Nit (Gr: Neith) Local goddess of Zau (Gr: Sais), known as early as the Predynastic and Early Dynastic Period when her influence probably was at its height. Earliest traces are her hieroglyph (crossed arrows on a shield) on a pole in front of the reed shrines and on pottery from Dynasty I in Abydos. Nit is sometimes a goddess of war, sometimes the patroness of weawing, a mortuary goddess and in later times an androgynous Creator goddess. Her function as a deity of war is probably the earliest one, mainly shown by her attributes the bow, shield and arrows. She blessed the hunter´s weapons and in early times weapons were laid as protection around coffins. Even before the unification of the two countries she was the most important deity of Lower Egypt and therefore the red crown made of reeds, also called Nit, became the symbol of Lower Egypt. She is called 'the Terrifying One' and as a mortuary deity she protects the king; together with Aset, Serket and Nebt-Het she watches over the canopic jars. In this company she also watched over Wesir´s bier. Through her capacity of patron deity of weawing, the mummy wrappings and linen bandages gave power to the deceased as they were a gift from her, but the hieroglyph often called a weaver's shuttle has not yet been satisfactorily verified. In this context the myth tells of her intervention when Aset and Nebt-Het are forced to work by Set. Through the negotiations of Djehuty (Thoth) Nit agreed to let her own weavers take their places so they could be freed from the imprisonment of Set. In another myth, the 'Contendings of Heru and Set' she is called upon by the other gods to judge in the conflict because of her great wisdom. During the Third Intermediate she was a national deity and considered the spouse of Khnum at Esna, which she remained into the Ptolemaic times, several depictions of her is found here as well as of her sacred lates-fish, and at Abydos she was connected to the rites of renewal of the king´s power. In the Late period her cult center was at Zau (Gr: Sais), in Lower Egypt. She was then seen as the mother of Sobek and of Re, and therefore given the epithet 'Mother of Gods'. It is thought her name has associations with water - Nit - Nun - Nunet, and in later times she was regarded as a primeval deity with both male and female properties. At this time she was called 'Father of the Fathers' and 'Mother of the Mothers'. During the 26th Dynasty she was the local goddess of Zau. This position was incorporated into the Greek and Roman pantheon and associated with their Athena and Diana.

Main center of worship: Sais/Zau 5th Nome, Lower Egypt Other sites: Probably one in 4th Nome, name unknown, Lower Egypt Naukratis, 7th Nome, Lower Egypt Iunyt/Latopolis, 2nd Nome, Upper Egypt Festivals: (exact dates not historically verified) 7th September - 21st Paopi - Neith Goes forth to Atum 13th September - 27th Paopi - Festival of lighting the fires of Neith 8th December - 23rd Tybi - Feast of Neith 26th December - 11th Mechir - Feast of Neith 19th January - 5th Pamenot - The brilliant festival of Lights as Neith Goes Forth from Sais 10th May - 26th Payni - Going Forth of Neith along the river For a virtual page: Here and Here

Your mother is the great wild cow who dwells in Nekheb, white of head-cloth, long of plumes, and pendulous of breasts; she suckles you and will not wean you (PT, Utt. 412) From the beginning Nekhbet was a local goddess in El Kab (Nekheb), later one of the two protective goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt. The location of Nekheb had shown traces of human habitation going back to at least 6400 b.c. The Name of Nekhbet is the same as the Egyptian name for 'mother' and she was also considered one of the mythical mothers of the King and protector of Upper Egypt.. Among the titles of Nekhbet are: Mistress of Per-Wer,(the Most Sacred Place, She of Nekheb and White Crown, all of the from the Pyramid Texts. The Per-Wer was also known as the House of Greatness. From the beginning it consisted only of a light frame with an animal skin as a roof. Such structures can be seen in stone at the jubilee court of King Zozer (3rd Dyn). Later in the Old Kingdom the Per-Wer became a shrine for the protective serpent Weret-Hekau. The great goddesses could take on any form they whished. Therefore Nekhbet vould be depicted in the form of the serpent The Pyramid Texts stated: You have no human father and you have no human mother, for this mother of yours is the great hwrtserpent, white of headcloth who dwells in Nekheb, whose wings are open, whose breasts are pendulous.(Utt. 703) In the 4th Dynasty, the Great Queen began to wear a headdress in the form of a vulture, its´ wings hanging down the sides of her head, and the vulture´s head on her brow. This queenly crown survived throughout the history of Egypt, all the way into the Ptolemeian period and probably expresses the royal duty of the queen to produce an heir. Nekhbet and the cobra goddess Wadjet (Wadjet) were together the protective mothers of the King and of Upper (Nekhbet) and Lower Egypt (Wadjet). Together they embodied the two crowns of the country and were part of the royal insignia. They were shown in reliefs offering their nurturing breasts to the King. In the New Kingdom Nekhbet became worshipped as a goddess of childbirth, often shown as a woman wearing a vulture skin. Other female deities who was considered the mother of the King, was Aset, Het-Hert, Mut.

Main center of worship: Nekheb/Eileithyiaspolis/El Kab Other sites: Per-Wadjet/Buto, 5th Nome, Lower Egypt The Two Crowns - Nekhbet & Wadjet

Nemty

Nemty was an ancient falcon deity. His former name was Anty. The name Nemty means in ancient Egyptian 'wanderer'. He was mostly worshipped in the 10th, 12th, and 18th Sepat (Gr: Nome) of Upper Egypt. In the Old and Middle Kingdom, his name was often used in personal names. From early times he was associated with Heru (Gr: Horus). In the Pyramid Text as well as the Coffin Texts, he was also associated with two other falcon deities: Dunanwi and Dunawi. In the Coffin Texts he is described as superwizing the falcon deity Sokar in his henu boat. Later, he is described as a feryman who transports gods, particularly Re. His association with Heru probably caused the importance of Nemty to be lost by time. He is usually depicted as a falcon who squats on a stylized boat which reminds you of the crescent of the moon. But in the 18th Sepat of Upper Egypt, this boat does not appear. In the form of Dunawi we can see Nemty standing atop of a pole for standards, with his wings outstretched. Myth from the Late period, Papyrus Jumilhac: Nemty cut off HetHert´s (Gr: Hathor) head, just as Heru had done with Aset in the 'Contendings of Heru and Set'. For this crime, Nemty was flayed of his skin and flesh. This story seems to want to explain why in the 12th Sepat his image was made of silver which was associated with the bones of the gods, instead of in gold, as was the "flesh and bone" of the gods.

Nemty was worshipped in the 10th, 12th and 18th Sepat (Gr: Nome) of Upper Egypt.

NebtHet is a shadowy lady who tends to slip away when you try to get a hold of her. But taking a closer look might reveal some unexpected features. The Name of Nebt-Het, Nbt-Hwt (Gr: Nephtys) means "Mistress of the House" or "Mistress of the Mansion/Temple". It is a title rather than a name, and the same word is shown in her hieroglyphic sign above her head. So her name reveals nothing of her origin. She has several other titles or epiteths, like: "Friend of the Dead", "Good Sister", "Joyful One", "Sister of the Gods", "She Who Stands Behind Her Brother". In the Pyramid Texts, she and Aset are repeatedly referred to as the "Mooring-Posts", by which is meant the place where the deceased is receieved. In the Heliopolitan Creation Myth NebtHet is daughter to Geb and Nut, sister to Aset (Gr: Isis), Wesir, (Gr: Osiris) and sister-spouse to Set. Her rôle in the Myth of Wesir is always one of supporting Aset in her search for his body and mourning by her side. Nowhere in the myth is she referred to as taking the side of her spouse Set, the slayer of Wesir. Instead she helps Aset with searching for the pieces of the body of Wesir and with reassembling and guarding them. By this myth, and due to the many mentionings of her in the Pyramid Texts, Nebt-Het became one of the major funerary deities in Egypt. Together with Aset she receives the deceased King in the Heareafter and guards him there. She is often depicted at one end of a bier while Aset is seen at the other. In this context, NebtHet and Aset were also among the four deities who protected the canopic jars and other funerary items in both royal and private burials. (The other ones being Nit and Serqet) She is sometimes associated with the linen bandages that are used for the mummy and she also protects and takes care of the young Heru child, son of Aset. But there is no myth pertaining to NebtHet alone. In later times NebtHet was said to be the mother of Inpew (Anubis)of which the father would be Wesir. No stories of jealousy on the part of either Aset or Set are found though. Another Late Period connection to NebtHet, although vague, is with Anuket of Abu (Elephantine)though the connection with Aset always takes precedence throughout the various time periods. Depictions NebtHet can appear in the form of etiher a female deity with the hieroglyphic sign of her name above her head, or in birdform; most frequently the kite, like Aset is, but sometimes also a hawk or a swallow. These depictions are seen guarding biers, sarcohphagi and shrines; either of them at each end of it, or both the deities together at the head end. In these situations they can be seen either in human form or in bird form. NebtHet and other Deities As has been said, the foremost conncetions between NebtHet and other deities are with Aset, Set and Wesir. The aforementioned relation to Anuket must be regarded with some scepsis. But there are two other deities which are more interesting to look at in connection to NebtHet: Nit (Gr: Neith) and Seshat. Nit and NebtHet are both connected with life and death. Nit is the female Creatrix who created existence and NebhtHet receives and guides the deceased as he passes over into the Afterlife. So they are both liminial deities. In Egyptian texts and imagery, they are often juxtaposed opposite each other. Not only that, but they act as apair which also is juxtaposed oppsite the two other funerary deites, namely Aset and Serqet, with whom they form the quadruple of protective deities for canopic shrines and other funerary items. Aset and Serqet functions as two sides of the same deity, here and in other contexts so it would not be too far out to place NebtHet and Nit in the same position. Another connection beween the two, is that they both are named as spuses to Set, and yet another one is found on some funeral papyeri, Nit has taken the place of NebtHet and guards Wesir together with Aset in the Hall of Judgment. There are also several other instances where Nit exchanges place and functions of NebtHet. So is NebtHet in the Leyden Papyrus seen as the weaver of the linen bandages, something which traditionally is done by Nit. Even so, this connection is of course not fully researched. Seshat and NebtHet are given more credit for being connected. Going back to the Pyramid Text, it says: "NebtHet has collected all your members for you in this her h´name of Seshat, Lady of Builders, which is rather expressive. And at the temple at Esna, both Seshat and NebtHet are called "Lady of Books", being the owner and director of the house of records there. Cult Places For a long time it has been thought that NepbtHet enjoyed no cult of her own. Excavations in the late 1900´s have however revealed some interesting things and three different cult centers of NebtHet can now be discerned. 1. Already in the Early Dydnastic Period, Hiw, or Diospolis Parva, was the capital of the 7th Nome of Upper Egypt. The local deity at that time was Bat, who in the Middle Kingdom became merged with HetHert, who in turn in the Late Period was taken over - not with Aset but with NebtHet. At this time NebtHet had become the main deity here in Diospolis Parva, and her rôle was much the same as Aset in Behbet el-Hagar, i.e she was the protector and guardian of the rites of Wesir. So here we find the almost unlikely exception to the supremacy of Aset in her traditional position as caretaker and guardian of Wesir in every other cult place in Egypt. At this location, NebtHet was in charge. Here she has titles like: "The Lady of Hiw", "The Lady who Dwells in the Heart of Hiw" and "The Lady of the Mansion of the Sistrum", which all points at her being the main deity of this cult center. Although no temple remains have ben found here, other inscriptions in the 7th Sepat, talks about NebtHet as: "the domain of NebtHet". 2. From the 19th and 20th Dynasty, New Kingdom, there has been discovered at Seperemeru, near Oxhyrrunchus, 19th Sepat, Upper Egypt, two separate temple foundations, for NebtHet and for Set. They each had their own priesthood, were equal in size and were attested already in the Wilbur Papyrus, the famous listing of priesthood and taxes. It seems that from this time onward, NebtHet enjoyed an important and widespread worship which last into the Ptolemaic Period. 3. All the Ptolemaic temples Dendera, Philae, Edfu and Esna have inscriptions referring to "NebtHet, Mistress of Kom Mer" and when in 1978scant remains of a temple were discovered at Kom Mer, these ancient inscritions were confirmed. The temple was dedicated to NebtHet/Anuket, a combination developed in the Late Period. This was an important cult place as the tradition was that NebtHet had found one of the missing pieces of Wesir here, during the search for his body that she and Aset had made.

Main center of worship: Iunu/Heliopolis/Cairo, 13 th Nome, Lower Egypt Recent fieldwork has discovered at least four other cult centers for Nebt-Het, pointing at a probable importance during the 19th and 20th dynasties and into the Ptolemaic times: Hiw/Diospolis Parva, 7th Nome, Upper Egypt. Sepermeru near Oxyrrhynchus, 19th Nome, Upper Egypt. Kom Mir, to Nebt-Het/Anuket. Djew-qa/Antaeopolis, 10 Nome, Upper Egypt. (there might be more). Festivals: (exact dates not historically verified) 18th of July, the 5th Epagomenal Day is the Birthday of Nebet-Het (Nephtys) 30th August - 13th Paopi - Day of Satisfying the Hearts of the Ennead 3rd October - 17th Hethara - Lamentations of Aset (Isis)and Nebet-Het (Nephthys) for Wasir (Osiris). 29th October - 13th Koiak - Day of Going Forth of Het-Hert and the Ennead 15th November - 30th Koiak - The Ennead feast in the House of Ra, Heru and Wasir

Nun/Pesdjet

Nun was the god who personified the primeval waters, the chaos which existed before there was shape and form, the dark liquid mass out of which there appeared the creator-god. Nun is regarded as having no surface, stretching into infinity. Not subject to cosmic order (Maat), Nun’s watery chaos is even so considered beneficial. Amenhotep III constructed a pool at Thebes in which the god delighted. Nun is without peer in the Egyptian cosmos, as he is regarded as the “father of the gods”. His consort is Naunet. Once the creation of the universe had taken place, Nun continued to exist beyond its boundaries, within the waters of the earth and those of the river Nile. He was written with the hieroglyphic sign for water and represented by the purifying lakes which belonged to every temple. He also played a part in the rituals for laying out the foundation of a new temple structure. In iconography, Nun is depicted with his arms thrust out at the sun at the twelfth hour, a bearded man waist-high in water, supporting the sacred solar barque Manjet

Nun had no temples or priesthood, and was never worshipped as a personified deity. Instead he was regarded as present in the sacred lakes that were to be found at all temples.

Nut, belonging to the Heliopolitan Ennead and daughter of Shu and Tefnut, was the mother of all heavenly bodies and was thought to be reaching across the sky from horizon to horizon, touching them with her hands and feet. Her laughter was the thunder and her tears were the rain and the heavenly bodies all were swallowed up each evening and born again next morning. There are some astronomical indications of this. It has been shown that at the winter solstice before dawn, in Predynastic Egypt, the Milky Way would have looked very much like a stretched out body with arms and legs touching the horizons in the same manner as Nut was frequently shown in later times. Another thing which must have affected the way the Egyptians saw her, was the fact that at the winter solstice, the sun was rising at the exact place where it was thought that she was born, and nine months eariler at the spring equinox, it was seen to set at her head, so that it seemed to be swalloed up. Myth There is a myth about the birth of her children, written down by Plutharch, which states that the sun god feared her children as possible usurpers of his throne, so he laid a curse upon Nut so that she couldn´t give birth during any of the 360 days of the year. Then Djehuty (Gr: Thoth) came to her help, winning five extra days so that she could bear her children. Funeral Deity Nut was seen as the mother of Re, who swallowed him up every evening and gave birth to him again every morning. It was said that the sun passed through her during the night, and the stars during the days. She was thus connected to resurrection and the tomb. The coffin, decorated with stars, was seen as the heavens, i.e. Nut herself in whose body the deceased rested until he awoke to new life. Many tombs are decorated with her image on the lid, so that the deceased could 'see' her. It was also believed that the deceased became stars in the sky. Nut was said to have united with Geb, and thus giving birth to Wesir (Gr: Osiris) and thereby associated with the other deitites which were involved with resurrection. Therefore, the priests of Heliopolis (Anc: Iunu), could incorporate the netherworld into their sun cult. Nut is an important figure in the Pyramid Text and is mentioned nearly 100 times. She appears there as a helper of the King´s resurrection, in the form of the Heavenly Cow, which in turns links her with HetHert (Gr: Hathor), and she is also mentioned as his "Mother Nut in her name of 'Sarcophagus'.... in her name of 'Coffin'....in her name of 'tomb'. Her association with HetHert became, by time, reason for their change of placement: sometimes Nut was seen as the sycamore tree which brings nurture to the deceased, while HetHert became the Heavenly Cow. Depictions Mostly, Nut was depicted as a woman with a round water pot above her head, together with the hieroglyph for sky. Other times we see her starry body bending over Geb as the Earth deity. Her arms and legs touch the horizon. Sometimes there is Shu between them, holding her up. On the underside of coffin lids, she was depicted from her front, often with the sun showing it to be swallowed up by her. In this way, the coffin became a symbol of her body, which would enable the deceased to be reborn. In the Book of Going Forth By Day, she is seen coming from the trunk of a sycamore tree, to bring water and nourishment in the afterlife. Sometimes she was shown as the Sky Cow. Her hooves were then the four cardinal points of the earth and stars and the sun were shown below her underside. In this form, she is often supported by Shu as well as the Heh gods, two of them supporting her four legs which are the 'Pillars of the Sky'. Worship Although Nut was depicted in many temples and tombs, as well as in astronomical ceilings, she had no cult of her own like other deities. Probably she was not well observed in popular religion although amulets of her in sow aspect have been found in burials.

Main Temple: Nut was one of the cosmic deities and as such was never worshipped in a personified form. No temples or specific cult places are known. Festivals: (exact dates not historically verified) 6th August - 19th Thuti - Festival of Nut and Ra 27th August - 10th Paopi - Birthday of Nut 30th August - 13th Paopi - Day of Satisfying the Hearts of the Ennead 4th January - 20 Mechir - Day of Nut and Raet proceeding southward 1st February - 18th Pamenot - Feast of Nut 2nd february - 19th Pamenot - Birhtday of Nut 26th February - 13th Parmutit - Day of Nut 5th May - 21st Payni - Day of the Living children of Nut