The Milky Way has played a key role in the lore of many cultures. Among other things, it’s represented a road, a river, and the path of the dead into the afterlife – and their home in the afterlife.

The role of the Milky Way in ancient Egypt is still a bit – well, milky – it’s just not clear. But some studies have suggested that it represented the sky goddess Nut. And some recent work says the summer Milky Way represented her backbone, while the winter Milky Way represented her arms.

Nut was depicted as a star-covered woman arched across the sky. She protected the earth – her brother and consort, Geb. And she was supported by the air – their father, Suh.

During the day, the Sun-god Re sailed across her back. At sunset, Nut ate the Sun as it disappeared in the west. At dawn, she gave birth to the Sun, allowing it to return to view in the east. She played a similar role in the motions of bright stars that were used to track time; more about that tomorrow.

The recent study says that Nut represented the entire sky, not just the day. So she arched over the nighttime as well – helping protect the Sun and stars during their trip through the underworld. But the Milky Way changes orientation during the night and during the year. So it doesn’t always align with the rising and setting Sun. The alignment is best during parts of summer and winter – the Sun and Milky Way in harmony – connected by the sky goddess.

Script by Damond Benningfield