Nut (goddess)
The name Nut appears in hieroglyphs as a symbol for sky, though ancient Egyptian vowels remain uncertain to modern ears. Scholars transcribe her name as Nut, Nunut, Nenet, Nuit, or Not depending on the source text. Her visual identity often shows a nude woman arching over the earth with stars speckling her skin. This image comes from coffins like that of Peftjauneith where she covers the ground below. Sometimes artists painted her as a cow whose body formed the heavens above. Other depictions show her as a giant sow suckling many piglets representing the stars themselves. A water-pot hieroglyph sometimes sits above her head to identify her role. The pot may also symbolize a uterus given her function as a mother goddess.
Nut emerges in the Heliopolitan creation story as the daughter of Shu and Tefnut. Shu represents air while Tefnut personifies moisture according to ancient texts. She mates with Geb who is both her brother and husband. Their union produces four children named Osiris Set Isis and Nephthys. A Graeco-Egyptian version adds Horus to this list of offspring. This myth places her among the oldest deities in the Egyptian pantheon. Originally she governed only the nighttime sky before becoming the general sky goddess. Her headdress features a pot hieroglyph which matches part of her name. The ladder called maqet served as a sacred symbol for entering her heavenly skies. Tombs contained these ladders to protect the deceased and invoke her aid.
Ancient Egyptians believed the sun traveled across Nut's body during daylight hours. At dusk the sun would be swallowed by her form to pass through her belly. Dawn brought rebirth as the sun emerged from her again each morning. Stars touched her skin because she encompassed the earth shielding it from open space. Some scholars suggest the Milky Way represented a celestial depiction of Nut herself. Her fingers and toes were thought to touch the four cardinal points of north south east and west. This positioning created a barrier separating chaotic forces from the ordered cosmos. The vaults of tombs often featured dark blue paint dotted with stars to represent her presence. She protected Ra the sun god by enveloping him within her star-filled body.
Funerary texts like the Book of the Dead describe Nut swallowing souls at night. These souls passed through her belly to be reborn among the imperishable stars. A prayer in the Papyrus of Ani asks her to stretch over the dead for protection. Nut promised to enfold the deceased and shield them from all evil things. Artists painted her on the inside lid of sarcophagi to guard the departed. Tombs received food and wine offerings to refresh the dead within her sky. Osiris became central to this role after his resurrection involved Nut's intervention. The text states I am Nut and I have come so that I may enfold and protect you from all things evil.
The Greek philosopher Plutarch wrote De Iside et Osiride during the first century CE. His account describes Rhea secretly consorting with Saturn while cursed by Helios. Mercury gambled with Selene to win a seventieth portion of moonlight creating five extra days. These Epact days became known as intercalary days celebrated as birthdays of gods. Plutarch likely equated Rhea with the Egyptian goddess Nut based on available information. She gave birth to five children on each of these additional days according to his narrative. Ancient Egyptian texts barely reference this episode offering only subtle hints about pregnancy timing. One text mentions the moment occurring when the sky was full with gods unknown to men. E. A. Wallis Budge argued Plutarch incorporated imaginative embellishments or misinformation into his description.
Modern scholars call an ancient collection The Fundamentals of the Course of the Stars the Book of Nut. This astronomical text dates back at least to 2,000 BC making it one of the earliest such records. Nut plays the primary role in guiding the cycles of stars and planets within its pages. The text covers timekeeping methods used by ancient Egyptians alongside various sky deities. Decans deities appear throughout the manuscript alongside star deities and Earth gods. Alexandra von Lieven studied this document at the Carsten Niebuhr Institute of Ancient Eastern Studies. It remains an important source for understanding how ancient people tracked celestial movements. The book describes the course of stars while maintaining Nut's central position in the cosmos.
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Common questions
Who is Nut in ancient Egyptian mythology?
Nut is the ancient Egyptian goddess of the sky who appears as a nude woman arching over the earth with stars speckling her skin. She emerges in the Heliopolitan creation story as the daughter of Shu and Tefnut and mates with Geb to produce Osiris Set Isis and Nephthys.
What does the name Nut mean in hieroglyphs?
The name Nut appears in hieroglyphs as a symbol for sky though ancient Egyptian vowels remain uncertain to modern ears. Scholars transcribe her name as Nut Nunut Nenet Nuit or Not depending on the source text and she often wears a water-pot hieroglyph above her head.
When did the Book of Nut date back to?
An ancient collection called The Fundamentals of the Course of the Stars known as the Book of Nut dates back at least to 2,000 BC making it one of the earliest such records. This astronomical text plays the primary role in guiding the cycles of stars and planets within its pages.
How did ancient Egyptians believe the sun traveled across Nut's body?
Ancient Egyptians believed the sun traveled across Nut's body during daylight hours before being swallowed by her form at dusk to pass through her belly. Dawn brought rebirth as the sun emerged from her again each morning while she protected Ra the sun god by enveloping him within her star-filled body.
Why is Plutarch associated with the goddess Nut?
The Greek philosopher Plutarch wrote De Iside et Osiride during the first century CE and likely equated Rhea with the Egyptian goddess Nut based on available information. He described how she gave birth to five children on each of five extra intercalary days though E. A. Wallis Budge argued Plutarch incorporated imaginative embellishments or misinformation into his description.