mehen

In Egyptian mythology, Mehen is a snake god who fights alongside Set each night to protect the night journey of Ra in his Sun Boat (also Sun Barque) through the underworld. Each night, the serpent monster Apep would try to consume Ra in the Sun Barque. Mehen coils around Apep while Set attacks the monster with a spear. On the occasion where Apep would succeed, Mehen and Set cleave a hole in the belly of the monster through which the Sun Barque escapes. Mehen is depicted with the Sun Barque, often sometimes as a snake coiled protectively around the boat. Other times he is shown as a man with the head of a serpent standing in the boat and holding a spear.

Mehen

See Also