Shu amulet

The highly schematic, Egyptian faience amulet depicts the god Shu. Shu emerged from Atum, the creator god, as the first step in the creation process of the universe, when Atum sneezed him out. Shu is the void, the air that separates sky and earth appearing in the next stage of creation. On the other hand, Shu also holds the sky, Nut, and thereby initiates and protects the process of creation and the cyclical celestial journey of the sun. This was of particular importance in the mortuary sphere. When identifying with Shu, the deceased became unimpeded on his journey towards rebirth. For this reason, Shu amulets were placed in the lower part of the deceased’s torso, between the mummy bandages. Furthermore, Shu could also serve as a magical amulet at birth as a supporter of life.

The god Shu also created eight supporters to assist Nut, who are called Heh meaning ’eternal’. The gods Shu and Heh are thus intertwined in promoting the creation of the universe, its eternal sustenance, and the continuous renewal of the sun god and the deceased. The connection is also evident in the iconography of the two gods. On this Shu amulet type, the god is represented in a highly abstracted form, in profile. His two arms are shown from the front, holding up the sky, while he sits half-kneeling on a small pedestal. On the other hand, Heh is also depicted seated with his arms held upwards, usually shown in profile. This makes it difficult to separate the two gods.

On the back of the small object, there is also a back pillar with a hole for suspension. This Shu amulet is an earlier type and can be dated to the Ramesside period of the New Kingdom.