Pop Culture References of Wizard101: Krokotopia / Selenopolis – Shu Statue

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Shu Statue – Shu, one of the primordial Egyptian gods
https://wiki.wizard101central.com/wiki/NPC:Shu_Statue
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shu_(Egyptian_god)

Shu Statue

“Shu-Bi-Dooby-Doo” is a Side Quest in Wizard101 and the Ice Spell Quest for the Selenopolis and Spell Weaving expansion. It is given by Tarrak Hadfield in the Arcanum and unlocked after the completion of the Selenopolis Mainline Quest “Dark Gripe of the Moon.” The Spell “Shu” is given upon completion.

After completing the tasks that Tarrak Hadfield gives your Wizard and then collecting 4 books on Shu in the Marketplace of Ideas: Shu and Socking It to Khonsu, How Shu Served Khonsu, I Know What Shu Did Last Summer, and Stories of the Wind Walker, you have this encounter with the Shu Statue.

Unknown: RUMBLING
Shu Statue: You dare bring ice and water to this forsaken land? I have removed such comforts until all invaders have left. But you, YOU, would defy me? Why?
Shu Statue: Uh-huh
Shu Statue: I see.
Shu Statue: A valid point.
Shu Statue: My efforts here were for naught. Khonsu merely remade the land and convinced the Manders it was through compact with me. And the Tuts did not care.
Shu Statue: Perhaps a more proactive approach is required. Very well, Wizard, take my power. Let us battle evil wherever we find it.

The ancient Egyptian god Shu is represented as a human with feathers on his head, as he is associated with dry and warm air. This feather serves as the hieroglyphic sign for his name. Shu could also be represented as a lion, or with a more elaborate feathered headdress.

Shu (Egyptian šw, “emptiness” or “he who rises up”) was one of the primordial Egyptian gods, spouse and brother to the goddess Tefnut, and one of the nine deities of the Ennead of the Heliopolis cosmogony. He was the god of light, peace, lions, air, and wind.

In Heliopolitan theology, Atum created the first couple of the Ennead, Shu and Tefnut, by spitting. Shu was the father of Nut and Geb and grandfather of Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. His great-grandsons are Horus and Anubis.

In ancient Egyptian mythology, Shu is known for separating the sky (Nut) from the earth (Geb), holding them apart, and thus creating the space for life. He is also associated with the breath of life and the wind that propels ships.

The Greeks associated Shu with Atlas, the primordial Titan who held up the celestial spheres, as they are both depicted holding up the sky.

According to the Heliopolitan cosmology, Shu and Tefnut, the first pair of cosmic elements, created the sky goddess, Nut, and the Earth god, Geb. Shu separated Nut from Geb as the siblings were in love, creating duality in the manifest world: above and below, light and dark, good and evil. The Egyptians believed that if Shu did not hold Nut (sky) and Geb (Earth) apart there would be no way for physically-manifested life to exist.

Tutankhamun’s headrest that depicting the god Shu holding up the sky

The current list of all the (known) Krokotopia references can be found here.

Although I am well versed in Pop Culture references but I do not claim to have caught them all. Let me know your favorites in the comments and if I’ve missed one you caught, let me know so I can add it to the list.

Text for this article is excerpted from the linked wiki pages

Shu Statue image is Wizard101, and is copyright of KingsIsle Entertainment.

Shu drawing is borrowed from Wikipedia. It is copyright Jeff Dahl and is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 Creative Commons license.

Tutankhamun’s Headrest image is borrowed from Wikipedia and is copyright Jon Bodsworth. This file was transferred from Egypt Archive website under the license Copyrighted free use (see permission here).

Image usage qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.

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