take heed of — Egyptian (Vygus)

𓇋𓊪𓏏𓏛 jp : shrewd, discerning, expert — Egyptian (Vygus)

𓇋𓊪𓏛 jp : count, reckon up, make reckoning, assess, pay — Egyptian (Vygus)

𓉻𓏛𓀀 ˤȝ : leader, chief, workman, commander, elder, noble, master — Egyptian (Vygus)

🏷 Egyptian mythical creature pun spook enemy · name