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Writer Meritka examines one of the most significant of the ancient Egyptian deities, the goddess or heavenly force named Nut. Through Nut, named for the sky, Egyptian kings vested hopes for eternal existence. Priests sealed this promise in numerous ways, beginning with painting the ceiling of the ruler’s coffin with images of Nut and Ra, the sun. Upon the entombment of a king, rites were intoned from the Pyramid Texts, cited as “the oldest sacred texts known.” The message was that once transformed into an identity as Osiris, the departed ruler would be the spiritual child of Ra and Nut, experiencing and controlling the night’s star-studded darkness, as well as the sun’s power displayed at noon each day. Nut provided the waters for the king’s birth and was also able to feed those she oversaw. This was done from the sycamore tree, an Egyptian symbol of the divine mother, which yields a small fig-like fruit capable of feeding animals, birds, and humans. Thus, overseen by Nut, the departed king welcomed his destiny as “an imperishable star.”
Scholarly author Meritka (Safiya Karimah) brings a wealth of previous experience in researching and writing about female deities to this work as she delves deeply into Egyptian literature, researching hieroglyphs and histories. The illustrations accompanying this highly informative narrative include photographs taken by the author, encompassing pyramid texts and paintings that underscore the points she makes. The intriguing facts shared about Nut are part of wider areas of subject matter, drawing together the beliefs of many people, both ancient and modern, concerning feminine and masculine aspects of the natural world and the effects that such perceptions continue to have on cultures and individuals. The author’s book will likely provide a stimulus for others to learn more about Egyptian religion and explore the enchanting mysteries of nature’s symbolism.