SHOU
neutralGod of the Air
Shu is the god of the air and of the vital breath in the religion of ancient Egypt. His name evokes luminous air and life-giving vibration. A member and often the chief of the Ennead of Heliopolis, he is engendered by the demiurge Atum, alone or associated with Ra, at the same time as his twin sister Tefnut, goddess of moisture. Together they form the first sexually differentiated divine couple, from whom are born Geb, the earth, and Nut, the sky. Shu personifies the atmosphere that separates the earth from the sky. The myth shows him lifting Nut with his raised arms to hold her above the reclining Geb, a founding gesture of the order of the world. Master of the winds, he also ensures the protection of the sun against the darkness. In the iconography, he is figured as a man bearing on his head an ostrich feather, the hieroglyph of his name, his arms raised to support the celestial vault. He sometimes takes a leonine form. His cult is attested at Heliopolis as well as at Leontopolis, where a pair of lions embodied Shu and Tefnut.
Era
3,000–30 BCE
Frequently asked questions
What is Shu's role?
Shu is the god of the air and of the vital breath. He personifies the atmosphere and separates the sky from the earth by lifting the goddess Nut above the god Geb.
How is Shu recognised in the iconography?
He is figured as a man crowned with an ostrich feather, the hieroglyph of his name, often with his arms raised to support the celestial vault. He can also be represented in a leonine form.
Who are Shu's companion and children?
Shu forms with his twin sister Tefnut the first sexually differentiated divine couple. From their union are born Geb, god of the earth, and Nut, goddess of the sky.
Related spirits
Sources and references
- Richard H. Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt (2003)
- Erik Hornung, Les dieux de l'Égypte: l'un et le multiple (1986)
- , Wikipedia (FR/EN)