Speaker at ICG Colloquium

Description of Activity

Or Graur and the Egyptian Goddess of the Sky

Most if not all cultures around the world have named the opalescent band of light and shadow we call the Milky Way and provided it with an origin story. The ancient Egyptians were keen observers of the night sky who incorporated various celestial objects into their religion, literature, and art. However, the ancient Egyptian name and conceptualization of the Milky Way remain unclear. In my talk, I will review previous attempts to link the Milky Way with the Egyptian sky goddess Nut. I will then present new textual and visual evidence that links between the two, but argue that Nut and the Milky Way were not synonymous. Instead of the Milky Way being a physical representation of Nut, I will argue that the Milky Way may have highlighted Nut's presence as the sky, and later evolved to be just one more celestial phenomenon that graced her body. Throughout my talk, I will show how knowledge of the multicultural mythology of the Milky Way provides new insight into the link between the Milky Way and the Egyptian goddess of the sky.

Period	17 Oct 2024
Held at	Institute of Cosmology & Gravitation
Degree of Recognition	Local