Nut: Overview

Nut in
Hieroglyphs

Nut is identified by the water
pot balanced on her head.

Nut (pronounced Noot) is the Sky Goddess in Ancient Egyptian Mythology.  Nut is also referred to as Neuth and Nuit. Nut, like almost all other gods, had skin of pure gold, bones of pure silver, and hair of real lapis lazuli. She was most often portrayed as a woman with a very elongated body, arched over the earth. The ancient Egyptians sometimes envisioned her as a great cow or sow with stars in her belly, standing over the earth. When she is depicted in "human" form, she can be identified by the waterpot or womb placed on her head.

This papyrus scroll depicts Nut and her consort Geb (the Earth god)
being seperated by their father, Shu (the Air god). Taken from "Egyptian Mythology" by Veronica Ions.

She is considered the mother of four very important deities: Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. In some traditions, Osiris and Isis conceived their son Horus while still in the womb. 


(Note: The image of Nut seated on a throne can be found at http://www.egyptianmyths.net
As for the sources of my information, I have used and will use: "Egyptian Mythology" by Veronica Ions and "Symbol & Magic in Egyptian Art" by Richard H. Wilkinson, as well as the splendid website egyptianmyths.net
 I have also drawn heavily from personal knowledge. I began studying ancient Egypt as a small child, and so some of the information is from my own memory.)