Apep

Sources present Apep as a primeval adversary of the ordered cosmos whose existence explains the need for the sun's nightly renewal; some mythic variants recorded in modern summaries describe him as an earlier or discarded sun-god who became an antagonist to Ra, though the tradition is variable across retellings. The being functions within Egyptian cosmology as the recurrent opponent whose assaults must be defeated to preserve Maat and the sun's successful passage.

Apep is typically depicted as a gigantic serpent and in some accounts is described in crocodilian terms or more generally as a huge serpent-like monster that inhabits or threatens the celestial waters (the mythic/celestial Nile) through which the sun’s barque travels.

Apep's principal activity is to attempt to disrupt or destroy the solar barque of Ra in the nightly/daily passage of the sun, an act that symbolizes attacks on light, order, and life. He is associated with chaos and darkness and in some retellings with destructive phenomena (for example storm-forms described in later paraphrases) as expressions of his temporary or partial success. Mythic texts and ritual spells present Ra, Horus, and royal power as combatants or invoked forces against Apep.