☥ KANE CHRONICLES' EGYPTIAN GODS AND THEIR MAGICIAN'S HEADCANONS:𓁧 NEPHTYS: GODDESS OF MOURNING AND LAMENTATION, OF SLEEP AND RIVERS, OF THE NIGHT, PROTECTOR OF THE DEAD 𓁧
A/N: Oh sweet Nephtys. I always liked Nephtys when I first discovered her when I was younger but when I was doing these h/cs and doing research, I realized how contradictory her mythology and information is, as well as how little and vague there is of her. In this case, the Riordanverse helped a lot by adding its own contextual, canon info that allowed me to get an idea what to write. She’s still super interesting but by gods, researching her felt like I was getting lost in a whirlpool.
EGYPTIAN GODS AND THEIR MAGICIANS MASTERLIST {A03} || {TUMBLR}
Oh sweet, kind and gentle Nephtys. She is the most welcomed connection due to her personality and even having her as a host, has less of a risk than most other guards because of it. However, not many seek her out deliberately out of their own accord because of her personality and what she could offer. Thus, when pursuing her path it is probably one of the easiest to pursue but you won’t find as many people pursuing it with you.
However, there is also another problem as Nephtys isn’t a very confrontational god, as it would be more accurate to say she is more of a pacifist so going down her path and communicating with her may be difficult if you’re pursuing her path for non-altruistic reasons.
Nephthys’s path is Water magic, Necromancy, and Death magic. However, her paths all contain contradictory elements which is probably a factor as Nephthys could be considered a goddess of contradictions.
Although Nephthys is a Water goddess and is a River goddess, she isn’t affected by the magical disruption in the flow of water, you may not be able to purse Water magic under her path as you are still under effect of it and you may have a greater difficulty learning water magic because Nepthys’ water is pulsing with flow. It's recommended to be already familiar with water magic before pursuing this path so you aren’t swept away.
This in turn makes it difficult to perform magic because Nephthys could be considered a river goddess, her energy feels like the flow of magic constantly flow, which makes it difficult to perform your own magic. Mastering Water magic becomes the first thing you do because otherwise, you may continue having difficulty.
Necromancy and Death Magic also have their own stipulations. While it acts the same way as you can expect, Nephthys’s view of Death Magic and Necromancy is different. This is mostly because of Nephthys’ godhood and association.
Yes, you can use Necromancy, but Nephthys as the protector of the dead, she would rather have you use it for non-violent or harmful purposes and they are stronger when used for more benevolent reasons; such as answering questions, defending people, and so forth.
You may use necromancy to go in your place if you must if it's truly dangerous to risk your living life, or use it as a sense of self-defense, but she would rather treat the dead as if they were still a living being.
Death Magic is the hardest one to learn under her because she knows under her power and path, her Death magic is the most powerful and the most destructive which she finds dangerous. This is due to the fact Nephthys is a goddess who symbolizes the death experience, whilst Isis represents the birth experience. It is the strongest when you use Death Magic to protect others, against a powerful force that threatens you but never out of your own direct will towards others.
Only when you do connect with Nephthys on a much deeper level and follow her path with dedication and honesty, do you unlock a hidden path under her. It’s not one that directly comes up but only when you learn about Nephthys directly as a being and her history, and how she was viewed by the Ancient Egyptians about her function in the culture, do you realize that this magic makes the most sense considering her nature: Healing Magic.
Nephthys opens up to you that while she is capable of healing magic, she does not have that many experiences with healing with the living compared to other gods, and since not many undergo her path, this magic is unusual to be considered Healing Magic: as she had regenerative priorities on the embalming table. It’s only when you work with Necromancy in a more altruistic way and practice Healing magic on the side, you unlock how to apply regenerative magic onto living individuals; with Nephthys guiding how she regenerated bodies on the embalming table and you applying it in reverse.
I don’t think Nepthys would be mad if you decided to learn outside of her path, learn under another path user, or even learn another path of the gods if you were able to; especially when it came down to Healing magic. Her only word of caution is that it's best to learn under Isis because they are sisters and they shared many duties together.
The easiest magic to learn would be the Sleep Spell with Nephthys, since she is the goddess of sleep. However, it may come too easily and it might actually make your target sleep like the dead. Quite literally almost given Nephthys is also an underworld deity which…can make it very easy to slip. So you have to train and hold back the power of your sleep spell if you use it because of the risk.
More often than not, Nephthys presence is constant, yet quiet. She reminds you of the quiet sound of water flowing down a river in the background of nature. Only when you focus on her sound and presence, can you hear her true presence and how complex yet wonderful she is that she has always been there, a presence that is ignored but when its gone, do you truly realize how big of a presence she is.
There may be times where she is truly a motherly-figure when you’re in danger or overwhelmed, she will wrap you in water that makes you feel like you’re floating yet also encased like a hug. It reminds you like you swam and floated under the pool of water, how the sound of everything sounded different as you both felt present yet light.
“I sense a kinship with you. I am not the most powerful or ambitious god out of my family, or even with the other gods. I cannot promise you that I will be the most useful in times of great strife however , whatever I can do for those I care about, I will do what is necessary for what is important which is something I can sense we both share. I am Nephthys, Goddess of Mourning and Lamenation, of Sleep and Rivers and Night, protector of the Dead.”
