Domains & Iconography
Domains: creation, primeval waters, solar cycle
Iconography: bearded man, blue or green skin
Before the gods
The British Museum schools overview places Nun outside the Ennead, the group of nine gods descended from Atum. He existed before the world and the gods. Before anything else, there was only Nun, a vast and infinite ocean. All life was believed to have emerged from those waters.
Image and the sun
The same overview depicts Nun as a bearded man with blue or green skin, standing for the waters, and says the sun rises out of Nun every morning and sinks back at night. It also calls him a protective god for people traveling on the water. Atum's page on this site is the Heliopolitan account of the first land rising out of those waters.
In practice
Reflect on how Nun's domains (creation, primeval waters) show up in your own life. What would it mean to honor this deity's pattern through a single honest action today?
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Nun in Egyptian mythology?
- Waters that existed before the Ennead. The British Museum overview says life emerged from Nun, and that the sun rises from those waters and returns to them.
- What domains is Nun associated with?
- Nun is associated with creation, primeval waters, solar cycle.
- What symbols represent Nun?
- Common iconography for Nun includes bearded man, blue or green skin.
- What role does Nun play in Egyptian religion?
- The British Museum schools overview places Nun outside the Ennead, the group of nine gods descended from Atum. He existed before the world and the gods. Before anything else, there was only Nun, a vast and infinite ocean. All life was believed to have emerged from those waters.