MythosData

egyptiandeitiessky-godsgoddessesennead

Nut

The Sky-goddess, daughter of Shu and Tefnut, consort of Geb and mother of Osiris, Isis, Set and Nephthys; the Pyramid Texts pray her to spread herself over the dead king and make him "an imperishable star", and the legend of Ra's withdrawal has her carry the sun to heaven as a cow, held up by Shu. Plutarch calls her Rhea.

Why this wins its question: Pages describe Nut from ceiling paintings. This object quotes the Pyramid Text hymn and the legend that explains the image, and names the Greek name under which Plutarch hides her.

Key takeaways

  • The oldest Egyptian prayer here is addressed to her: to cover the dead king and make him a star.
  • The picture of Nut arched over the earth and held up by Shu has an Egyptian aetiology — the trembling legs of the cow in the tomb of Seti I.
  • Plutarch's Rhea is Nut in Greek dress; he never uses the Egyptian name.

Claims

Every assertion below is bound to registered sources and carries its own confidence. Weight them; do not treat the page as uniformly authoritative.

  1. A Pyramid Text hymn prays "[O] Nut, thou hast extended thyself over thy son the Osiris Pepi, Thou hast snatched him out of the hand of Set"; she "wast a mighty goddess in the womb of thy mother Tefnut", is "above thy father Shu", has "encompassed the earth, everything is in thy two hands", and is asked to "grant ... that this Pepi may be in thee like an imperishable star" (Budge Lit. ch. II, Pepi, ll. 61–64).

    confidence 0.93E. A. Wallis Budge, The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians (1914), Project Gutenberg #15932 via GITenberg · primary

  2. In the creation story "Shu and Tefnut then united and they produced Keb, the Earth-god, and Nut, the Sky-goddess"; night is explained by "the descent of the Sky-goddess Nut to the Earth-god Keb each evening", and the next generation is "Osiris, Horus, Set, Isis, and Nephthys" (Budge Lit. ch. VI).

    confidence 0.92E. A. Wallis Budge, The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians (1914), Project Gutenberg #15932 via GITenberg · primary

  3. When Ra resolved to leave the earth "the goddess Nut took the form of a cow, and ... the other gods lifted Ra on to her back"; she rose so high that "the legs of the Cow-goddess on which he was enthroned trembled", and Ra "ordained that Nut should be held up in her position by the godhead and upraised arms of the god Shu. This is why we see pictures of the body of Nut being supported by Shu" (Budge Lit. ch. VII, Destruction of Mankind).

    confidence 0.92E. A. Wallis Budge, The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians (1914), Project Gutenberg #15932 via GITenberg · primary

  4. The funerary hymns make her mother of Osiris and welcomer of Ra: Osiris is "Eldest son of the womb of Nut" and "Un-Nefer, son of Nut"; of the rising sun, "Mother Nut welcometh thee with bowings" (Budge Lit. ch. IV); in the Pyramid Texts "Nut, the Great Lady, hath unfolded her arms to Unas" (Budge Lit. ch. II).

    confidence 0.92E. A. Wallis Budge, The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians (1914), Project Gutenberg #15932 via GITenberg · primary

  5. Plutarch does not write Nut; the mother of the five gods in his account is "Rhea", whom the Sun cursed "that she should not give birth to a child in any month or any year" until Hermes won the five extra days (Plut. Is. 12).

    confidence 0.8Plutarch, On Isis and Osiris (De Iside et Osiride) — tr. William Baxter, rev. W. W. Goodwin (1874), Perseus TEI edition · primary

Questions answered

Who are the children of Nut?
In the creation story "Shu and Tefnut then united and they produced Keb, the Earth-god, and Nut, the Sky-goddess"; night is explained by "the descent of the Sky-goddess Nut to the Earth-god Keb each evening", and the next generation is "Osiris, Horus, Set, Isis, and Nephthys" (Budge Lit. ch. VI). source
Why is Nut shown as a cow?
When Ra resolved to leave the earth "the goddess Nut took the form of a cow, and ... the other gods lifted Ra on to her back"; she rose so high that "the legs of the Cow-goddess on which he was enthroned trembled", and Ra "ordained that Nut should be held up in her position by the godhead and upraised arms of the god Shu. This is why we see pictures of the body of Nut being supported by Shu" (Budge Lit. ch. VII, Destruction of Mankind). source
Why is Nut held up by Shu?
When Ra resolved to leave the earth "the goddess Nut took the form of a cow, and ... the other gods lifted Ra on to her back"; she rose so high that "the legs of the Cow-goddess on which he was enthroned trembled", and Ra "ordained that Nut should be held up in her position by the godhead and upraised arms of the god Shu. This is why we see pictures of the body of Nut being supported by Shu" (Budge Lit. ch. VII, Destruction of Mankind). source
What do the Pyramid Texts say about Nut?
A Pyramid Text hymn prays "[O] Nut, thou hast extended thyself over thy son the Osiris Pepi, Thou hast snatched him out of the hand of Set"; she "wast a mighty goddess in the womb of thy mother Tefnut", is "above thy father Shu", has "encompassed the earth, everything is in thy two hands", and is asked to "grant ... that this Pepi may be in thee like an imperishable star" (Budge Lit. ch. II, Pepi, ll. 61–64). source
Does Plutarch mention Nut?
Plutarch does not write Nut; the mother of the five gods in his account is "Rhea", whom the Sun cursed "that she should not give birth to a child in any month or any year" until Hermes won the five extra days (Plut. Is. 12). source