Nu (mythology)

Now is an Egyptian god, who made a pair of gods with his wife Naunet. During represented Now the upper sky outside of Earth, Naunet symbolized the surface and underground waters of the Duat.

Mythological connections

Now as a cosmic element

In the Book of Nut and the grave of Seti I. describes the primeval waters closer to a place of absolute darkness, where " the weary " stop. In the pyramid sayings commands the Hunger: "Go to now! " Because it can not exist there, and is destroyed.

" 31 The top of the sky is the Keku semau. The outer side of the sky is located in Reteh - qabet, which is the boundary of Heaven. 32 your boundaries ( the boundary ) are unknown. 33 The limits are now moored as " Tired ". These are in the water by being exhausted, that is, the places. 34 The Ba does not rise there. Re not going on there. 35 Without that his country is known by gods and glorified, 35 that is, the place where the darkness. 36 There is no light in them. 37 Every place is now spreading from every shadow. 37 It is entirely covered with darkness, that is, the water. 38 These are the countries where higher than the total Duat. 38 The darkness there exceeds that of the Duat. "

The terms " Tired " and " Exhausted " refer to the directions in the Now, that no longer exist there. It is a popular ancient Egyptian word game that explains the insignificance of the compass in the Now, similar to the modern comparison that in the universe of the compass lose their membership if there exists no earthly location as a reference point. In the 58th scene of the Book of Gates there is a similar description, where four by four " Tired in the Well " can be seen.

The ideas of Nun found in the New Kingdom with the introduction of the Book of the Dead, however, a theological change. Probably dating from the Middle Kingdom myth "Book of the Heavenly Cow " situates the sun god Re still on the back of the groove and characterizes this area as a retreat of Re. In the Book of Nut Re can, however, in its adult form not enter the top of the sky now, which is located on the back of the groove, as a deity. Similarly, in the Book of Gates, the area of the region of the Duat Now although Naunet in the Old Kingdom was responsible as the wife of now for this area. The theological interpretations are also striking in this context with the localizations of Qebehu.

Now as a deity

Now one of the older deities of Egypt. They call him the old, the origin of the gods. The presentation is purely human, sometimes without special attributes, some with a pair of springs on the main. Like all male members of the Ogdoad of Hermopolis can be shown now with a frog head.

The earliest evidence of Now as anthropomorphic deity are in Hermopolis Magna. In the local Ogdoad Well together with Naunet since the New Kingdom, the first pair of the family tree that was created by Atum. In Memphis, they were joined closely with the deity Ptah to Ptah -Nun.

Primeval mound

From the primeval waters or the primeval waters one day the primeval mound on which the creation took her progress arose. The creation myths of Hermopolis, Heliopolis ( Egyptian name on) and Memphis differ here.

Even the act of creation of the people of Khnum, which are formed from clay, takes place on the primeval mound. Several cities take claim for themselves, the " high ground, which grew out of the Well " to be.