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{{short description|Group of nine deities in Egyptian mythology worshipped at Heliopolis}}
{{Distinguish|Enneads|Aeneid}}
{{Other uses}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Egyptian
| name = Ennead
| caption = '''Members''': [[Atum]], [[Shu (Egyptian god)|Shu]], [[Tefnut]], [[Geb]], [[Nut (goddess)|Nut]], [[Osiris]], [[Isis]], [[Set (deity)|Set]], [[Nephthys]]
| image = the Ennead.svg
| alt = <!-- for alternate text of the title image per [[WP:ALT]] -->
| hiero = <hiero>Z2:Z2:Z2-N9:X1-R8-R8-R8</hiero><ref name=Vygus-2015/>{{rp|style=ama|p= 2464}}<br/>{{Transliteration|egy|psḏt}}
| Canaanite_equivalent = [[El (deity)|El]]'s Divine Council
}}
The '''Ennead''' or '''Great Ennead''' was a group of nine [[Egyptian pantheon|deities]] in [[Egyptian mythology]] worshipped at [[Heliopolis (Ancient Egypt)|Heliopolis]]: the [[sun god]] [[Atum]]; his children [[Shu (Egyptian deity)|Shu]] and [[Tefnut]]; their children [[Geb]] and [[Nut (goddess)|Nut]]; and their children [[Osiris]], [[Isis]], [[Set (deity)|Set]], and [[Nephthys]].<ref name=Dunand-ZivieCoche-2004/> The Ennead sometimes includes [[Horus the Elder]]; an ancient form of the falcon god, not the son of Osiris and Isis.

==Status within ancient Egypt==
The Great Ennead was only one of several such groupings of nine deities in ancient Egypt. Claims to preeminence made by its Heliopolitan priests were not respected throughout Egypt, as each [[Nome (Egypt)|nome]] typically had its own local deities, whose priests insisted stood above all others;<ref name=Clifford-1994/> even in the nearby city of [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]], which along with Heliopolis is contained within the limits of modern [[Cairo]], the priests of [[Ptah]] celebrated him as singularly superior to the Nine &mdash; In addition to Memphis having its own creation myth, the contemporaneous city of [[Hermopolis]] had another creation story, the ''[[Ogdoad (Egyptian)|Ogdoad]]'', that accounted for the physical creation of the universe by eight (different) primordial gods.<ref name=Clifford-1994/>

{{anchor|Terminology|Name|Etymology}}

==Name in Egyptian, Greek, and Latin==
The English name ''ennead'' is a borrowing via [[Latin]] of the [[Ancient Greek language|Greek]] name ''enneás'' ({{lang|grc| {{math|ἐννεάς}} }}), meaning "the nine".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Ennead, ''n.'' |dictionary=Oxford English Dictionary |place=Oxford, UK |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/62478}}</ref> The term was a [[calque]] of the Egyptian name, written ''{{wikt-lang|egy|psḏt}}'' and also meaning "the Nine". Its original pronunciation is uncertain, since hieroglyphs do not record vowels, but may have been {{IPA|/piˈsiːcʼat/}} in [[Old Egyptian]], {{IPA|/piˈsiːtʼaʔ/}} in [[Middle Egyptian]], and {{IPA|/pəˈsiːtʼə/}} in [[Late Egyptian]]. [[Egyptologist]]s conventionally transcribe it as '''Pesedjet'''.

==History==
The [[ancient Egyptians]] created several enneads as their [[unification of Egypt|unification]] under {{nobr|[[Dynasty I]]}} brought numerous local cults into contact with one another. The ancient Egyptian mythology often had many different explanations for the same phenomenon. This concept is especially unique because no single story was more accurate than another, but rather the truth was a mix of them all.<ref name=Dunand-ZivieCoche-2004/> The [[Pyramid Texts]] of [[Dynasty V|Dynasties&nbsp;V]] and [[Dynasty VI|VI]] mention the "Great Ennead", the "Lesser Ennead", the "Dual Ennead", and the "Seven Enneads". Some [[pharaoh]]s established enneads that [[apotheosis|incorporated themselves as gods]]. The most notable case is {{nobr|[[Seti I]]}} of {{nobr|[[Dynasty XIX]],}} whose [[Mortuary Temple of Seti I|mortuary temple at Redesiyah]] celebrated an ennead of six major gods and three deified forms of himself. The ''ennead'' mentioned in the [[Egyptian calendar of lucky and unlucky days]],<ref>Papyrus Cairo 86637.</ref>{{full citation needed|date=November 2022}} may reference the [[Pleiades]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jetsu |first1=L. |last2=Porceddu |first2=S. |year=2015 |title=Shifting milestones of natural sciences: The ancient Egyptian discovery of Algol's period confirmed |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=10 |issue=12 |article-number=e0144140 |pmid=26679699 |pmc=4683080 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0144140 |doi-access=free |arxiv=1601.06990|bibcode=2015PLoSO..1044140J }}</ref>

The most important was the "Great" or "Heliopolitan Ennead" of Awanu ({{langx|egy|I͗wnw}}), known under the [[Ptolemaic Egypt|Greeks]] and [[Roman Egypt|Romans]] as [[Heliopolis (Ancient Egypt)|Heliopolis]]. It celebrated the family of the [[sun god]] [[Atum]] (sometimes referred to as [[Atum-re]]<ref name=Clifford-1994/>) and thrived from the [[Old Kingdom]] to the [[Ptolemaic Egypt|Ptolemaic period]].

Its development remains uncertain, although it appears to have first appeared when [[Ra]]'s cult – supreme under {{nobr|[[Dynasty V]]}} – declined in importance under {{nobr|[[Dynasty VI]]}}. [[Egyptologist]]s have traditionally theorized that the Heliopolitan priesthood established it to establish the preeminence of Atum over the others, incorporating some major gods in lesser positions and omitting others entirely. The most prominent of such deities was [[Osiris]], [[god of vegetation]] and the [[Ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs|afterlife]], who was incorporated into the ennead as Atum's great-grandson. However, in the 20th century, some Egyptologists{{Who|date=December 2009}} question the whole scenario. After the Great Ennead was well established, the cult of Ra – [[syncretization|identified with]] Atum – recovered much of its importance until superseded by the cult of [[Horus]]. The two were then combined as ''Ra-Horus of the Horizons''.

{{anchor|Legend|Legends|Myth}}

==Mythology==
{{Ancient Egyptian religion}}
According to the [[creation story]] of the Heliopolitan priests, the world originally consisted of the primordial waters of precreation personified as [[Naunet|Nun]].<ref name=Dunand-ZivieCoche-2004/> From it arose a mound on the First Occasion.<ref name=Dunand-ZivieCoche-2004/> Upon the mound sat the self-begotten god [[Atum]], who was equated with the [[sun god]] [[Ra]]. Atum evolved from Nun through self-creation.<ref name=Dunand-ZivieCoche-2004/> Atum either spat or masturbated, producing [[Air (classical element)|air]] personified as [[Shu (Egyptian deity)|Shu]] and [[humidity|moisture]] personified as [[Tefnut]]. The siblings Shu and Tefnut mated to produce the earth personified as [[Geb]] and the nighttime sky personified as [[Nut (goddess)|Nut]].

Geb and Nut were the parents of [[Osiris]] and [[Isis]] and of [[Set (god)|Set]] and [[Nephthys]], who became respective couples in turn. Osiris and Isis represent fertility and order, while Set and Nephthys represent chaos to balance out Osiris and Isis.<ref name=Clifford-1994/> [[Horus]], the son of Osiris and Isis, is often included in this creation tradition.<ref name=Dunand-ZivieCoche-2004/> Due to the duality of Ancient Egyptian myths, this is only one of [[Ancient Egyptian creation myths|many creation stories]].<ref name=Clifford-1994/> The Egyptians believed no specific myth was more correct than the other, rather that some combination of these myths was correct.<ref name=Dunand-ZivieCoche-2004/> This creation story, the Heliopolitan tradition, is one of physiological creation.<ref name=Clifford-1994/> The other major creation traditions are the [[Memphite Theology]] and [[Hermopolis|Hermopolitian]] [[Ogdoad creation myth]].<ref name=Clifford-1994/>

==Family tree==
{{tree chart/start|style=margin:1em auto 1em auto; page-break-inside:avoid; font-size:100%}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | |ATU|ATU=[[File:Atum with Double Crown (Pschent, based on paintings).svg|100x100px]]<br />'''[[Atum]]'''}}
{{tree chart| | | |,|-|-|-|^|-|-|-|.|}}
{{tree chart| | | SHU|~|~|y|~|~|TEF|SHU=[[File:Shu with feather.svg|100x100px]]<br />'''[[Shu (Egyptian deity)|Shu]]'''|TEF=[[File:Tefnut.svg|100x100px]]<br />'''[[Tefnut]]'''}}
{{tree chart| | | |,|-|-|-|^|-|-|-|.|}}
{{tree chart| | | GEB|~|~|y|~|~|NUT|GEB=[[File:Geb.svg|100x100px]]<br />'''[[Geb]]'''|NUT=[[File:Nut.svg|100x100px]]<br />'''[[Nut (goddess)|Nut]]'''}}
{{tree chart| |,|-|-|-|v|-|^|-|v|-|-|-|.|}}
{{tree chart|OSI|~|ISI| |SET|~|NEP|OSI=[[File:Standing Osiris.svg|100x100px]]<br />'''[[Osiris]]'''|ISI=[[File:Isis.svg|100x100px]]<br />'''[[Isis]]'''|SET=[[File:Set.svg|100x100px]]<br />'''[[Set (mythology)|Set]]'''|NEP=[[File:Nepthys.svg|100x100px]]<br />'''[[Nephthys]]'''}}
{{tree chart/end}}

==Variant hieroglyphs for the Ennead==
:{|cellpadding=10 class=wikitable
|-
| <hiero>N6:D46-R8-R8-R8-G7-Z3</hiero>
| <hiero>N9*X1:Z2-R8</hiero>
| <hiero>N6:X1-R8-R8-R8-A40-Z3</hiero>
|-
| <hiero>N6:X1*Z4-R8-R8-R8-G7-Z3</hiero><ref name=Vygus-2015/>{{rp|style=ama|p= 1229}}
| <hiero>N9:X1-R8-Z3</hiero>
| <hiero>N6-X1-R8-R8-R8</hiero>
|-
| <hiero>N9:X1-R8-R8-R8-A40-Z3</hiero>
| <hiero>N9:X1-A40:Z2</hiero>
| <hiero>N9:X1-R8-R8-R8-G7</hiero>
|-
| <hiero>N9:X1-R8-R8-R8</hiero>
| <hiero>N9:Y1-R8A</hiero>
| <hiero>N10:Y1-R8A-G7-Z3A</hiero><ref name=Vygus-2015/>{{rp|style=ama|p= 1233}}
|-
| <hiero>R8*R8*R8:R8*R8*R8:R8*R8*R8</hiero>{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}
|colspan=2|<hiero>N9:Y1-R8A-R8A-R8A</hiero>
|}

:{|cellpadding=10 class=wikitable
| <hiero>N9:Z3A*Z3A*Z3A-R8A-R8A-R8A</hiero> (properly <hiero>Z16H</hiero>)<ref name=Vygus-2015/>{{rp|style=ama|p= 1232}}
| <hiero>F37:X1-Z2:Z2:Z2-R8-R8-R8</hiero> (properly <hiero>F37J</hiero>, a variant with a plain line at a 45° angle)<ref name=Vygus-2015/>{{rp|style=ama|p= 518}}
|}

A dual Ennead (''{{lang|egy|Psḏty}}'') was written
<hiero>R8A-R8A-R8A-R8A-R8A-R8A</hiero><ref name=Vygus-2015/>{{rp|style=ama|p= 1702}}

==In popular culture==
In ''[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]]: [[Stardust Crusaders]]'', nine of [[Dio Brando]]'s minions have Stands named after the Ennead.

Most of the Ennead are portrayed in ''[[Gods of Egypt (film)|Gods of Egypt]]'' (2016 movie); the main focus of the movie is the conflict between the protagonist god Horus versus the antagonist god Set.

In the first episode of the 2022 [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] television miniseries [[Moon Knight (miniseries)|Moon Knight]], [[Steven Grant (character)|Steven Grant]] points out a problem with some of the museum's marketing material that seems to refer to the Ennead as a pantheon consisting of seven, rather than nine, gods. Yet in episode 3 they name [[Hathor]] as part of the Ennead, pointing out a deviation with the series' interpretation of the mythology.

The ''Infernal Relics'' expansion to the cooperative, superhero card-game [[Sentinels of the Multiverse]] introduced a group of supervillains collectively called the Ennead. Each of its members wield an ancient artifact that grant them the powers and appearance of a member of the mythological Ennead; in the game's universe, most of the ancient Egyptian religion originated from stories about the original wielders of these artifacts.

==References==
{{Reflist|25em|refs=

<ref name=Clifford-1994>
{{cite book
 |last=Clifford |first=Richard
 |year=1994
 |title=Creation Accounts in the Ancient Near East and in the Bible
 |pages=99–116
 |place=Washington, DC
 |publisher=Catholic Biblical Association
 |isbn=978-0-915170-25-8 |lccn=94026565
 |url=https://archive.org/details/creationaccounts0000clif
 |via=archive.org
}}
</ref>

<ref name=Dunand-ZivieCoche-2004>
{{cite book
 |last1=Dunand |first1=Françoise |author1-link=Françoise Dunand
 |last2=Zivie-Coche |first2=Christiane
 |year=2004
 |title=Gods and men in Egypt: 3000&nbsp;BCE to 395&nbsp;CE
 |place=Ithaca, NY |publisher=Cornell University Press
 |isbn=0-8014-8853-2 |oclc=937102309
}}
</ref>

<ref name=Vygus-2015>
{{cite web
 |last=Vygus |first=Mark
 |date=April 2015
 |title=Middle Egyptian Dictionary
 |website=Pyramid Texts Online
 |url=http://www.pyramidtextsonline.com/documents/VygusDictionaryApril2015.pdf
}}
</ref>

}} <!-- end "refs=" -->

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin|colwidth=25em|small=yes}}
* {{cite web |last=Vygus |first=Mark |date=April 2015 |title=Middle Egyptian Dictionary |website=Pyramid Texts Online |url=https://rhbarnhart.net/VYGUS_Dictionary_2018.pdf}}
{{refend}}

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{{Ancient Egyptian religion footer}}

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[[Category:Nonets]]
[[Category:Groups of Egyptian deities]]
[[Category:Egyptian mythology]]
[[Category:Creation myths]]
[[Category:Cultural lists]]

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