Geb

Geb is the ancient Egyptian god of the earth, a primary personification of soil, minerals, and fertility. He is commonly paired with Nut, the sky goddess, as the earth and sky that oversee the world. In many myths, Geb is the son of Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture) and the husband of Nut; together they give birth to Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys. In the creation narratives, Nut’s arching body and Geb’s resting form symbolize the separation of sky and earth, a separation made by the air god Shu to allow day and night.

Geb is typically depicted as a bearded man lying on the ground, sometimes with green or brown skin to symbolize vegetation and fertility. His laughter was said to cause earthquakes, a mythological expression of the earth’s tremors. As the personification of the earth, Geb embodies the fertile ground that sustains life and agriculture.

Worship and symbolism: Geb was venerated across ancient Egypt, appearing in creation myths, temple reliefs, and agricultural rituals. He was associated with fertility, crops, and the abundance of the land, and he featured in the broader cosmology that linked earth and sky.

In later myth and popular culture, Geb remains a figure representing the earth within Egyptian cosmology, reinforcing the unity of the physical world with the divine. The name and concept of Geb continue to appear in modern works that draw on ancient Egyptian mythology.