Nut is always called a protectress. She protects the sun god Ra; she protects those who have died and are entering the heavenly world; she protects the dead and resurrected Osiris, her son. Sometimes she is depicted as a cow—like another great goddess, Hathor—or as a sow with udders toward which those below reach up for nourishment, making her position above the hungry earth logical. One can assume that Nut is an ancient goddess representing a religion in which goddesses were not subservient to gods. This tendency in religion is reflected in the relatively strong position of women in Egyptian society and in a movement during various periods toward matrilinealism.