Nut/Nuit,Nu/Newet/Neuth
The Sky
Pronounced Noot , Noot-it, New-Eat. It is believed her name came from the English words for night, nocturnal, equinox and the French terms la nuit which means the night.
Nut (Nuit) was the personification of the sky to the Egyptian people. She was originally a goddess of the sky only, but evolved into a goddess of the heavens and sky, whose body symbolizes the vault of the sky. She is the daughter of Shu and Tefnut, the granddaughter of the sun god Ra. Her husband was also her brother Geb. She is considered one of the oldest deities in the Egyptian pantheon, with her origins found in the creation story ofHeliopolis .
“A scared symbol of Nut was the ladder, used by Osiris to enter her heavenly skies. This ladder-symbol was called maqet and was placed in tombs to protect the deceased, and to invoke the aid of deity of the dead. Nut is considered an enigma in the world of mythology because she is direct contrast to most other mythologies, which usually evolve into a sky father associated with an earth mother or Mother Nature.”
Some of Nut’s titles include:
Coverer of the Sky-She was said to be covered completely with stars
She Who Protects-One of her jobs was to protect Ra
Mistress of All or She Who Bore the Gods- She gave birth to her five children, probably the most familiar of the gods today.
She Who Holds a Thousand Souls-Because of her role of re-birthing Ra each day and because she helped with the resurrection of her son Osiris, Nut became associated with the afterlife.
Ra cursed Nut for her love of Geb and forbade her to bear children during any month of the year. Thoth outwitted the curse by playing draughts with the moon and winning 5 extra days, days not attached to any month. In these 5 days, Nut produced her 5 children. The days on which each of these deities were born are known as the five epagomental days of the year and were celebrated all overEgypt .
The days were considered either lucky, unlucky, or neither. For example: The
day of birth for Osiris was considered unlucky, the day for Horus the Elder was
neither lucky nor unlucky, the day for Seth was unlucky, the day for Isis is lucky, and the day for Nephythys was considered
unlucky.
The Sky
Pronounced Noot , Noot-it, New-Eat. It is believed her name came from the English words for night, nocturnal, equinox and the French terms la nuit which means the night.
Nut (Nuit) was the personification of the sky to the Egyptian people. She was originally a goddess of the sky only, but evolved into a goddess of the heavens and sky, whose body symbolizes the vault of the sky. She is the daughter of Shu and Tefnut, the granddaughter of the sun god Ra. Her husband was also her brother Geb. She is considered one of the oldest deities in the Egyptian pantheon, with her origins found in the creation story of
“A scared symbol of Nut was the ladder, used by Osiris to enter her heavenly skies. This ladder-symbol was called maqet and was placed in tombs to protect the deceased, and to invoke the aid of deity of the dead. Nut is considered an enigma in the world of mythology because she is direct contrast to most other mythologies, which usually evolve into a sky father associated with an earth mother or Mother Nature.”
Some of Nut’s titles include:
Coverer of the Sky-She was said to be covered completely with stars
She Who Protects-One of her jobs was to protect Ra
Mistress of All or She Who Bore the Gods- She gave birth to her five children, probably the most familiar of the gods today.
She Who Holds a Thousand Souls-Because of her role of re-birthing Ra each day and because she helped with the resurrection of her son Osiris, Nut became associated with the afterlife.
Ra cursed Nut for her love of Geb and forbade her to bear children during any month of the year. Thoth outwitted the curse by playing draughts with the moon and winning 5 extra days, days not attached to any month. In these 5 days, Nut produced her 5 children. The days on which each of these deities were born are known as the five epagomental days of the year and were celebrated all over
Originally a Mother Goddess who had many children, Nut plays
an important role in creation legends. In one myth Nut gives birth to the
Sun-god daily and he passes over her body until he reaches her mouth at sunset.
He then passed into her mouth and through her body and is reborn the next
morning. Another myth described the sun as sailing up her legs and back in the
Atet (Matet) boat until noon, when he entered the Sektet boat and continued his
travels until sunset.
She is shown in profile, naked over the earth god Geb and may be supported by Shu and with her arms and legs bent down so she touches the horizon with hands and feet. Her body is usually covered with stars and because of this she is sometimes associated with the Milky Way. “There are some astronomical indications of this. It has been shown that at the winter solstice before dawn, in Pre-dynastic Egypt, the Milky Way would have looked very much like a stretched out body with arms and legs touching the horizons in the same manner as Nut was frequently shown in later times.” In zoomorphic form she is a sky cow or sky sow. Her 4 hooves were cardinal points and the sun god and stars are show sailing across her underside of her body. Because of her association with the cow, she is sometimes thought of as Hathor.
Nut is associated with rebirth through the renewing of the sun every day, but she was also a favorite funerary deity, in which she helped to give rebirth to the dead pharaoh and she became connected with the underworld, resurrection and the tomb. She was seen as a friend to the dead, as a mother-like protector to those who journeyed through the land of the dead. She was often painted on the inside lid of the sarcophagus, protecting the dead until he or she, like Ra, could be reborn in their new life.
In theValley of the Kings , there are many
tombs that have the ceilings painted blue with 5 pointed stars on them. These
paintings reach down the walls of both side and end with Nut’s feet on one side
of the passage and her upper body on the other side.
There were many festivals to Nut through the year. But, despite being a protector of the dead, she was a personification of the sky - a cosmic deity - and no temples or specific cult centers are linked to her. Some of her festivals were:
6th August – 19th Thuti – Festival of Nut and Ra
27th August – 10th Paopi- Birthday of Nut
30th August- 13th Paopi – Day of Satisfying the Hearts of the Ennead
4th January- 20 Mechir- Day of Nut and Raet proceeding southward
1st February- 18th Pamenot- Feast of Nut
2nd February- 19th Pamenot- Birthday of Nut
26th February- 13th Parmutit- Day of Nut
5th May- 21st Payni- Day of the Living Children of Nut
*taken from www.philae.nu/akhet/NetjeruN.html#Nut
Correspondences:
She is shown in profile, naked over the earth god Geb and may be supported by Shu and with her arms and legs bent down so she touches the horizon with hands and feet. Her body is usually covered with stars and because of this she is sometimes associated with the Milky Way. “There are some astronomical indications of this. It has been shown that at the winter solstice before dawn, in Pre-dynastic Egypt, the Milky Way would have looked very much like a stretched out body with arms and legs touching the horizons in the same manner as Nut was frequently shown in later times.” In zoomorphic form she is a sky cow or sky sow. Her 4 hooves were cardinal points and the sun god and stars are show sailing across her underside of her body. Because of her association with the cow, she is sometimes thought of as Hathor.
Nut is associated with rebirth through the renewing of the sun every day, but she was also a favorite funerary deity, in which she helped to give rebirth to the dead pharaoh and she became connected with the underworld, resurrection and the tomb. She was seen as a friend to the dead, as a mother-like protector to those who journeyed through the land of the dead. She was often painted on the inside lid of the sarcophagus, protecting the dead until he or she, like Ra, could be reborn in their new life.
In the
There were many festivals to Nut through the year. But, despite being a protector of the dead, she was a personification of the sky - a cosmic deity - and no temples or specific cult centers are linked to her. Some of her festivals were:
6th August – 19th Thuti – Festival of Nut and Ra
27th August – 10th Paopi- Birthday of Nut
30th August- 13th Paopi – Day of Satisfying the Hearts of the Ennead
4th January- 20 Mechir- Day of Nut and Raet proceeding southward
1st February- 18th Pamenot- Feast of Nut
2nd February- 19th Pamenot- Birthday of Nut
26th February- 13th Parmutit- Day of Nut
5th May- 21st Payni- Day of the Living Children of Nut
*taken from www.philae.nu/akhet/NetjeruN.html#Nut
Correspondences:
Birthday – August 27
Statue – portrayed as bent over, stretching from horizon to horizon.
Family – Daughter of Shu and Tefnut, twin sister of Geb, wife of Geb, Mother of Osiris, Isis , Nephythys, Set and Horus the Elder
Cardinal Point – East
Element - Air
Herbs – Anise, Bean, Bromeliad, Clover, Dandelion, Fern, Goldenrod, Lavender, Maple, Marjoram, Mint, Oak, Parsley, Pine, Sage, Summer Savory,
Crystals – Ammonite, Angelite, Aventurine, Azurite, Bloodstone, Citrine, Diamond, Emerald, Garnet, Quartz, Selenite, Sodalite, Tektite, Turquoise
Metal – Copper, Silver
Wood – Oak
Color – light Blue
Incense – Jasmine, Sandalwood
Day(s) – Friday
Time(s) – Dawn
Season - Spring
Magic/Responsibilities: Sky and Heavens, Mother and Guardian, Death and Burial, Demi-Animals, Immortality, Physical Prowess
How can you bring Nut into your life?
Nut is known as a funerary goddess. If you have a loved one who is deceased, you can call upon Nut to watch over them and to help them transition into the next life (world).
She is also the great mother/creator. So if you need help with nurturing, whether it be people or projects, Nut would be a good choice to ask for help. She can give you the nurturing you need to see thing through to the end. As a mother, she does not give up on her children and will help them to succeed.
Nut is the barrier that separates chaos from the ordered cosmos. She helps to keep the universe in order so that all life goes on as it should. If chaos reigned, life would cease to exist (according to the Egyptians). If you ever feel that your life is getting out of control and that chaos is starting to rule your life, call upon Nut for help.
As a mother goddess, she is also a protector. Protection can encompass many ideas. For example if you need protection from evil, harm, illness, etc. Anything you can imagine that a mother would protect her child from, Nut can protect you from.
If you want to feel a connection to Nut, the simplest way would be to simply stare into a dark night sky and star gaze. Meditate on Nut and what she means to you. Feel the energy grow between you.
Prayer to Nut:
Great Mother Nut, Sky Goddess, Mother and Creator, hear my prayer.
My life has become chaotic, help me to restore order.
You, Great Goddess, are the barrier between chaos and order.
I beseech thee to lend me your energies. Help me to find order in my life.
Of my own free will, with harm to none. So mote it be.
(You can add correspondences such as blue or white stones, Sodalite would be a good combination of both colors. The night sky is usually depicted as blue or navy, so colored candles would also work well here.)
References:
www.touregypt.net
Temple Ankh research notes (www.templeankh.com)
www.ancientnile.co.uk/gods.php
www.philae.nu/akhet/NetjeruN.html#Nut
The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt by Richard H. Wilkinson
Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt by Nicki Scully and Linda Star Wolf
Circle of Isis by Ellen Cannon Reed
The New Book of Goddesses and Heroines by P. Monaghan
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