Nut Responsible For * Sky & Heavens * Mother & Guardian * Death & Burial * Demi-Animals * Immortality * Physical Prowess

Nut

Also Known As: Newet, Neuth Responsible For Sky & Heavens Mother & Guardian Death & Burial Demi-Animals Immortality Physical Prowess Totemic Form Cow or Pig About Her Cult Cult Center: No known temples Because Nut was regarded to be a cosmic deity, she wasn't worshiped as a "person" the way other goddesses were. Legends Myths identify Nut as the mother of Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, Horus the Elder, and Set. Nut gave birth to the sun every day and swallowed him every night. In this way, she controlled the passing of time. Ra asked Nut to raise him into the heavens to remove him from the world, which he found distasteful. Carrying him on her back, Nut rose upward, but the higher she reached, the dizzier she became. She would have crashed to the ground if four gods had not steadied her legs and Shu held up her belly. These gods became the four pillars of the sky, and Nut's body became the firmament, to which Ra attached the stars.
Name in Hieroglyphics Some believe that the pot symbol in Nut's name also stands for the uterus. The pot can be used by itself to represent Nut.
Depicting Nut In art, Nut is most commonly portrayed arched over the world, balanced on her hands and feet, as shown in the relief to the right. Sometimes, as shown above at the beginning of this section, a god is shown holding Nut up with his hands. This is Shu, the god of the air. He separates Nut from her husband, the earth god Geb, who is depicted as a reclining man beneath Nut.
Nut is sometimes confused with Isis, because some images show her with wings. The best way to identify whether a winged goddess is Nut, Isis, Ma'at, or someone else is to look for the hieroglyphics appearing near her head. In this specific image, just above the goddess' head is Nut's name in hieroglyphics.
On occasion, Nut may be depicted as a woman standing or sitting normally. In these cases, her name typically appears in hieroglyphics somewhere near her head, as shown in the image to the right. Less frequently, Nut is depicted as either a sow or a cow nursing young ones. In the Valley of the Kings, several tombs contain blue ceilings with 5-pointed stars painted on them. These reach down the walls on either side, ending with Nut's feet on one side of the passage, and her upper body on the other.
If doing a theatrical portrayal of Nut, these elements may be useful in building the character: Consider wearing a long-sleeved blue unitard, with light yellow 5-pointed stars drawn on it. Alternatively, a white shift dress could be worn, with a pot balanced on the head. Carry an ankh. Wear a menit necklace. Use wings. Bring the stars of the night sky into the scene in some way.