A mysterious and ancient being worshiped in Egypt from the earliest eras of settlement and best known from cultic ceremonies conducted in the Old Kingdom (2575–2134 B.C.E.), Aa’s cult was popular in the city of HELIOPOLIS, possibly predating NARMER (c. 3000 B.C.E.), who attempted to unite Upper and Lower Egypt. Aa was revered as “the Lord of the PRIMEVAL ISLAND OF TRAMPLING,” a mystical site associated with the moment of creation of Egyptian lore. In time this divine being became part of the cult of the god RE, the solar deity that was joined to the traditions of the god AMUN in some periods.
The moment of creation remained a vital aspect of Egyptian religion, renewed in each temple in daily ceremonies. The daily journeys of Re across the heavens as the sun, and the confrontation of the god with the dreaded terror of the TUAT, or Underworld, kept creation as a pertinent aspect of Egyptian mythology. In this constant renewal of creation, Aa was revered as the “COMPANION OF THE DIVINE HEART,” a designation that he shared with the divine being WA.
