Shu is usually depicted as a man kneeling with both of his arms raised.

His arms are in this position to show that he is holding up the sky above the ground.

Shu was the god of light and air and as such personified the wind and the earth’s atmosphere.

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.

As the god of air, Shu represented the space between the earth and the heavens, and gave the breath of life to all living creatures.

As a god of the wind, sailors invoked him to provide good winds to propel their boats.

The clouds were considered to be his bones, and he supported the ladder by which the deceased souls could reach the heavens.