Kek and Kauket , Deities of Darkness, Obscurity and Night

Caroline Seawright

February 17, 2003

December 13, 2012

The Egyptians believed that before the earth was created, there was nothing but a dark, directionless, chaotic watery mass. In this chaos lived the Ogdoad of Khmunu (Hermopolis), the four frog gods and four snake goddesses of chaos. These beings were Nun and Naunet (water), Amen and Amaunet (invisibility), Heh and Hauhet (infinity) and Kek and Kauket (darkness). The chaos existed without the light, and thus Kek and Kauket came to represent this darkness. They also symbolised obscurity, the kind of obscurity that went with darkness, and night.