Domains & Iconography
Domains: rising sun, becoming
Iconography: scarab, scarab‑headed man
Becoming & Dawn
Khepri embodies the verb ḫpr—'to become'—the emergence of the sun at daybreak. Scarab beetles (dung beetles) rolling spheres offered a natural emblem of daily renewal; hymns praise Khepri who lifts the disk from the horizon and sets time in motion anew.
Solar Triad
Egyptians often name the sun in three phases: Khepri (becoming/dawn), Ra (noon), Ra‑Atum or Atum (completion/dusk). This triad is not three gods in competition, but one solar power expressed across time. Rituals and architectural alignments (eastern pylons, morning offerings) foreground Khepri’s optimism of beginnings.
Iconography
Khepri appears as a scarab or a scarab‑headed man, sometimes pushing or holding the solar disk. Scarab amulets multiplied across periods as signs of rebirth and protective becoming; funerary objects appeal to Khepri for the deceased to 'come into being' again among the living and the stars.
Legacy
From Middle Kingdom scarab seals to New Kingdom hymns and Greco‑Roman reliefs, Khepri’s image persisted as a tender metaphysics: each dawn is creation renewed. Museums preserve scarabs, rings, and reliefs that make this hope material.