Apis (Egyp. Hapi, a name closely resembling that of the Nile), a bull worshipped by the Egyptians. In their mythology the soul of Osiris, murdered by the evil spirit Typhon, migrated into this bull. It was therefore the symbol of creative productivity and fertility. The calf was born from a cow made pregnant by a ray of the sun and one of the moon. It must be black, with a white triangular or square spot on the forehead, a vulture or an eagle on the back, various other mystical signs on various parts of the body, and a scarabaeus under the tongue. Its principal worship was in Memphis, in the temple of Phthah (He-phaestus, Vulcan, or fire). When such a calf was found, the priest transported him in a chariot with great pomp to Heliopolis, where he was kept in a temple accessible to the worship of the people for 40 days. After that lapse of time no one could approach him, and he was transported to Memphis, where he had his own temple, with chapels and courts for exercise, and his own priests. The lifetime of Apis was 25 years, in harmony with one of the theo-logico-astronomical cycles of the Egyptians. After the death of one and before the finding of another Apis, the whole land was in mourning.

Apis in heaven was placed in the constellation of Taurus.