NOUN
neutralPrimordial ocean
Nun, also called Nu or Nunu, designates in the Egyptian cosmogony the primordial ocean, the expanse of limitless, inert waters that existed before the creation of the world. More than a personal god, he represents a fundamental concept, a formless state in which neither space nor time exists. From his waters emerged the primordial mound and the first creator god, Atum, then the sun Ra, which earns Nun the title of father of the gods. He belongs to the Ogdoad of Hermopolis, a group of eight primordial deities, where he forms a couple with his consort Naunet. He is figured as a bearded man with a blue or green body, a symbol of water and fertility. In the funerary texts such as the Book of Gates, he lifts the solar barque with his arms, an image of the sun's daily rebirth out of chaos. The waters of the Nun subsist at the margins of the ordered world, ready to regenerate it.
Era
3,000–30 BCE
Frequently asked questions
What is the Nun in Egyptian mythology?
The Nun is the primordial ocean, the infinite expanse of motionless waters that precedes creation. It is from him that the first mound and the creator god emerge.
Is Nun a god or a concept?
Both. Nun personifies the primordial waters in the guise of a bearded man, but he designates above all a cosmic state, the watery chaos before the ordered world.
What is Nun's role in creation?
From his waters arise the primordial mound and the first god, Atum, then the sun Ra. Nun is thus considered the father of the gods, the source of all life.
Related spirits
Sources and references
- Erik Hornung, Les dieux de l'Égypte: l'un et le multiple (Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt) (1982)
- Richard H. Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt (2003)
- , Wikipedia (FR/EN)