Major Myths

Nut and Geb, children of the god Shu (pronounced SHOO, meaning “air”) and goddess Tefnut (pronounced TEF-noot, meaning “moisture”), were born locked together in a tight embrace. The sun god Ra ordered Shu to separate them, so Shu held his daughter high above the earth, creating room between Nut and Geb for other creatures to live. In another version of the myth, Ra climbed onto Nut’s back and asked her to lift him into the heavens. As Nut rose higher, she became dizzy, but four gods steadied her legs, and Shu held up the middle of her body. In this way, Nut’s body became the sky, and Ra attached stars to her.

Angered by the marriage of Nut and Geb, Ra decreed that Nut could not bear children during any month of the year. Thoth (pronounced TOHT), the god of wisdom, took pity on Nut and played a game with the moon—the regulator of time—that allowed him to create five extra days in the year. Because these days were not covered by Ra’s decree, Nut was able to give birth to five children: Osiris (pronounced oh-SYE-ris), Isis (pronounced EYE-sis), Set (pronounced SET), Nephthys (pronounced NEF-this), and Horus (pronounced HOHR-uhs).

Nut’s body divided the cosmos and helped keep the forces of chaos, or disorder, from breaking through the sky and overwhelming the earth. During the day, Ra sailed along Nut’s body in a boat. When he reached her mouth, she swallowed him, bringing on the night. After traveling through Nut’s body at night, Ra emerged again at dawn and brought on the day. In some myths, Nut plays an important role in the underworld, or land of the dead, providing fresh air for the souls of the dead.