Shu had warlike traits like strength, speed and stamina and became associated with the pharaoh. He takes a human form wearing a plume (the hieroglyph of his name) on his head and with his arms raised supporting the sky-goddess. Nut to keep her apart from her consort the earth god Geb. Shu was described as dwelling in the sun's disk. He often appeared as a bearded man holding up the sky while protecting the earth. At times he was depicted as a lion or a human with a lion's head. At other times he wore four ostrich feathers. These feathers symbolized the four columns that held up the sky when Shu himself was not there to do the job. When in his role as god of light, Shu carried a sun disk.