Ancient Egyptian Religion · deity

Geb

deitythe earthfertilitythe land

God of the earth, son of Shu and Tefnut; he is the father of Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys.

Geb · Eternal Space · undated · Wikimedia Commons (institution in source file) · CC BY-SA 4.0

The account

Who they are

Geb is the god of the earth, the solid ground, the source of fertility [S4]. He is the son of Shu and Tefnut and the husband of Nut (his sister) [S1][S4]. Geb and Nut are the parents of the four children who form the core of the Osiris cycle: Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys [S1][S4]. The myth of Geb and Nut: Shu separated them, holding Nut up, because the earth-god and the sky-goddess were inseparable [S4]. Geb's domain is the fertile black soil of the Nile, the source of all life [S4].

Worth knowing

God of the earth and fertility [S4].
Father of Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys [S1][S4].
Separated from Nut by Shu [S4].

Relationships (8)

Connections

Family & kinship

PARENT_OFShu — Shu (with Tefnut) is the parent of Geb.[S1] [S4]

PARENT_OFTefnut — Tefnut is the parent of Geb.[S1] [S4]

SIBLING_OFNut — Geb and Nut are siblings.[S1] [S4]

PARENT_OFOsiris — Geb (with Nut) is the parent of Osiris.[S1] [S4]

PARENT_OFIsis — Geb is the parent of Isis.[S1] [S4]

PARENT_OFSet (Seth) — Geb is the parent of Set.[S1] [S4]

PARENT_OFNephthys — Geb is the parent of Nephthys.[S1] [S4]

Partners

PARTNER_OFNut — Geb and Nut are married (brother-sister).[S1] [S4]

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Their corner of the divine world

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Myths featuring Geb

2 stories

The Heliopolitan Creation (Atum-Ra)

In the Heliopolitan tradition, the self-created god Atum-Ra rose from the primordial waters (Nun) — sometimes on a mound of earth (the benben). From his own body he created Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture), the first divine pair. Their children were Geb (earth) and Nut (sky). This is the genealogy behind the Osiris cycle [S1][S4].

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The Murder of Osiris

Set, jealous of his brother Osiris (the rightful king), lured him to a banquet. Set brought a coffin that he had measured to Osiris's exact size; when Osiris lay down in it, Set seized him, wrapped him in the coffin, sealed it with lead, and threw it into the Nile. The chest washed down-river and out to sea, washing up in Byblos, where a tamarisk tree grew around it [S3][S4].

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Artworks

Depictions

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