Nut was the ancient Egyptian goddess depicted as a naked woman arched over the earth, representing the sky. Her star-speckled body created the Milky Way, while her hands and feet touched the four cardinal points. As the sky goddess, Nut swallows the sun in the evenings and gives birth to it each dawn.
According to myth, Nut was once married to the earth god Geb. Their passionate embrace was so tight that her father Shu, the god of air, had to push them apart, forming the sky and earth. However, Nut’s love for Geb remained strong. She disobeyed orders and gave birth to five children during the extra days added to the calendar year. In fury, the sun god Ra declared none of Nut’s children could rule the sky.
Nut played a key role in the famous resurrection story of Osiris. After Osiris’ brother Set murdered him, Nut spread her wings and placed the coffin of Osiris in her celestial waters. This assisted his eventual rebirth. Nut’s protection of Osiris established the Egyptian belief that souls of the righteous could ascend to the heavens.
The Egyptians associated Nut with health and wisdom too. As goddess of the night sky, the stars were her “million souls.” People offered prayers and offerings to Nut for plentiful harvests, successful childbirth, and cosmological knowledge. Her celestial powers nourished the lands and people below.
As goddess of sky and stars, Nut represented Egypt’s fathomless heavens and promise of rebirth. Her cosmic stories established core Egyptian beliefs around astronomy, the afterlife, and mankind’s relationship with the gods.