Mythology

Shu, whose name may mean ‘emptiness’ or ‘he who rises up’, was the god of the air and also of sunlight. In the Ennead of primary deities organized by the priests of Heliopolis, he was created by the demiurge Atum, either from his semen or mucus. Shu was husband of Tefnut, the goddess usually said to represent moisture, and the pair in turn produced Geb, god of the earth and Nut, goddess of the sky. According to Egyptian myth, Shu separated these two after Nut swallowed the constellations and Geb became angry with her for ‘eating’ their children. Shu is mentioned in the Pyramid Texts where the deceased king is purified in the ‘lakes of Shu’ which may represent mists and is said to climb up to heaven upon the ‘bones of Shu’ which are probably the clouds. The god was also associated with light - perhaps perceived as an aspect of the air - from Old Kingdom times, and even the arch iconoclast Akhenaten honoured the god who was said to dwell in the sun’s disk. For reasons which remain unclear Shu was associated with the lunar deities Thoth and Khonsu, perhaps in terms of the light of the lunar disk, or because his wife Tefnut was often associated with the moon. The god was also sometimes equated with the protective deity Bes; but on the other hand, he had a darker aspect for in the netherworld he was said to operate an executioner’s block, although he also helped protect the sun god from the serpent-fiend Apophis. According to one mythic story recorded on a Ptolomaic Period granite shrine, Shu ruled as king of Egypt for many years until he became weak and tired. Then he ascended to the heavens and took up residence along with the sun god Re.