View source for Religion:Tatenen

{{short description|Ancient Egyptian deity of the primordial mound}}{{Infobox deity
| type = Egyptian
| name = Tatenen
| image = Tatenenfixed2.jpg
| caption = Tatenen, the androgynous personification of the primordial mound of Benben (a modern rendition based on depictions from antiquity).
| cult_center = Memphis
| offspring = the [[Religion:Ogdoad (Egyptian)|Ogdoad]] (some accounts)
| hiero = <hiero>tA:N23*Z1:T-M22-M22-C18</hiero>
}}
'''Tatenen''' (also '''Ta-tenen''', '''Tatjenen''', '''Tathenen''', '''Tanen''', '''Tenen''', '''Tanenu''', and '''Tanuu''') was the deity of the primordial mound in ancient Egyptian religion. His name means "risen land"<ref name="Tatenen">[http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/religion/tatenen.htm Tatenen]. Retrieved 2009-10-21.</ref> or "exalted earth",<ref name="TheEgyptianGods">[http://www.philae.nu/akhet/NetjeruT.html The Egyptian Gods] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503152132/http://www.philae.nu/akhet/NetjeruT.html |date=2009-05-03 }} Retrieved 2008-10-21.</ref> as well as referring to the [[Earth:Silt|silt]] of the Nile. As a primeval chthonic deity,<ref name="globalegyptianmuseum">[http://www.globalegyptianmuseum.org/glossary.aspx?id=367 Tatenen] Retrieved 2009-10-21.</ref> Tatenen was identified with [[Astronomy:Creation myth|creation]]. Both feminine and masculine, he was an androgynous protector of [[Earth:Nature|nature]] from the Memphis area (then known as ''Men-nefer''), the ancient capital of the Inebu-hedj nome in [[Place:Lower Egypt|Lower Egypt]].

Tatenen represented the [[Astronomy:Earth|Earth]] and was born in the moment it rose from the watery chaos,<ref name="Tatenen" /> analogous to the primeval mound of the [[Unsolved:Benben|benben]] and [[Engineering:Mastaba|mastaba]] and the later pyramids. He was seen as the source of "food and viands, divine offers, all good things",<ref>C. J. Bleeker. ''Historia Religionum I: Religions of the Past'', p.68</ref> as his realms were the deep regions beneath the earth "from which everything emerges", specifically including plants, vegetables, and minerals.<ref name="globalegyptianmuseum" /> In the Third Intermediate Period hymn, The Great Hymn of Khnum, he is identified with the creator god [[Religion:Khnum|Khnum]], who created "all that is" on his potter's wheel.<ref>M. Lichtheim: Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol.3, p.113</ref> This fortuity granted him the titles of both "creator and mother who gave birth to all gods" and "father of all the gods".<ref name="Tatenen" /><ref>J. H. Breasted: Ancient Records of Egypt, Part Three, § 411</ref> He also personified [[Place:Egypt|Egypt]] (due to his associations with rebirth and the Nile) and was an aspect of the earth-god Geb, as a source of artistic inspiration,<ref>J. H. Breasted: Ancient Records of Egypt, Part Two, § 91</ref> as well as assisting the dead in their journey to the [[Philosophy:Afterlife|afterlife]].<ref>Carol Andrews: The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, spell 180</ref>

He is first attested in the [[Religion:Coffin Texts|inscriptions]] that mostly appear on coffins during the First Intermediate Period and [[History:Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]]. In those inscriptions his name appears as Tanenu or Tanuu, 'the inert land', a name which characterizes him as a deity of the primeval condition of the earth. Middle Kingdom texts provide the first examples of the form Tatenen.<ref name="globalegyptianmuseum" />

With a staff, Tatenen repelled the evil serpent [[Unsolved:Apep|Apep]] from the Primeval Mound. He also had a magical mace dedicated to the [[Biology:Falcon|falcon]], venerated as "The Great White of the Earth Creator".<ref name="gender">[http://www.whatisgender.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=187 Intersexed and Androgynous Deities in Religion or Mythology]. Retrieved 2009-10-21.</ref> In one interpretation, Tatenen brought the [[Biology:Djed|Djed]]-pillars of stability to the country,<ref name="gender" /> although this is more commonly attributed to [[Religion:Ptah|Ptah]].

==Ptah-Tatenen==
Both Tatenen and Ptah were Memphite deities. Tatenen was the more ancient, combined in the Old Kingdom with Ptah as Ptah-Tatenen, in their capacity as creator deities.<ref name="TheEgyptianGods" /> By the Nineteenth Dynasty Ptah-Tatenen is his sole form, and he is worshiped as royal creator god. Ptah-Tatenen can be seen as father of the [[Religion:Ogdoad (Egyptian)|Ogdoad]] of Hermopolis, the eight deities who themselves embody the primeval elements from before creation.<ref name="globalegyptianmuseum" />

==Portrayal==
[[File:Tatenen painting.jpeg|left|thumb|Painting of Tatenen from the tomb of Mentuherkhepeshef, KV19]]{{Ancient Egyptian religion}}
Tatenen's ambiguous portrayal may be a result of his being merged with [[Religion:Ptah|Ptah]]. He was most commonly depicted in human form, sometimes with green skin,<ref>Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). ''The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt''. Thames & Hudson. p. 130</ref> usually seated with a pharaonic beard, wearing either an [[Biology:Atef|Atef]]-crown (as Ptah-Sokar) or, more commonly, a pair of ram's horns surmounted by a sun disk and two tall feathers.<ref name=globalegyptianmuseum/> As Tanenu or Tanuu, obviously a chthonic deity, he carried two snakes on his head.<ref name=globalegyptianmuseum/> He was both feminine and masculine because of his status as a primeval, creator deity.<ref name=Tatenen/> Some depictions show Tatenen with a green complexion (face and arms), as he had connections to fertility and a chthonic association with plants.<ref name=TheEgyptianGods/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}



[[Category:Creator gods]]

{{Sourceattribution|Tatenen}}