THE SHRINE OF
SHU


Shu The god of the atmosphere and of dry winds, son of Ra, brother and husband of Tefnut, father of Geb and Nuit. Represented in hieroglyphs by an ostrich feather (similar to Ma'at's), which symbol he is usually shown wearing on his head. He is generally shown standing on the recumbent Geb, holding aloft his daughter Nuit, separating the two. It was said that if he ever ceased to interpose himself between earth and sky, life would cease to be on our world - a very accurate assessment. The name "Shu" appears to be related to the root "shu" meaning "dry, empty." Shu also seems to be a personification of the sun's light. Shu and Tefnut were also said to be but two halves of one soul, perhaps the earliest recorded example of "soulmates." The embodiment of the sky, in the Ennead of Heliopolis he is the son of Atum and brother-husband of Tefnut. He was one of the first deities to be created by Atum, either from his semen or the muscus of his notrils. With Tefnut he became the father of Nut (the sky) and Seb (the earth). He raised the body of his daughter high above the earth and separated thus heaven and earth. The connection of Atum and Re, as Atum-Re, makes Shu a 'son of Re' and as such the brother of the Egyptian king (who calls himself a 'son' as well. Shu is depicted in human form wearing an ostrich feather (the hieroglyph for his name), with his arms raised to support Nut above the supine form of her brother Geb.