Shu akelta elyoum skin#

In one myth, Shu and Tefnut went to explore the waters of Nun. Less frequently he is given the hind parts of a lion and the body and head of a man. When he is linked with his wife Tefnut, he often appears as a lion and the two were known as the “twin lion gods”. He is commonly shown standing on the body of Geb with his arms raised to support Nut.

Shu akelta elyoum skin#

His skin was often painted black, possibly to represent his connection with Nubia or to emphasise his role in the rebirth of the sun god. Occasionally, he wore a sun disk on his head due to his connection with the sun god. Alternatively, he wore a headdress of a single ostrich feather (like that of Ma’at) which represented the breath of life. Shu was generally depicted as a man wearing a headdress composed of ostrich feathers carrying a Was sceptre (representing power) and an Ankh (representing the breath of life). However, it is also proposed that his name means “He who Rises Up”. His name is thought to be derived from the word for dryness “shu”, the root of words such as “dry”, “parched”, “withered”, “sunlight”, and “empty”. He attended the judgement of each dead soul in the Halls of Ma’at (order or justice) and led the terrifying demons who punished the souls deemed to be corrupt. In common with many of the protective deities, Shu had a darker side. He returned to the skies to protect the sun and to wage his daily battle with Apep. In his weakened state even his own son Geb turned against him, and so Shu abdicated the throne leaving Geb to rule in his place.

Although Shu defeated Apep and his minions, he became gravely ill from the contact with the corrupt entities. However, Apep’s followers plotted his downfall and launched a vicious attack against the divine pharaoh. Shu was also thought to be the second divine pharaoh, ruling after Ra. Shu protected the sun god from the snake-demon Apep as he travelled through the underworld or the night sky, and brought the sun to life every morning. However, he was closely connected to the sun god, Ra (or Atum). Four pillars located at the cardinal points of the world helped Shu maintain the separation of earth and sky, and were known as the “Pillars of Shu”.Īlthough he embodied light, and so had a solar aspect, Shu was not strictly a solar deity. Thus, Shu created the atmosphere which allowed life to flourish. Shu intervened and held Nut (the sky) above him separating her from his son Geb (the earth). It was thought that his children were infatuated with each other, and remained locked in a perpetual embrace. He was the husband and brother of Tefnut (moisture), and father of the Nut (sky) and Geb (earth). Shu was one of the Ennead of Heliopolis, and the first to be created by the self-created god, Atum, who conjured Shu from his own spittle. The clouds were considered to be his bones, and he supported the ladder by which the deceased souls could reach the heavens. As a god of the wind, sailors invoked him to provide good winds to propel their boats. As the god of light he represented the illumination of the primordial darkness, and marked the separation between day and night and between the world of the living and the world of the dead.Īs the god of air, Shu represented the space between the earth and the heavens, and gave the breath of life to all living creatures. Shu (Su) was the god of light and air and as such personified the wind and the earth’s atmosphere.