Mythology has always been, probably, the most interesting part of Egyptian culture, but not only of Egypt.Tales of gods and their deeds rather informative while reading various myths have always enjoyed not only young children but also adults.Gods in ancient Egypt was a great set.Now I want to tell you who this goddess Nut.
Pedigree
This character has a very high birth: Nut is the granddaughter of Ra - the sun god on the paternal side.She - the daughter of Tefnut, goddess of moisture, which is portrayed as a cat, and Shu - god of the air.At the same time Chickpeas - wife while twin sister of the god of the earth Geba.
Name
interesting is the very name of the goddess.Translated "Nut" means "sky".The root word from which it was formed, this name denotes hieroglyphic means "receptacle".So often this deity is depicted with a vessel on the head (in a standing position).
Purpose
Nut - goddess of the sky, it represents the sky, which is spread over the ground and covers the ground.The ancient Egyptians believed that all the stars and planets are in the sky, in the water, to float freely.According to the beliefs, along the body of the goddess of the sun each day passed, the evening she had ingested to give birth again in the morning.At dawn, the moon and the stars swallowed them to appear again in the evening.That is why the Egyptians also became the goddess burial, because everyone wanted to die, like the sun, and then the star born and live in the sky.Over time, it began to represent ceilings graves and burial graves in the covers.Similar patterns were considered as evidence that the goddess Nut will take each of the deceased to his heaven.
Image
How to represent the deity of the Egyptians?As a rule, the goddess Nut depicted nude, which rarely can be found in Egyptian mythology.Basically it was a woman with an elongated and curved body in the form of the sky, resting his hands and feet on the ground.So the people imagine heaven, which rises every day the sun god Ra.It is worth noting that, despite the fact that her hands on the figures as if squeezed it with his finger on each hand and foot should show four different corners of the world.If you look at the tomb of Ramses VI, Pharaoh of Egypt, there goddess Nut is shown simultaneously in two guises - night and day.These bodies are arranged back to back, one is covered with stars (night), and the other is decorated with twelve suns - one for each hour of the day.
Less Nut is depicted in a pose of standing or sitting, then on her head is a great pitcher.Then it can be both naked, and in tight dress.Sometimes the goddess depicted as a sycamore tree (often similar patterns can be seen in the burial tombs of the Egyptians believed that the deceased could drink the water in the afterlife) or a pig that eats its children - the sun, moon and stars.Picture of a cow (which is also characteristic of the goddess) is considered very valuable symbolically was in ancient Egypt.So, after deciphering the texts on the walls of the pyramids, it became clear that the pharaohs - the children of the sacred cow, which she gives birth.And the goddess is far beyond the tangibility of the common man, protecting everyone from the evil forces of chaos.
attributes
Egyptian goddess Nut does not have a plurality of attributes.Because the main thing - it's full of stars dress (or a naked body), as well as the vessel from which it is depicted in a sitting position.When the goddess was depicted in a pose standing in her hands was Ankh (Cross of life), and the rod of the UAS (rare for a female deity).
Epithets
Egyptian goddess Nut, when she addressed the people, always styled "mother star," "born of the gods" or simply "the Great" - these epithets belonged only to her.Her world was represented by a defender against the forces of chaos, who are trying to break through her body, covering the earth.
interesting legend is a legend, which relates to the goddess Nut.In this case it appears in the image is the Heavenly Cow.One of Ra - the sun god - wanted to climb over it to heaven.But before he could go half way as Nute felt fatigue, her head began to spin, and she was ready to fall.Therefore, Ra called for help eight gods who must support her legs, and the god Shu - the abdomen.This plot is often used to create images.The goddess was depicted as a cow, legs which support the gods.The very same Ra sails under her belly in her wonderful boat under the stars.
Cosmology
notable is the fact that the Egyptians were interested in space and all that is associated with the celestial abyss.That is why the goddess Nut their matters so much.Very often near her image could be seen character "heh", which means "million deities."In fact, it's just the stars, which, according to the beliefs of the inhabitants of ancient Egypt are the souls of the dead.
