PTAH
Real Name: Ptah-seker-ausir
Occupation: God of crafts and artisans, patron god of craftsmen, Tutelary deity of Memphis, former Pharaoh (ruler) of Memphis,
Legal Status: Citizen of Celestial Heliopolis
Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Ptah except as a mythological character.
Other Aliases: Ptah-Aton, Tatanen, Sokar, Sakar, Khery-bakef ("he-who-is-under-his-tree"), "Father of the Gods,"
Place of Birth: possibly Ancient Memphis (now part of modern Helwan, Egypt)
Marital Status: Married
Known Relatives: Nun (father), Naunet (mother), Amen, Shu, Hek, Kuk (uncles), Amaunet, Tefnut, Heket, Kauket (aunts), Sakhmet (wife), Khonshu, Montu, Bes (cousins), Imhotep, Nefertum (sons), Mihos (brother-in-law), Bast (mother-in-law), Atum-Re (grandfather), Gaea (grandmother, alias Nun)
Group Affiliations: The Gods of Egypt
Base of Operations: Celestial Heliopolis, formerly Memphis, Egypt
First Appearance: War of the Gods #2
History: Ptah is a member of the extra-dimensional race of beings known as the Ogdoad, who were worshipped as gods by the ancient Egyptians between 3500 BC to around 400 AD. The Ogdoad were the first rulers of Ancient Egypt, and became ancestors of the Ennead, the ruling dynasty of the Egyptian gods. They elevated their ancestor, Atum-Re, to the position of godhood, and as their earthly reigns came to an end, they departed Earth to join him in another other-dimensional paradise that later became known as Celestial Heliopolis. As pharaoh of Memphis, Ptah became the most powerful of the Egyptian gods and was referred to by his worshippers as the creator of the universe and father of the Ennead, directly upstaging Atum as ancestor of the gods at Heliopolis. By the Third Millennium BC, however, Ptah was third in power behind Atum-Re and Ammon-Ra, Ruler of the Egyptian gods. In the Second Millennium, Greek invaders to Egypt saw him as the Egyptian counterpart of the Olympian god Hephaestus.
The Ennead however eventually became the ascendant generation of gods in Egypt. Ruling from Heliopolis, they were ruled by the god-king, Osiris, who had replaced Ammon-Ra as Ruler of the Gods of Egypt. Ptah was accepted into the Ennead when he took the lion-goddess, Sakhmet, as his wife. Together, they had two sons, Imhotep and Nefertum. Ptah was credited with teaching the Ancient Egyptians how to create the first pyramids and temples. In his desire to overthrow his brother Osiris as ruler of the gods, Seth, the god of evil, came to Ptah and had him create a sarcophagus that could imprison Osiris. Seth then presented it as a gift to Osiris who upon entering it was sealed up alive and cast into the Nile, allowing Seth in his absence to seize the throne. Possibly having a conscience over helping Seth overthrow Osiris, Ptah created the weapons for Osiris's son, Horus, to avenge his father and battle Seth for the throne of Egypt.
Eventually, Seth overthrew Horus at the same time as the Battle of Actium in which the Roman armies of Octavius Caesar defeated the navies of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. Seth managed to overthrow his brother and imprisoned the Egyptian gods within a pyramid that then sank beneath the ground. It is not known if Ptah was imprisoned in the pyramid or not, but it is known that Seth possibly took captive several gods who he knew would prove valuable to him, like Bes and Khonshu, who had been vizier to Osiris. In modern years, Ptah was possibly one of the Egyptian gods who gave the Helmet of Destiny to Kent Nelson, who used it to become the mystic known as Doctor Fate.
In recent years, the pyramid holding the Egyptian gods appeared in the United States, and the Asgardian gods Thor and Odin appeared to free the gods trapped within it. Seth soon appeared with his army of the undead to stop him, but Odin defeated him by severing Seth's right hand with a bolt of energy. Freed from the pyramid, the imprisoned gods declared Odin the reincarnation of their common ancestor, Atum-Re.
Eventually, the sorceress Circe (not to be confused with the goddess with that Olympian name) manipulated Ptah and the Egyptian gods into stripping the Helmet of Destiny from Nelson and awarding it to his wife, Inza Kramer. Traveling to Egypt, Ptah appeared in a sandstorm with several other Egyptian Gods to declare he was no longer worthy since his wife would be more easy to control. This act had been masterminded by Circe in order to gain power for herself, but Inza proved worthy of the mantle of Dr. Fate and helped the Gods of Earth in alliance with the Justice League of America and their allies to defeat Circe.
In recent years, Ptah appeared with Osiris at the Council
of God Kings, a loose gathering of deities comprised of the rulers of the
gods of Earth, to launch a pre-emptive stroke against Kly'bn and Sl'gur't, the
gods of the extra-terrestrial Skrull race attempting an invasion of Earth.
Although the invasion was thwarted, it allowed Mikaboshi, the Japanese god of
evil, to unite the gods of the planets conquered by the Skrulls as an army
against the gods of Earth. Ptah and the Egyptian gods fought against the
invading gods even with massive casualties and repulsed the attack. Ptah's
current whereabouts are unrevealed.
Height: 6' 8"
Weight: 475 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: None, formerly Black
Strength Level: Ptah has superhuman strength enabling him to lift (press) almost 85 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Ptah possesses the conventional physical attributes of the Egyptian gods. Like all Egyptian gods, he is extremely long-lived, but he is not immortal like the Olympian gods. He ages at an extremely slow rate and cannot die by any conventional means. He is immune to all Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If he were somehow wounded, his godly life force would enable him to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of his bodily molecules to cause him a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for a god of significant power, such as Ammon-Ra, Osiris or Khnemu or for a number of Egyptian gods of equal power working together to revive him. Ptah also possesses superhuman strength and his Ennead metabolism provides him with far greater than human endurance in all physical activities. (Ennead flesh and bone is about three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the superhuman strength and weight of the Egyptian gods.)
Ptah also has undefined powers to tap into and manipulate matter into feats of magic. In ancient times, he could mold men out of base materials, such as clay or mud, and bring them to life. He could create and summon sandstorms and cast his voice from the skies. He can cast mystical spells into ordinary objects. Conceivably, Ptah might be equal to gods like Osiris and Zeus in power.
Abilities: Ptah is a master craftsman and architect.
Weapons: Ptah owns a rod called a "was," a rod of domination surmounted by the ankh, the symbol of ever-lasting life.
Pets: Ptah sometimes rides upon a bull named Apis.
Comments: This profile includes Ptah's theoretical appearances in the Marvel and DC Universes.
Last updated: 02/10/12