Nut the Goddess of the Sky

Nut was one of the oldest Ancient Egyptian goddesses. Her name meant “sky.” Her origin dated back to the creation story of Heliopolis, she was one of the original Ennead.

It was believed the Sun god Ra, spat out the elements of moisture (Tefnut) and air(Shu). Shu and Tefnut then gave birth to Nut, her brother Geb. Nut married her brother Geb and had four children; Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys.

Originally Nut was the goddess of the night sky but eventually became the sky goddess. Nut was worshipped as the Goddess who protected the world from darkness. She symbolized resurrection and rebirth.

Nut was often depicted with a headdress that symbolized the uterus. She was portrayed in human form, but also sometimes as a cow, a sycamore tree, or as a giant sow, suckling a lot of piglets which were thought to represent stars. She often had the body of a human but a head of a cow.

In ancient Egyptian culture, they believed that the spirit of a god resided in the cow, that they were reincarnations of the gods themselves.

One of the sacred symbols of Nut was a ladder which was used by Osiris to enter her skies. This ladder was known as maqet and was placed in tombs to protect the dead.

Click here to order a copy of this print of the goddess Nut

Nut was seen as the goddess of the sky and the heavenly bodies. She was the protector of the dead when they entered the afterlife. The Ancient Egyptians believed that during the day, the heavenly bodies (the sun and the moon), would make their way across her body. Then at dusk, they would be eaten by Nut, pass through her stomach during the day, and be reborn at dawn.

Nut was also known as the force separating chaos from the ordered cosmos in the world. She was often shown as a woman arched on her toes and fingertips covering the earth. Her body painted blue and represented the stars. Ancient Egyptians believed that Nut’s fingers and toes touched the four points of direction, north, east, south, and west.

Since she saved Osiris she was often called upon to protect the dead. Many sarcophaguses had her painted on the inside of the lid.

To find out more about gods and goddesses like Nut, check out my ancient Egyptian Gods page.

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