Nun

deity intermediate ancient Egyptian religion single tradition · 5

In ancient Egyptian religion, Nun is the personification of the primordial watery abyss which existed at the time of creation and from which the creator sun god Ra arose. Nun is one of the eight deities of the Ogdoad representing ancient Egyptian primordial Chaos from which the primordial mound arose. Nun is also considered the god that will destroy existence and return everything to the Nun whence it came.

↻ synthesized from 5 sources

When

First attested
3000 BCE
Attested period
-3000 – 300
Historical notes
Attested from the Early Dynastic Period of Egypt.

Relationships

consort of
Nunut, Naunet
sibling of
Naunet
allied with
Atum

Expand to full subgraph →

Sources

Source passages

“Nun was depicted as an anthropomorphic large figure and a personification of the primordial waters, holding a notched palm branch. Nun was also depicted in anthropomorphic form but with the head of a frog, and he was typically depicted in ancient Egyptian art holding aloft the solar barque or the sun disc.”

#17012 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“Nun and Naunet – Personifications of the formless, watery disorder from which the world emerged at creation and members of the Ogdoad”

#21046 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“the area above the goddess Nut, behind which the primordial watery abyss of Nun begins. In this primordial darkness there are neither stars nor other celestial bodies, only the nothingness of "the primordial waters of Nu".”

#24466 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“The Mut Temple describes the creation of the Isheru lake, with different texts attributing its excavation to Ra-Atum, Nun, or groups of primeval deities.”

#32021 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001