Ancient Egyptian Religion · deity

Nut

deitythe skythe starsthe heavens

Goddess of the sky, daughter of Shu and Tefnut; she swallows the sun each night and gives it birth each morning.

Nut (sky) crouching over Geb (earth) · Photographed by the British Museum; original artist unknown · undated · Wikimedia Commons (institution in source file) · Public domain

The account

Who they are

Nut is the goddess of the sky, the dome of the heavens studded with stars [S4]. She is the daughter of Shu and Tefnut and the wife of Geb (her brother) [S1][S4]. Nut's body arches over the earth: each night she swallows the sun (Ra) as it sets, carries it through her body through the night, and gives it birth again at dawn [S2][S4]. The sun's nightly journey through Nut's body is the same journey through the Duat (the underworld) where Apep waits [S2]. Nut is a goddess of the stars and of the cycle of death and rebirth that the sun performs daily [S4].

Worth knowing

The sky goddess who swallows and rebirths the sun nightly [S2][S4].
Daughter of Shu and Tefnut; wife of Geb [S1][S4].
Mother of Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys [S1][S4].

Relationships (10)

Connections

Family & kinship

PARENT_OFShu — Shu is the parent of Nut.[S1] [S4]

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

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

PARENT_OFOsiris — Nut is the parent of Osiris.[S1] [S4]

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

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

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

Partners

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

Alliances & rule

RULESShu — Shu holds up the sky (Nut) to keep it from the earth (Geb).[S4]

ASSOCIATED_WITHRa — Nut's body is the sky through which the sun travels; she swallows and rebirths the sun.[S2] [S4]

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Their corner of the divine world

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Myths featuring Nut

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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Ra's Journey Through the Duat (the Night)

Each night, the sun god Ra enters the Duat (the underworld) in his 'Night Barque' and travels through the twelve hours of the night. At the hour of greatest danger (around midnight), the chaos serpent Apep strikes; Thoth and other gods help Ra defeat Apep. Ra rises again at dawn [S2][S4]. The justified dead 'sail with Ra' through the night [S2][S4].

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Artworks

Depictions

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