Atem
also Atum, Atoum
Atem was the creator god of Heliopolis. While only the primordial waters of Nun existed he apparently had the form of a snake:
Atum has bitten and has filled his mouth, and he coils up.He would reassume this shape after ending the world [1]; and, swimming in the waters of chaos, he would get ready for another act of creation.Coffin Texts #717
S. M. elSebaie, The Destiny of the World: A Study on the End of the Universe in the Light of Ancient Egyptian Texts,
Thesis, University of Toronto 2000, p.39
Atem merged with Re to represent the setting evening sun as Atem-Re.
... I shall go down in the west like AtumAlso known as Atem-Re-Harakhte, Atem-Khepre, Atem-Harmakhis. In the Memphite mythology he was brought forth by PtahThutmose III, Karnak obelisk
J. H. Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, Part Two, § 318
Ptah-Nun, the father who [made] Atum.
Ptah-Naunet, the mother who bore AtumShabaka Stone
M. Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol.1, p.54
[1] The role of the snake in the Egyptian mythology is ambiguous. On the one hand it personifies evil and destruction, such as Apep or Sebau attempting the destruction of Re on his nightly journey through the underworld, on the other hand the snake also symbolizes creation, rebirth and life after death. As the world encircler it was the chaos surrounding the world of Maat, while the snake biting its own tail symbolized eternity.
