Okay, so like over a thousand years ago B.C. there was this Egyptian sun god named Ra, and he was pretty powerful. You’ve probably heard of him.
There was also a god named Apep or Apophis or something. He was a snake, the god of the underworld in charge of the forces of chaos and evil. The sun god had had enough of Apep‘s assholery and decided to take him out. Ra heard that Apep liked hanging out around a certain sacred sycamore tree.
Ra thought about it for a while, and instead of burning Apep to cinders with his sun god eyes, he decided to turn himself into a cat with a beard and a knife, find the sacred sycamore tree, and kill him. (He forgot that cats don’t have hands, but he ignored that part.)
Apparently Ra cut Apep pretty good, but he didn’t kill him, so he dropped the cat costume, went back to being the sun god and pretended it never happened. I think he was embarrassed.
Under a sacred sycamore the sun god Ra, in the form of a cat, slays the snake Apep (or Apophis), god of the underworld and symbol of the forces of chaos and evil. Detail of a wall painting from the tomb of Inherkhau (TT359).
New Kingdom, 20th Dynasty, ca. 1189-1077 BC. Deir el-Medina, West Thebes.
[Image & caption found here, via here.]
