Shu- Egyptian GodDeity"God of Air"

The Space Between

Shu and his twin Tefnut were the first beings Atum created, produced from the creator's own body at the beginning of time. Shu was the air, the dry atmosphere, the invisible space that fills the world between ground and sky. His name means "he who rises up," and what he is, is what he does: he rises, and in rising, holds.

His children Geb and Nut, earth and sky, lay pressed together in an unbroken embrace. At Ra's command, Shu stepped between them and lifted Nut high above Geb, raising the sky from the earth. He has stood in that position ever since, arms upraised, her starry body arched above him, Geb's green surface beneath his feet. The separation created the atmosphere: the space in which all living things exist.

The image appeared throughout Egyptian art: Shu standing with raised arms beneath the arched body of Nut, Geb reclining below. Temple architects took note. The columns that held up temple roofs were Shu in stone, the air god's raised-arm posture repeated in every hall.

The Air That Lives

Shu was living atmosphere: the bright, illuminated medium through which Ra's light traveled, the clear air that made the sun visible. Some texts identified him with sunlight itself as it streamed through the sky. As god of air, he was also god of breath. The air that humans and animals draw into their bodies was his gift, his presence in every inhalation.

With Tefnut, his twin and counterpart, Shu formed the "lion pair," two lions flanking the sun at the horizon. Dry air and moist air together, the complete atmosphere through which Ra made his daily journey.