Kwoth

In Nuer cosmology Kwoth is the creator who brought humans into existence and established the sky–earth order. A traditional myth explains that originally a rope linked heaven and earth so humans could ascend to heaven and be rejuvenated; this rope was later severed when a hyena (sometimes with a weaver bird) cut it, producing the present human condition of mortality. Kwoth remains the sovereign sky-spirit and recipient of rituals intended to aid the deceased's passage to heaven.

Sources do not provide a physical or anthropomorphic description of Kwoth. Descriptions emphasize Kwoth's status as the 'Spirit of the Sky', omnipresence, and manifestations in the world rather than a specific corporeal form.

Kwoth is the creator of humans and the primary divine source for reality in Nuer belief. Kwoth reigns over celestial bodies and natural phenomena, is omnipresent, and is understood as manifesting through lesser deities (e.g., Kuth Nhial, Kuth Piny) rather than those beings being wholly independent. Kwoth is the destination and guardian of souls in funerary cosmology; sacrificial rites in Kwoth's name are performed so the spirit of a slaughtered ox may accompany the deceased to heaven.