Tatenen was a seldom depicted and very old god from the Memphis area usually portrayed as a young handsome (slightly androgyn looking) man.
He represented the Earth and was born in the moment it rose from the watery chaos. He personified Egypt and was an aspect of Geb. With his staff he repelled the evil serpent Apep from the Primeval Mound and had a magical mace dedicated to the falcon. That mace was in some places venerated as "The Great White of the Earth Creator". He brought the Djed-pillars of stability to the country and was sometimes combined with Ptah as Ptah-Tenen.
He wore a similar Atef-crown (picture left), as Ptah-Sokar and can be confused with him. He protected vegetation and thus he sometimes could be port- rayed as a man with green complexion. He could (symbolically) be a she and called: "the mother who gave birth to all the gods". His father was the creator god Khnum, who made him on his potter's wheel of Nile mud at the moment of creation of Earth.
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