Daily Curiosity

Egyptian Mythology · Question

Who is the sky goddess who swallows the sun each night?

Answer

Nut

The story behind the answer

Nut is the Egyptian sky goddess, depicted arching over the earth. In myth, the sun god Ra sails across her body by day; at dusk she swallows the sun, which travels through the night within her, and at dawn she gives birth to it again—an elegant explanation for the daily cycle.

Context helps sort the options: Shu is the air god who separates Nut from the earth god Geb; Hathor is a goddess of love, joy, and sometimes a sky-cow, but not the one who “eats” the sun; Selene is

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