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Atum

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Primordial creator god who emerged from the waters of Nun to begin creation

Detailed Definition
Atum, self-created, generated Shu and Tefnut by spitting or masturbation, initiating the Ennead of Heliopolis. He embodies completion and the setting sun. Poets invoke Atum to contemplate origins, self-generation, and the cyclical return to unity—often in cosmogonic or meditative verse on the nature of beginnings and endings.
Example
Example in poetry:
Atum, self-created god who emerged from Nun’s waters; Poets call Atum “the finisher of all things,” both beginning and end; From Atum’s tears came humanity; his breath, the winds; In Heliopolis, priests chanted Atum’s names at dawn and dusk; Atum’s union with himself birthed Shu and Tefnut, air and moisture; Verse honors Atum as the silent source from which all flows.
Additional Notes
Atum is the creator god of Heliopolis who emerged from the primordial waters (Nun) and self-created through masturbation or spitting; he fathered Shu and Tefnut—Atum embodies completion and self-generation, useful in poetry for themes of origin, solitude, or cyclical return (he becomes the setting sun).
Also Known As
Tem Tum Ra
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