THE DEITIES NEFERTEM He is usually depicted as a man with a blue lotus blossom headdress. He was also shown wearing two plumes and two necklace counterpoises, as symbols of fertility, due to their association with Hathor. Statue of Nefertem. Courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania at:- http://www.upenn.edu/museum/Exhibits/nefertem.html According to the Creation Myth of "Hermopolis Magna", the sun rose from the primeval lotus flower and Nefertem therefore has close links with the sun-god Ra. In the "Pyramid Texts", Nefertem is described as the "lotus blossom which is before the nose of Ra". This flower was often given to guests at banquets. Nefertem was thought of as the son of the lioness-goddess, Sekhmet and the god, Ptah at Memphis. He was therefore also sometimes depicted with the head of a lion. At Bastet Nefertem was thought to be the son of the cat-goddess Bastet. At Bute however he was believed to be the son of Wadjyt, the cobra-goddess of Lower Egypt. Nefertem`s epithet, "Khener tawy" means "protector of two lands" and he was thought of as the guardian of Unified Egypt. NEITH (goddess) - Neith was an ancient creator-goddess, who had her main cult centre at Sais in the Delta region of Egypt. She was depicted by an ancient symbol of a shield and crossed arrows. Funerary stele and other items have been found at Abydos showing this symbol dating to the 1st dynasty (3100-2890 BC). These symbols were associated with Neith`s warlike aspects. She was identified with the Greek goddess, Athena. Neith is usually shown wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt. She became part of a triad with her consort, the god Seth, and their son, the crocodile-god, Sobek by the Old Kingdom (2686-2181 BC). Her role as a mother goddess also led to her being known as "Great Cow" ( as well as the goddesses Hathor and Nut). An illustration of Neith. Courtesy of KING TUT ONE.COM at http://www.kingtutone.com/ Inscriptions in the temple of Khnum at Esna, from the Roman Period, show Neith as an Upper Egyptian creator-goddess, who later settled in Sais. In this role she is linked with the primordial waters of chaos (Nun) that preceded the creation of the world. From the Old Kingdom, Neith was seen as a funerary goddess, along with Isis, Nephthys and the scorpion goddess, Selket. They each protected one of the "Four sons of Horus", who looked after the internal organs of the deceased. Neith was shown on the east side of the coffin and was the protectress of Duamutef the jackal-headed god, who protected the stomach and upper intestines. An illustration of Neith. Courtesy of NEFERCHICHI`S TOMB at http://www.neferchichi.com Neith was also thought to be the mythical inventor of weaving and was therefore linked with the linen mummy bandages. She became very important during the 26th dynasty (664-525 BC) when Sais was the home to Egypt`s ruling family and the capital of Egypt. NEKHBET (goddess) - She is the vulture-goddess and protectress of Upper Egypt. Along with the cobra-goddess, Wadjyt, the protectress of Lower Egypt, they were linked with Egyptian kingship of the united land. From as early as the 1st dynasty reign of king Anedjib (c.2925 BC) the king had a "nebty" (two ladies) title as part of his throne name. This name showed images of a cobra and vulture beside it. Sometimes Nekhbet was also depicted as a cobra and wore the "white crown" of Upper Egypt. This form was common in the headdresses worn by the Queens of the 18th dynasty and afterwards. Usually Nekhbet was depicted as a vulture, often with her wings spread open and her talons holding "shen" signs (symbols of eternity). In some paintings she is seen hovering above a scene with one wing outstretched in a protective gesture. An illustration of Nekhbet. Courtesy of NEFERCHICHI`S TOMB at http://www.neferchichi.com Nekhbet`s first cult centre was at Nekheb (now known as ElKab). She is mentioned in the "Pyramid Texts", when she is described as the "white crown". She is also noted for her maternal qualities and was known as "the great white cow that dwells in Nekheb". She was believed to act as a nurse to the young pharaoh and was identified with the Greek goddess of childbirth, Eileithyia. NEPHTHYS (goddess) - Nephthys was usually depicted as a woman, but could also be represented as a kite. Her name means, "Lady of the Mansion" and she wore a headdress made up of this title or epithet, which were a basket on top of the enclosure wall of a grand house. An illustration of Nephthys. Courtesy of NEFERCHICHI`S TOMB at http://www.neferchichi.com Nephthys was the sister to Isis, Osiris and Seth. She was thought to be the consort to the evil god, Seth. In later times she was believed to be the mother of Anubis, with Osiris as the father. She is best known as the sister of Isis and as a protector of the dead. From the New Kingdom times she was depicted on the northern wall of the royal sarcophagus, at the head of the deceased and Isis was on the southern side, by the feet. Nephthys also protected the baboon headed son of Horus, Hapy, who was the guardian of the lungs of the deceased. NUN (god) - Nun is one of the eight creator deities of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad. He was the divine personification of the primordial waters of chaos from which the "primeval mound" of the sun-god, Atum arose. Following creation the negative forces of chaos were believed to exist on the edges of the universe and in the Netherworld. Nun was seen as the place of demons and social outcasts, outside the bounds of the universe. An illustration of Nun. Courtesy of NEFERCHICHI`S TOMB at http://www.neferchichi.com Nun was sometimes depicted as a baboon or with a frogs` head. He was also portrayed as a bearded man holding the solar barque aloft. His consort was Naunet, the snake headed goddess. Some of the enclosure walls of the Egyptian temples, e.g. Karnak and Dendera, are built using alternate brick layers of convex and concave courses. This was to represent the waters of Nun. The temple was seen as a representation of the universe. NUT (goddess) - Nut was a sky-goddess. In the Heliopolitan creation myth Nut was believed to be the daughter of Shu and Tefnut, sister-wife of Geb and the mother of Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. She is usually depicted as a woman arching over the earth. It was thought that each evening Nut would swallow the setting sun, Ra, and give birth to him again the following morning. She was also sometimes represented as a cow. In this form as the "divine cow", she carried Ra, the sun-god, on her back each morning. An illustration of Nut. Courtesy of KING TUT ONE.COM at http://www.kingtutone.com/ Nut is mentioned in a number of "utterances" from the "pyramid texts", when she is regarded as a funerary deity. She is depicted on ceilings of tombs and also on coffin lids. The deceased was thought to be both re-enacting the journey of the sun-god between heaven and earth and also inside Nut`s body, preparing for re-birth.