Hauhet

Hauhet is an ancient Egyptian goddess who personifies infinity or eternity. She is the female half of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad, a group of eight primordial deities worshipped in Hermopolis. Her male counterpart is Heh, and together they symbolize endless space and the concept of boundless potential that predates creation. The name Hauhet is commonly interpreted as “endless” or “infinite.”

In Hermopolitan cosmogony, the Ogdoad represents the chaotic pre-creation world from which order emerges. Hauhet and Heh form one of four male-female pairs that embody primordial elements or concepts, alongside Nun and Naunet (water), Kek and Keket (darkness), and Amun and Amaunet (hidden power or potential). Through their harmony, the primordial void is organized and the first acts of creation are initiated.

Iconography and worship: The Ogdoad are depicted in various forms in Egyptian art, typically as paired deities in anthropomorphic or symbolic representations. The cult of the Ogdoad was centered in Hermopolis (modern el-Ashmunein), where these deities figured prominently in creation theology and temple ritual. Hauhet’s role emphasizes the Egyptian view of infinity as a foundational principle preceding the cosmos.

Legacy: The concept of the Ogdoad, including Hauhet and Heh, influenced later Egyptian cosmology and creation myths, reflecting a worldview in which preconditions of the universe—such as infinity, water, and darkness—existed before order and structure were brought forth.