Who is The God Geb

In ancient Egypt, Geb was basically the personification of Earth. He was one of the most primaeval deities of ancient Egypt. He was one of the great nine members of the ‘Ennead of Heliopolis’,  who represents Earth, one of the great essence of all living beings.

Ennead of Heliopolis

‘Ennead of Heliopolis’ was basically a series of nine most important deities who came out of the Heliopolitan mythology which was formed by the priests of Heliopolis. These nine deities were considered as the most primaeval deities who were belonged to the solar origin. These nine deities were Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys.

Geb Family Tree

Geb was the son of Shu, God of air and Tefnut, goddess of moisture and the grandson of Atum, the primaeval sun god. Geb along with his sister as well as wife Nut, goddess of the sky had four offspring. They were Osiris, god of underworld and afterlife; Isis, goddess of magic, fertility, motherhood and re-birth;  Seth, god of chaos and Nephthys, protective goddess symbolizing the death experience.

What does The God Geb Represent

Generally, God Geb represents the Earth. Apart from this, he also represents the tomb. It is mentioned in the Pyramid texts that deceased king will sleep within his house. In this aspect, he is often seen given parallel importance with Ra and other gods to afterlife beliefs. He was also admired because of his association with kingship.

Positive Aspects of Geb

Several positive aspects can be seen in Earth god Geb, which were considered as the beneficent ones. It was believed that grain used to be grown from his ribs and vegetation used to be grown from his back. This symbolism suggests the importance of Geb in the field of fertility.

Geb was also believed to be the main source of fresh water. Another thing is that Hapi, the plentiful god of the Nile Flood was believed to be the friend of Geb. This myth might have been formed because of the functional connections between these two deities.

Negative Aspects of Geb

Several negative aspects of Geb are mentioned in ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts. These aspects of him were considered as the harmful side of Geb. While his laughter can cause earthquakes, he also can prevent the dry lands to be fertilized at any cost by withholding his blessings.

Association With Kingship

Geb’s association with kingship can be best explained through the myth of ‘Contendings of Horus and Seth’, found in the ‘Papyrus Chester Beatty I’ of 20th Dynasty. In this story, it is mentioned that Geb became the judge to determine the rightful heir to the throne and chose Horus as the king.

This mythical story shows his strong association with kingship. That is why the Egyptian kings were believed to be the heir of Geb.

Separation of Nut and Geb

According to Heliopolitan mythology, Nut and Geb were being separated by Shu, their father. It has happened because Nut swallowed the constellations because of which Geb got angry with her. Another version of the story says that there was no space between sky and earth to continue to the noble work of creating because of which sun god Atum ordered Shu to separate Nut and Geb. This mythology is well depicted in ancient Egyptian art.

Symbol of Creation White Goose

White goose is a creature associated with creation. Sometimes Geb is represented as a white-fronted goose. Sometimes he is also represented as a man with a goose on his head.

Symbol of Fertility Green Colour

Geb, in ancient Egyptian art, is often depicted in green colour. This basically suggests his association with vegetation. In other words, this green colour symbolizes his fertile nature. In this aspect, his body is also seen sometimes decorated with plats.

Other Depictions of Geb

Sometimes he is depicted as a man who wears the crown of Lower Egypt. There is another type of depiction where the phallus of Geb is shown stretched upwards towards the goddess Nut; which may have been depicted to show the strong bonding between earth and sky of which these two deities are the personifications.

Importance of Geb

Apart from the solar origin and fertile nature of Geb, he was considered to be important in other aspects also. One of these types of aspects is his healing power which was admired in ancient Egypt. It was believed that he had the power to control the deliberately harmful spirits who were responsible for colds and fevers.