Who The Goddess Nephthys is

In ancient Egypt, Nephthys was considered as a funerary goddess whose main role was to perform as the protector of the dead. She is considered as one of the nine major primaeval deities of ‘Ennead of Heliopolis’, according to Heliopolitan mythology.

Meaning of The Name ‘Nephthys’

The Egyptian name of the goddess Nephthys is ‘nebet-hut’. This means ‘mistress of the mansion. But, the problem is that the meaning of her name does not be bear any clue which can reveal her original identity.

Origin of The Goddess

Basically, the goddess Nephthys had a solar origin as she came out of the Heliopolitan mythology. Here she is known as the daughter of Geb, the earth god and Nut, the sky goddess. It was believed that she with her husband Seth, god of chaos didn’t conceive ant children.

Later, she tricked Osiris into a union, god of the underworld, resurrection and fertility and gave birth to Anubis, god of embalming and the dead. Although, in another version of the story, Anubis is considered as the son of Seth and Nephthys.

Protector of The Dead

The main function of Nephthys is to protect the dead. She was considered as one of the major deities funerary rituals to be the protector of the dead along with Isis, where she was one of the four guardian deities of the ‘Canopic Jars’. Canopic jars were used by ancient Egyptians to store and preserve the viscera of the dead body during the process of mummification.

Association with Anukis

According to the Egyptian mythology formed in the region of Elephantine, Anukis, also known as Anuket was the personification of the Nile river. In the later period, Nephthys was linked with Anukis.

Role of Nephthys in Osiris Myth

The ‘Osiris Myth’ was considered one of the most remarkable and influential mythologies in ancient Egypt. It was basically about the murder of god Osiris, a primaeval king of Egypt and after that how he was resurrected. Here, the role of his wife Nephthys is interesting.

The interesting thing is that the role of Nephthys in the Osiris myth is secondary in spite of being the wife of Osiris. Here she is shown as a supportive character during the process of the resurrection of Osiris. After the murder of Osiris, Nephthys accompanied her sister Isis on searching for him and guarded him when he was found.

Subordinate Role in Funerary Aspects

Nephthys is always shown as a subordinate character in funerary aspects in ancient Egypt. She basically plays a supportive role to her sister Isis in the story of Osiris myth. According to the Pyramid Texts, Nephthys and Isis, the two sisters assist, protect and support Osiris.

 

Iconography of Nephthys

Apart from being represented in the scenes of Osiris myth or along with Isis, Nephthys in Egyptian art is also depicted sometimes in the form a kite. But, normally, she is depicted as a young woman along with the hieroglyphic symbols for her name which she wears on the head. In human form, she was represented at the corners or ends of sarcophagi, coffins and shrines. These undoubtedly indicate her protective nature.

The position of Nephthys in Religion

The available archaeological evidence shows one thing that Nephthys played as a supportive goddess in the process of funerary rituals. In spite of being a member of the ‘Ennead of Heliopolis’, she cannot be seen as a fully independent goddess with a specific power. Before the reign of the 26th dynasty, there is less depiction of her. Although, since the time period of the 26th dynasty, the amulets of Nephthys started to appear in a usual manner with Egyptian mummies, along with Isis.