Nit - That Which Is
First Traces in Upper Egypt
Although she probably originated in Libya, the earliest traces of Nit comes from Upper Egypt. Her influence seems to have been at its height in the Predynastic and Early Dynastic Period. She is not documented in writing before the last part of the Predynastic period, but there is evidence of her before that time:
Predynastic beetle
There is certain signs that in the Predynastic days she was associated with the large click beetle, although the animal could also be a cockroach, which was common in the Nile valley. Her symbol then consisted of two beetles depicted head to head over two crossed arrows. It is unknown why Nit was linked to this animal, later this symbol was interpreted as a shield and from the 1st Dynasty the sign of a tied pair of bows, the hieroglyphic sign for her name, linked her with the name 'Mistress of the Bow'.
War Deity
Though some say that her warlike side is perhaps overemphasized, her function as a deity of war is probably the earliest one, mainly shown by her attributes the bow, shield and arrows. She blessed the huntress weapons and in early times weapons were laid as protection around coffins. The two crossed arrows on a shield could also be seen on top of buildings and boats, thus showing a protective function. She went under the titles of 'Mistress of the bow... ruler of arrows'.
Nit - Early Dynastic at Abydos
Her hieroglyph; two crossed arrows on a shield, was carved on a pole in front of primitive reed shrines and on pottery, it is also found on funerary stelae from Early Dynastic tombs at Abydos and Diaspolis Parva, and on an inlaid amulet from a tomb at Naq-el-Deir. There is a wooden label from Abydos which appears to show King Aha (c. 3100 BC) visiting a shrine to Nit. These findings indicate that she was important all over Egypt already at an early stage in history and at Abydos she was connected to the rites of renewal of the kings power.
The Nit Crown
In the sun temple of king Userkaf, 5th dynasty, Old Kingdom, is found the earliest depiction of Nit wearing the Red Crown. In time it would evolve to become together with the White Crown of Upper Egypt, one of the most important symbols of the land. By this time the cult of Nit was already enough well spread to have a sanctuary at Men-Nefer(Memphis). While Ptah was called 'south of his walll', Nit got the eptithet 'north of her wall'.
Nit in the Old Kingdom
By this period Nit was said to be the spouse of Set, and the mother of Sobek and therefore called the 'nurse of crocodiles'. This puts her as a mother of deities and the transfer to a sky-deity is not very far. On the other hand, at Esna she is described as having given birth to Apep by spitting out her saliva.
Nit is mentioned several times in the Pyramid Texts; here is a few examples:
Utt. 308
§ 489
For I have looked on you as Heru looked on Aset,
I have looked on you as the Snake looked on the Scorpion,
I have looked on you as Sobk looked on Nit,
I have looked on you as Set looked on the Two who are reconciled.
Utt 362
§ 605
"...that I may protect you, even as Nu protected these four goddesses on the day when they protected the throne, namely Aset, Nebt-Het, Nit, and Serqet-hetu..."
Nit at Sais
During the Late Period her cult center was at Zau (Gr: Sais, modern Sa el-Hagar) in Lower Egypt, which was then the capital of the Two Lands and her influence as a state deity was nationwide. She was also then called the mother of Sobek and of Re, and therefore again given the epithet 'Mother of Gods'. It is likely that the worship of Nit as a creator deity was celebrated here, though traces of it are to be found at Esna in the cataract area.
Nit as Creatrix
During the Ptolemaic period there was built a temple to the ram-headed god Khnum, who was the lord of the 1st cataract area of the Nile. Here the cult of Nit is found, she was an important guest deity in the temple of Khnum, perhaps because of her connection as a creator deity to the Primeval Waters. Several depictions of her is found here
as well as of her sacred lates-fish. On its inner north wall a creation myth was told, which depicted Nit as emerging from the Primeval Waters in the form of a cow, uttering those commands that causes the first land to be created. Then she follows the flood to Lower Egypt where she lays the foundations of Sais. This is the only text source which speaks of Nit as a Creatrix, and probably it was brought there by the powerful priesthood at Sais.
In this text Nit is seen as a goddess with both male and female powers:
You are the Lady of Sais...whose two-thirds are masculine
and one-third is feminine
Unique Goddess, mysterious and great
who came to be in the beginning
and caused everything to come to be...
the divine mother of Re, who shines in the horison
the mysterious one who radiates her brightness
She was further said to have "appeared out of herself while the land was in twilight and no land had yet come forth..."
Then the text says:
And this place became land in the midst of the primeval water,
just as she said,
and thus came into being "the land of the waters" and Sais...
All in all there was seven utterances made before everything was created and she needed no male help as she incorporated both male and female properties within her. After she had created thirty gods she created her son Re, who in his turn created mankind out of tears from his eyes.
Mother of Gods
Being a creator deity, the step wasnīt too far to her being seen as the mother of the gods. In the story of The Contendings of Heru and Seth, from the New Kingdom (1304-1075) she is called upon to settle their dispute of who was to rule Egypt, and she is referred to as being the one 'who illuminated the first face'.
It is not certain this story is a religious text, as it makes the important gods look childish and even ridiculous. Nit is here called "the Eldest, the Mother of the gods, who shone on the first face" and she is the only deity in the myth which is treated with respect.
It is also thought that her name has associations with water - Nit - Nun - Nunet, and in later times she was regarded as a primeval deity with both male and female properties. At this time she was called 'Father of the Fathers' and 'Mother of the Mothers'. During the 26th Dynasty she was the local goddess of Zau. At this time she was incorporated into the Greek and Roman pantheon and associated with their Athena and Diana.
The Festival of Nit
During the Roman period the main festival of Nit was held at the temple of Esna. It occurred on the thirteenth day of the third month of the summer season and was held to celebrate Nitīs return in her boat shrine after having saved her son Re. It has been speculated that this might have been copied from festivals held at Sais, the main cult center of Nit, which had undergone a revival during the Roman days.
In the third hour of the day it was announced that the goddess was arriving in procession. The statue was lifted out of the shrine and placed in the sunlight in order to reunite with her son Re, the sungod. The whole priesthood was then standing along the temple hall and was purified with water, offerings were made and hymns were sung.
Then the goddess was carried out for the people to see. The whole festival lasted well into the night when new rituals were performed. There was also a second appearance of the goddess at the quay, this time the cult statue of Nit was that of a celestial cow. In the Pyramid Texts are mentioned a cow who rose from the waters of chaos, the Great Flood (Mehet Weret). Here Nit is shown in her Creatrix aspect, a Creator goddess and as such related to the primeval waters, i.e. Nun.
Finally, as the proper texts were recited, four arrows were shot to the four cardinal points, to show that Nitīs power spread over all the world. When the festival was over, the cult statue was returned to the temple.
Sources:
Myth and Symbol in Ancient Egypt by R.T. Rundle Clark, Thames & Hudson, pbk 1993.
Egyptian Myths by George Hart, British Museum Press, 1997.
A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses by George Hart, 1986
The Ancient Egyptian Coffin Texts, transl: R.O. Faulkner, Aris & Phillips 1973
The Book of Going Forth by Day, transl: George Allen, Univ. of Chicago Press 1974
The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, transl: R.O. Faulkner, Clarendon Press, 1969
Egyptian Religion by Siegfried Morenz, Cornell University Press 1992
