Mehen- Egyptian GodDeity"The Coiled One"
Also known as: Mehenet and mḥn
Titles & Epithets
Domains
Symbols
Description
While Apophis coils to destroy the sun, Mehen coils to protect it: serpent against serpent in the darkest hours of the underworld. His massive body wraps around Ra's shrine on the solar barque, a living shield no hostile force can breach.
Mythology & Lore
The Coiled Protector
Mehen coiled his massive body around the shrine where Ra rested on the solar barque during the nightly journey through the Duat. The Amduat depicts his coils forming concentric rings around the sun god, a barrier both physical and magical. While other deities, particularly Set, fought Apophis directly, Mehen's role was to shield. He did not attack the chaos serpent. He wrapped the sun in serpent flesh and held it safe through the twelve hours of night.
The Mehen Board Game
An ancient Egyptian board game bears Mehen's name and form. The playing surface was shaped as a coiled serpent, with game pieces moving along the body from tail to head. Boards dating to the Predynastic and Old Kingdom periods are among the earliest evidence of the Mehen tradition. The exact rules are lost, but the coiled serpent path mirrors Ra's nightly journey through the underworld under Mehen's protection.