Nut: Guardian of the Dead

The goddess Nut plays a very important role in the order of the world. Every single morning, she gives birth to the sun. This newborn, resurrected sun is known as the god Khepri. He is often represented as a scarab beetle. The resulting blood turns the sky pink as the sun rises. When night begins to fall, it is said that Nut swallows the sun, so that he might be born again at dawn. Because of her affiliation with Khepri, Nut is also associated as the Protector of the Dead. It is held that the dead become stars on her body. For this reason, she is often painted on the inner lid of sarcophagi, in hopes that the dead will be protected.

A sarcophagus depicting Nut.
(http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/galileopalazzostrozzi/object/SarcophagusLidPortrayingTheGoddessNut.html)

A picture from "Egyptian Mythology" by Veronica Ions.