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Cryptext osiris5/16/2023 ![]() ( CC BY SA 1.0 )īut Set encountered Osiris’ body while he was out hunting one day. Horus, Osiris, and Isis: pendant bearing the name of King Osorkon II. She then hid her husband’s body and went off to raise her son. She used magic words and the beating of her wings to revive him and then conceived a child with him. Then Isis transformed herself into a kite (bird). The goddess returned to Egypt with her husband and worked to reconstitute his physical body. ![]() She chose the column and thus Isis found Osiris’ remains. When she revealed herself as the goddess after saving one of the king’s sons, the king offered her whatever she wanted. Isis had been out looking for her beloved and eventually happened upon the palace, there she was taken in and cared for the king’s children while disguised as an old woman. Rameses III censing and libating before Ptah-Sokar-Osiris, protected by winged Isis. The local king later decided he liked the same tree and, with no knowledge of Osiris’ body inside it, had it turned into a column for his palace. The tree grew around the god in the coffin and he remained there until he died. The chest (which some say inspired the idea for Egyptian sarcophagi ), was carried out to sea and then came to rest in a tamarisk tree growing near Byblos in Phoenicia. Then he sealed the chest with molten lead and threw it, along with his brother, into the Nile. The moment Osiris laid down in the chest, Set nailed the lid closed. Everyone tried it, but only Osiris fit inside. During the feast, he offered the remarkable chest to anyone who could fit inside it. ![]() Set ordered the creation of the chest and then invited his brother to a banquet. The story is often said to include a beautiful chest tailor-made to Osiris’ size. According to Plutarch, Set either drowned or killed Osiris. Set soon put a plan in motion to get his revenge. Myths also said Anubis honored his father Osiris by giving him the position as the god of the Underworld. This part of the myth was later linked to the Egyptian desert flowers which didn’t bloom for years, until a large flood (Osiris) helped the barren land (Nephthys) become fertile and provided them with life (Anubis). ( CC BY SA 4.0 )Īs an interesting side note, Nephthys was believed to have been barren before she became pregnant with Osiris’ offspring. Set, Osiris’ brother and another important ancient Egyptian deity. Some versions say that Set also lusted after Isis. The god Anubis was the result of their union. Set resented Osiris’ success and is said to have conspired to kill his brother after Set's wife Nephthys pretended to be Isis and seduced Osiris. Either through providing his wife and sister Isis with the power to rule in his place when he was away spreading civilization, or through the other’s pure envy, Osiris angered his brother Set. There are some variations on the Osiris myth, but generally the story begins with Osiris as the king of the ancient Egyptians. (CESRAS/ CC BY NC SA 2.0 ) The Myth of Osiris and Isis…and Set Outer coffin of Taywheryt depicting Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys. Finally, Osiris was the higher aspect the pharaoh sought to become after death. Second, he was considered the king’s father because he was Isis’ husband and she was said to be the pharaoh’s mother. This connection was threefold first, his story had evolved to include his role as the first king of Egypt – the one who had established the values for later kings to uphold. Either way, by 2400 BC Osiris’s role and reach had expanded, as he became linked to the pharaoh. However it seems more likely that he was the local god of Busiris personifying Underworld fertility. Some scholars have suggested that Osiris may have his origins in Lower Egypt as a very ancient king of Busiris. And his followers really enjoyed holding festivals in his honor. ![]() Being considered a good god, Osiris was also credited with teaching humanity agriculture, the arts, religion, laws, and morality. He is the only deity that is referred to in ancient Egyptian writings simply as ‘god’ – a surefire indication Osiris was both powerful and popular. His story provided his followers with reassurance for life after death, that the Nile would keep their lands fertile, and was an inspiration for what a king should be. Osiris, the green-skinned god of the underworld, lord of the afterlife and judge of the dead, is one of the best-known gods from ancient Egypt. ![]()
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