Back to atlas

Dragon Myth Entry

Egyptian

Apep

Egypt & North Africa

Apep - known to the Greeks as Apophis - is not a guardian dragon but a force of devouring darkness. In Egyptian cosmology, it rises each night against the solar journey of Ra, a vast serpent of chaos that must be resisted again and again.

Associated With

Night, eclipse, chaos, the underworld, cosmic threat

Atmosphere

In Egypt, the serpent waits in the dark beyond the sun's passage.

Print Museum CardApep illustration

Name

Apep

Egyptian

Region

Egypt & North Africa

Middle Kingdom to Ptolemaic ritual texts

Atlas Context

This entry is part of Where Dragons Dwell, an interactive atlas of dragon myths and sacred serpent traditions across world cultures.

Sources & Further Reading

Every reference below was verified against a live URL or a standard published edition. Primary texts and foundational ethnographic records are marked primary; modern academic studies and museum resources follow.

  • Bremner-Rhind Papyrus (P. BM EA 10188)

    Primary

    British Museum · c. 305 BCE

    Ptolemaic ritual papyrus preserving the “Book of Overthrowing Apep” rites.

  • The Book of Overthrowing Apep, trans. R. O. Faulkner

    Primary

    R. O. Faulkner · 1937–38

    Scholarly translation of the nightly spells against Apep protecting the sun god Ra.

  • The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife

    Scholarship

    Erik Hornung · 1999

    Cornell University Press survey of the Amduat and underworld books where Ra's nightly battle with Apep unfolds.