The gods of ancient Egypt monitored almost every aspect of existence, and gods and goddesses represented ordinary daily activities all the way to the universe itself. However, the God's Nut (pronounced “Noot”) has one of the most important roles. Nut literally stands on her brother Geb, the Earth God, protecting him from the vacant flood. She is also the key to the solar cycle, swallowing the sun every morning just to rebirth. According to the ever-growing research at the University of Portsmouth in the UK, NUT may also have another important correlation: with the Milky Way itself. His latest theory is on April 30 Astronomy and Historical Heritage Magazine.
Astrophysicist or Graur was first interested in the origin of Nut when he was doing research on galaxy books. While exploring the Milky Way myths of various cultures, Graul was hit by written materials from ancient Egypt, citing the Milky Way such as pyramid texts, coffin texts, and nut books. After comparing their descriptions with simulations about how the Egyptian night sky looked during those eras, Graul published an initial study in 2024 that intertwined with nuts and the Milky Way, perhaps even physically. Specifically, he argued that the winter sky was manifested on the gods’ outstretched arms, while her backbone showed the summer paradise.
Graur conducted a more in-depth study in next year's theory, reviewing 125 nut images depicted in 555 Egyptian coffins nearly 5,000 years ago. Although often described as naked women, some examples stand out because of their differences.
“The texts themselves propose a way to think about the connection between nuts and the Milky Way,” Grower said. “Analyzing her visual description of the coffin and grave mural adds a new dimension, which literally depicts different pictures.”
For example, the coffin belonging to Amun-Re Chantress Nesitaudjatakhet shows a undulating black curve that passes the nut from the fingertips to the body of the foot through the nut's body, with relatively few stars on either side of the curve. Graur believes that this starry sky means representing the Milky Way.
“I think the ups and downs…maybe the representative of the Great Rift Valley – the cut dark band [through the] The Milky Way's Spread Band. ” he said.
Graul also noted that similar curves were seen in the four graves in the Kings Valley, including one belonging to Lames VI. He ruled from the mid to late 12th century B.C., and the ceiling of his burial room was cut in half between the books of the day and the books of the night. Both descriptions include back-to-back, arched nut figures, straddled by golden curves from her head all the way from her back. However, this particular change of curvature is rare in Graur's Nut Artwork investigation, which he says reinforces a larger theory.
“Although there is a connection between the nut and the Milky Way, the two are not one,” he said. “Nuts are not representative of the Milky Way. Instead, the Milky Way, as well as the sun and stars, are one and a celestial phenomenon that can decorate the body of the nut in her role as a sky.”
The new assumption is more than just a more subtle view of Egypt’s pantheon, it’s a great material for bedtime stories.
“My interest [in Nut] “After visiting the museum with my daughter, they were fascinated by the image of a vaulted woman and kept asking to hear her story,” Graul said.
