Nephthys – Egyptian Funerary Goddess Who Also Protected The Pharaohs While They Were Alive
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Egyptian goddess Nephthys - primarily associated with the myths of Heliopolis - was a funerary goddess and played a lesser role to her sister Isis. Otherwise, nothing is known about her before her appearance in these myths.
Nephthys goddess on the sarcophagus of Ramses III. Credit: Tangopaso - Public Domain
Her Egyptian name is "nebet-hut," which means "mistress of the mansion " However, any specific clue link to her true origin was never given. She was the daughter of Geb that symbolizes the beginning of everything in Egyptian mythology. Geb represented the beginning, fertility, and the earth. On the other hand, Nut was the mother goddess of all gods. Isis and Osiris were twin brothers of Nephthys, who eventually married another of his brothers, Seth.
It is confirmed that Nephtys' reign as an important goddess lasted all the way through the last Egyptian dynasty. It is also important to remember that she was one of the most ancient deities in Egyptian mythology.
In the Osiris myth, Nephtys (Nephthys) was one of the four deities involved in the Osiris myth, where she symbolically represented a partner to the god Seth. At the same time, the goddess Isis was the wife of Osiris. Based on one story, Nephthys had a sexual relation with Osiris, resulting in the birth of Anubis.
However, when Osiris is murdered, Nephthys - morning his death - helps her sister search for him, which is attested in the Pyramid Texts, where the goddess is "the one who floats in a night barge, while her sister Isis, in a day barge").
At first, she participated in the search for his body. Once the body of the murdered Osiris was recovered, both goddesses carried out a rite that allowed Osiris to be brought back to life.
It is believed that the tradition of embalming or mummifying the dead arose as a way to avoid the deterioration of the body of the deceased. Both sisters participated in the embalming of Osiris's body and helped him transit to the afterlife. Nephthys protected his mummy, standing at the head of his bed.
Nephthys was the companion of the god Ra during his night voyage through the underground realms.
As a funerary goddess, Nephthys was one of the most important deities protecting the dead. She was also one of the four divine guardians of the canopic jars and other items in royal and private burials. Due to her role, Isis, Selket, and Nephthys are closely associated with falcons, and their depictions were often shown on coffins in the form of winged women as protectors of the dead.
The two sisters were opposite to each other, like the mysterious death and night. Still, they acted together, and Nephthys was Isis' complement, symbolizing inferiority, infertile lands, and passivity.
Statue of Nephthys goddess at the Louvre Museum. Credit: Public Domain
In her relationship with the god Seth, Nephthys never had a child, and according to the Pyramid Texts, she was known as "the woman who has no vagina." Both Seth and Nephthys symbolized the world's chaos and destruction, while her sister in relationship with Osiris represented order and harmony.
She was depicted as a woman with a hieroglyph of her name on her head, often with two horns. Between them, a disc was placed that referred to this goddess as part of the solar cult. In the engravings of the time, it was located at the head of the deceased.
She had a connection with the Lower World but was also often entitled "The Goddess of Creation who lives in everything." Despite Nephthys' important role in ancient Egyptians' funerary beliefs, however, Nephthys had no temples or any representative cult center of her own.
According to myths and legends, Nephthys was a beautiful deity who protected the deceased and the pharaohs while they were alive and later when they died.
Written by – A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
More From Ancient Pages
-
Boobrie: Shape-Shifting Mythical Horror Bird From Scottish Highlands
Featured Stories | Feb 9, 2017
-
African Skeletons From Early Colonial Mexico And First-Generation Slaves
Archaeology | May 4, 2020
-
Monumental Grave Of Ancient Greek Poet Aratus Located In Mersin- But It Cannot Be Opened
Archaeology | Jun 4, 2017
-
Ancient Burial Chambers Decorated With Mythological Figures Of Hercules, Medusa, Eros – Unearthed In Bursa, Turkey
Archaeology | Feb 21, 2017
-
Anne Neville – The Dramatical Story Of The White Queen
Featured Stories | May 22, 2020
-
Oldest Case Of A Rare Genetic Condition Discovered
Archaeology | Aug 27, 2022
-
Secrets Of Iron Age Power Center Uppåkra Revealed By Archaeologists
Archaeology | Oct 22, 2022
-
Puzzling Construction Of Unique Sunken Ship From The 17th Century Examined
Archaeology | Jul 28, 2022
-
Ancient Mysteries Of The Amazon Jungle – Survivors Of The Great Flood Or An Atlantean Race Hidden In The Forest? – Part 2
Civilizations | May 29, 2018
-
Daily Life Of Priests And Priestesses In Ancient Egypt
Ancient History Facts | Apr 5, 2018
-
Unique Maya Center Of Copán With History Recorded In 2500 Hieroglyphics
Civilizations | Nov 7, 2018
-
Unusual Object With Crosses And Enigmatic Runes Discovered In Sweden
Archaeology | May 16, 2018
-
South American Musical Instruments Reflect Population Relationships – Archaeological Records Reveal
Archaeology | Sep 20, 2021
-
Mysterious Ancient European Civilization – Puzzling Ancient Egyptian Connection – Part 2
Civilizations | Oct 23, 2019
-
Secret Underground Chambers Of Caynton Caves And The Knights Templar Connection
Featured Stories | Aug 13, 2019
-
On This Day In History: Howard Carter Discovered King Tut’s Tomb In The Valley Of The Kings – On Nov 4, 1922
News | Nov 4, 2016
-
Central European Early Iron Age ‘Hascherkeller’ Reveals Its Secrets
Archaeology | Jul 20, 2022
-
‘Altar Of Twelve Gods’ At Gabii, Italy Was Once An Important Ancient Place
Civilizations | Apr 1, 2023
-
Utiseta – Norse Vision Quest – Ancient Spiritual Tradition Of Northern Europe
Ancient Traditions And Customs | Oct 3, 2019
-
Unearthing Vadnagar And The Search For Hueng Tsang’s 10 Monasteries
Archaeology | Dec 11, 2015