Nut: The Sky Goddess Who Carried the Sun and Sheltered the Dead
Nut was the daughter of Shu and Tefnut, and the sister and wife of Geb.
She was believed to be the sky itself. She was often imagined as a woman who was arched over the earth, her body stretched from horizon to horizon and covered in stars. Beneath her lay Geb, who we talked about yesterday. The god Shu, separated her from the Geb, who was the earth. Nut is always there, but always just out of reach.
As Egyptian belief evolved and developed, Nut became connected to the cycle of the sun. Each day, the sun travelled across her body, and at night, she swallowed it, carrying it through the darkness before giving birth to it again at dawn. It was something almost maternal.
Like many other gods she became linked to the afterlife, she offered protection to the dead. Tomb ceilings were often painted with images of her, her body stretched above, just like in the story, watching over those who had passed. It feel as if the dead are sheltered and they are not left alone. I would have thought it would have given some comfort, knowing that a loved one is being protected, and that when your time came you would not be alone or possibly scared.
Do you think people found more comfort in imagining the sky as something protective, rather than something distant and unknown?
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