ATUM - PART ONE
With a good number of Egyptian deities that are still not mentioned in the SG-1 series, there is the chance of introducing new Goa'uld threats from this ancient world. Most of the ideas presented here are speculative, and draw upon the myths as inspiration for their role in the Stargate universe.
Though they are not as well-known as Ra or Horus, the deities Atum, Tefnut and Shu are important names to consider. They are part of the Ennead, a family of gods seen sailing with Ra on his Solar Boat, and they are portrayed in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Although not defined in the organizational tree, the Goa'uld symbols with which television are teased in Season Three's "Seth" can be interpreted to imply that these mythological do exist in the Stargate universe.1 Their role in the series would be interesting because it can provide some early history of the Goa'uld.
Atum was one of the great creator gods of ancient Egypt, and is basically an alternate form of Ra. He represented the setting sun. And like Ra, he created the universe out of chaos. One legend describes him creating his son and daughter, Shu and Tefnut, in an act of masturbation; they sprang forth from his semen. Alternate interpretations suggest Shu and Tefnut's birth differently -- they sprang forth from his spittle.2
In art, Atum is normally depicted in the form of a human. He is one of the few gods ofancient Egypt who does not have an animal head. However, one incarnation of him is that of an ichneumon -- an Egyptian mongoose. For the ancient Egyptians, they regarded this creature as a great destroyer of snakes and crocodile eggs. One story tells of Atum transforming into an ichneumon in order to destroy a snake that attempted to attack him.3
Curiously, Atum can also take the shape of a serpent. When he first came into being, he emerged out of the waters of the Nun as a snake.4 It wasn't until later when he decided to take the form of a human.
According to legend, the ancient Egyptians believed that when the end of time nears, the god Atum will revert to his snake form and return into the waters of the Nun.
One of the earliest written doctrines of Atum was set down during the reign of Unas, a king from the fifth dynasty of Egypt. When he ordered his tomb built, he had inscriptions written on the walls. These writings form what archeologists know as the Pyramid Texts. They speak of the creation of the world (detailing the rise of Atum) and give information for the dead king, Unas, on how to survive the world of the afterlife. (As detailed in a previous article, Unas survived by eating the bodies of the gods in order to inherit their powers.5)
With this type of background, Atum would make an ideal Goa'uld when considering the race's origins. Just like the Goa'uld, his natural form is that of a snake and his natural environment is the water, presumably that of the Nun. With the conclusion Daniel reaches about the planet P3X-888 being the original Goa'uld homeworld, it stands well to reason that one of the first snakes that rose out of the waters was Atum.6
Although these early Goa'uld could be given virtually any name by the writers, homage is being paid to the show's Egyptian roots in this episode, "The First Ones." For one thing, Dr. Rothman names the fossil he digs up "Cleopatra" (with Greek names taking a lower precedence of other identified fossils), and the Unas make a return appearance.
With the Unas being the unlucky race to be around when the Goa'uld finally decided to crawl out of the water, they were the first ones to be used as hosts. The conflict between the aboriginal Unas with the planet-side Goa'uld is much like the myth.7 The scene of the aboriginal Unas eating the head of a Goa'uld is reminiscent of the myth where the king Unas eats the gods.
Also, given the reproduction methods that Goa'uld queens use, the act of spawning Shu and Tefnut (their natural forms) by masturbation is an appropriate analogy -- especially for these early Goa'uld, since nothing about their biological makeup is known.8 The more evolved Goa'ulds are known; these queens bioengineer future progenies by use of a device that manipulates the genetic material of other races so that the larvae are compatible.9
In part two of this article, the mythical origins of Shu and Tefnut -- and their possible incorporation into the "Stargate SG-1" universe -- will be discussed.
FOOTNOTES
1. Stargate SG-1 : "Seth" prologue
2. Walters, Barbera. Gods of Ancient Egypt, p.25
3. Ibid., p.24
4. The Ancient Egyptians believed that in the beginning, the earth was covered with water and that all was dark and void. This primordial water was called the Nun. When the waters receded, lands began to form.
5. Sum, Ed. "The Unas."
6. "Stargate SG-1" : "The First Ones"
7. Sum, Ed. "The Unas."
8. Mark Nguyen, 01/05/01
9. "Stargate SG-1" : "Hathor"
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