Ogdoad- Egyptian GroupCollective"The Eight Primordials"

Before Creation

Four pairs swam in the waters before creation: frog-headed males and serpent-headed females, the conditions of the void. Water and darkness, infinity and hiddenness. Their city was Hermopolis, Khemenu, "The Eight." They were not gods in any recognizable sense. They were what existed when nothing else did.

The First Dawn

Their movements churned the void until a mound rose from the waters. A cosmic egg appeared on its summit. From the egg the sun god emerged, and light flooded the world. The Hermopolitan texts name the agent as the Great Cackler, a celestial goose whose cry shattered the primordial silence.

Death at Medinet Habu

The Ogdoad died after creation. Their work was finished. They were buried at Medinet Habu on the west bank of Thebes, and a cult at the site honored them with offerings. Every ten days, Amun crossed the Nile to pour libations at their grave.