Geb Shu

Geb & Shu attested in Dynasty 3?

The caption to fig 35 in Stephen Quirke's 'The Cult of Ra' reads: "Fragment of relief from a shrine, with a depiction of Geb....." The fragments were found in a dumping ground on the site of Iunu. "This pit, presumably a pious burial of sacred material, was full of fragments of sculpture and hieroglyphic reliefs. The kings named on these range in date from Netjerikhet....to Nakhthorhebyt, last indigenous ruler of Egypt.....The name of Netjerikhet appears in a group of limestone chippings from a shrine of unknown size, possibly quite small. It is even conceivable that the Netjerikhet shrine had been moved in antiquity from some other site...." (Quirke 2001: 84)

"The name of Shu, a sky deity and a member of the Heliopolitan ennead of gods was restored by Sethe (W.S. Smith 1949: 133-4) from the fragments of a decorated shrine built by Netjerikhet at Heliopolis. Otherwise, Shu is not attested until the Pyramid Texts of the late Fifth Dynasty." (T. Wilkinson: 2001 (1999): 295)

"The earth god Geb is shown in human form on a relief fragment from a limestone chapel of Netjerikhet from Heliopolis (now in Turin). It has been suggested that the original decoration shown all nine members of the the Heliopolitan ennead, since the figure of Seth is also preserved (cf. Baines 1991: 96). However it is also possible that the shrine was dedicated to the 'corporation', and earlier grouping of gods......" (T. Wilkinson 2001 (1999): 284)

Toby Wilkinson cites, 'A History of Egyptian Sculpture and painting in the Old Kingdom' W.S. Smith 2nd edit. 1949 (1946): 133-4, for evidence of Shu:

"Over one of these figures is the Seth animal and over the other: ......b, in which I would see the name of the god Geb. In front of each seated figure is written: di anx Dd wAs Aw ib Dt, and in front of and behind each are five vertical lines of inscription, each identical inscription thus repeated four times (see Fig. 50). There must have been at least four of the seated figures and perhaps more. Sethe (Urkunden I, 153-4) has also restored the name of Shu (in space left blank in Fig. 50 on right of No. 5). Therefore it seems we have here the Ennead of Heliopolis." (W.S. Smith 1949: 134)

W.S. Smith cites Sethe (Urkunden I:154):

According to Sethe, the evidence for the name Shu (Sw), appears to be the lower part of the stem of the 'feather' sign, H6 (Sw), but the rest of the 'feather', and also the 'quail chick' sign, G43 (w) are missing. The evidence for the name Geb (gbb), is the front end of a 'foot'.

Fragment no. 6 may show a depiction of Geb, but his name is missing:

Some 40 fragments were deposited at the Turin Museum in 1904, and apparently most of these have not yet been published - 12 of the fragments are shown in W.S. Smith's 1949 book. The text accompanying the restoration of the fragments in the Turin Museum reads: "Frieze with part of the divine Ennead of Heliopolis (Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Seth, Nephtis). The composition is made up of five columns of texts followed by images of the divinities seated on thrones. The images of Geb and Seth have been preserved and are identifiable by their names written above their heads."

Sethe finds three gods on the Turin fragments, Shu, Geb and Seth, but only Seth is more or less certain with the 'recumbent Seth animal' (Gardiner sign E21), above the head of what is probably the god Seth. If the seated figure on fragment no. 6 is Geb, then the 'goose' (gb) and 'foot' (b) signs should be above Geb's head, similar to the 'Seth animal' above Seth.

However, only what is probably the front part of the 'foot' sign, D58 (b), appears above the seated male figure with the long curved beard (frag. no. 6). If the seated male figure is Geb, and the sign above his head is D58 (b), then the 'goose' sign, G38 (gb) is still needed above the 'foot' sign.

Sethe includes the 'goose' with the 'foot' sign in his 'restoration'. If this is Geb, it should be found above the 'foot', but unfortunately the stone is broken away here. If the 'goose' sign was directly above the leg, as for example in the Pyramid Texts of Unis (Sethe Vol 1: 82; §138a), there hardly seems space for it as the head of the goose would extend above the upper border line.

Geb (gbb) - pyramid of Unis, sarcophagus chamber, south wall:

PT 214 §138a

The 'goose' above the 'foot' sign - same proportions and spacing as in the pyramid of Unis:

The 'goose' sign can be made to fit, above and slightly to the front of the 'foot' sign. The head of the goose fits beneath the upper border line, but this arrangement appears cramped:

Shu is even more questionable. In the Turin Museum's restoration, the fragment (no. 3) showing Seth, is way behind Geb (no. 6), and between these is fragment no. 5, and to the right of this fragment is a space where Sethe believed Shu was, but that part is missing.

Sethe's 'restoration' is based on the assumption the fragments are part of a line up of the nine deities of the 'Big Ennead' (pDt aAt) of Iunu - Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys (Sethe Vol 2: 374 §1655ab).

If this is a line up of the Big Ennead's deities, then behind Geb should be Osiris, not Shu, as Sethe / Smith assume, as they are usually mentioned or shown in the order ... Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Osiris, Isis, Seth ..., and so to the right of fragment 5, should be Isis, but as the piece is missing it is not possible to say who the deity is.

The 'Big Ennead' and the nine deities are first attested in the archeological record at the end of Dynasty 5 in the Pyramid texts of Unis (PT 219 §167....177), and are explicitly mentioned together as the 'Big Ennead' in the Dynasty 6 Pyramid Texts of Merenre (PT 600 §1655b).

No secure attestation of any of the nine deities of the 'Big / Great Ennead' of Iunu, apart from Seth and Osiris, exist before the end of Dynasty 5, and the first secure occurrence of the name Osiris, is no earlier than the latter half of Dynasty 5 (if the tomb of Hemet-ra is dated to late Dynasty 4 / early Dyn 5, Osiris is even earlier, but this is questionable) .

The only mention of Geb in a non royal context in the Old Kingdom, is from an inscription in the tomb of xnw, "an offering the king gives, and Geb....." (Htp di nswt Gb.....), dated to the late Dynasty 5 reign of Djedkara, or from early Dynasty 6.

In the 'Pyramid Texts' of Unis, Geb 'created' the king (W 158; PT 247 §258), and the king's inheritance was from Geb and Atum (W 167; PT 256 §301). The king is Geb's 'seed' (W 208; PT 303 §466), the heir of his father Geb (W 211; PT 306 §477). 'Inheritance', 'heir', 'seed', in the context of the dead king, is the king identified with Osiris - Osiris Unis - Osiris was the son of Geb.

An ennead is mentioned on the 'Palermo Stone' under the early Dynasty 5 king, Sahure: "The king of Upper and Lower Egypt [Sahura. For (the following) he set up a monument:] The ennead [in] the house of divine writings, the senut shrine and for Horus in the royal palace (or) the roof-temple of Horus...."

Also under under Neferirkare: "The ennead in the house of divine writing......the estate / town 'Neferirkare is beloved of the ennead'..." (Strudwick 2005: 73)

The 'Big Ennead' of Iunu was not the only ennead - an 'Elder Ennead' (psDt wrt, also known as the 'Little Ennead' (psDt nDst)), also existed, and together these two were known as the 'Dual Ennead'. (Allen 2005: 429)

'Ennead' on the Palermo Stone is written with the ideogram for 'god', R8 (nTr), repeated nine times, which may refer to any one of the various enneads. The 'Big Ennead' (pDt aAt) has R8 (nTr), repeated nine times + O29 (aA) + X1 (t), and the 'Little Ennead' (pDt nDst), R8 (nTr), repeated nine times + G37 (nDs) + X1 (t).

Its not known which 'ennead' the earlier mentions of 'ennead' on the Palermo Stone refer to, but it is associated with the 'house of divine writings' and the 'senuti shrine' connected with Iunu - the 'Big Ennead' was also associated with Iunu as the 'Big Ennead' of Iunu.

In the Dynasty 6 Pyramid Texts of Pepi and Pepi Neferkare, the king is one of that 'great body' (Xt aAt) that was born before in Iunu (P 338 (N 548); PT 486; Sethe Vol 2: 81 §1041a). The 'great body' here, may be an allusion to an ennead.

Earlier in Dynasty 3, the name of the Horus king, Netjerikhet, (nTr Xt) may mean 'Divine of body', the Horus name of his successor, Sekhemkhet (sxm Xt), Horus 'powerful of body', and the Horus name of Menkaure, Kakhet (kA Xt), (whose) 'body is that of a bull'. However, Hornung believes that 'body' in these names, refers to an earlier grouping of deities, the 'corporation' (Xt) a 'body' of deities that was perhaps replaced by the ennead.

Iunu is attested as early as Dynasty 3, and is mention in a text on the outside of a Dynasty 3 beer jar that may have once held papyri - a summary of the contents written on the outside of the jar reads, "Year of: The Following of Horus; 11th occasion of the count of the herds of Iunu" (Strudwick 2005: 74)

Imhotep, who was probably responsible for the design and construction of Netjerikhet's Dynasty 3 mortuary complex, held the title, `Great Seer [...]'.

Rahotep, a probable son of Sneferu, held the title, `Great Seer of Iunu' (wr mA iwnw) or possibly `Who sees / looks at the Great One of Iunu'. The bas of Iunu (the 'deities of Iunu') are mentioned on the Palermo Stone under the Dynasty 5 kings, Userkaf, Sahure, and Neferikare. A 'Coffin Text' from the Middle Kingdom explains who the 'Bas of Iunu' are: "I know the Bas of Iunu; they are the Sun, Shu and Tefnut" CT 154.

In the New Kingdom 'chapter for opening the mouth of Ani' (Chap. 23), from the 'Book of Going Forth by Day', Ani identifies himself with 'Sah (sAH, 'Orion') the Great' who dwells with the 'Bas of Iunu'. (Metjen, a high official at the end of Dynasty 3, was `Ruler of the Mansion of Great Sah', probably named after Sah, the `Father of the Gods', who personified the constellation Orion)

Although there is explicit evidence for Iunu from early Dynasty 4, and most probably in Dynasty 3, explicit evidence for the 'Big Ennead' of Iunu with its nine deities, is lacking before the end of Dynasty 5. If the evidence for three members of the 'Big Ennead', Seth, Geb and Shu, on the Turin fragments, were more compelling, it would support the possibility of a 'Big Ennead' as early as Dynasty 3, but the evidence for Geb is tenuous, and for Shu, virtually non-existent.

Chris Tedder, September 2007 (updated October 2010)