Osiris was the ancient king who brought civilization to Egypt. He married his sister, Isis. But his brother, Seth, also fell in love with Isis, and wanted to be king himself.
Seth tricked Osiris, then locked him in a coffin and threw it into the river. Isis, grief-stricken, searched everywhere for Osiris's body. She finally found it at Byblos (on the Mediterranean Coast in what is today Lebanon). Osiris was mummifed, and, as a mummy, impregnated Isis. She gave birth to their son, Horus.
Seth found Osiris's mummy, chopped it into pieces, and scattered the pieces throughout the Nile Valley. Once again, Isis searched. She gathered up all the pieces and reassembled them.
When Horus grew up, he set out to avenge his father's murder. In a huge battle, he injured Seth so badly that Seth became unable to father children. Seth tore out one of Horus's eyes. The earth god, Geb, declared Horus the winner of the battle and awarded him dominion over Upper and Lower Egypt. The eye of Horus that Seth tore out became the sacred wedjat, a
Powerful magical symbol of wholeness used in good luck charms.
The Osiris story was known and loved by Egyptians throughout the dynastic era. It explained why the king was entitled by the gods to rule Egypt. When a king took the throne, he became Horus and inherited the two lands that Geb had awarded Horus.
The Osiris story also offered the promise of eternal life to all people. Just as Isis had brought Osiris back to life, the gods would also bring them back to life—if they lived good lives of ma'at. It also inspired the practice of mummification, which was intended to make all people like Osiris.
In ancient times, coronations and jubilee festivals were often held during the Festival of Khoiakh, an annual observance of the death and resurrection of Osiris. Modern Egyptians continue this tradition by exchanging gifts of colored eggs at Sham el-Nessim, a springtime festival celebrating the rebirth of vegetation and life.
These beloved deities in wall niches, and wore amulets and charms with their images. A small statue of Bes between two cats, currently in the British Museum, probably once occupied an honored niche in the home of a workman’s family. Household shrines also honored dead ancestors. If not remembered, these ghosts might stir up family trouble.
The Egyptians believed that their gods and goddesses could take any form-human, animal, a natural force (like the river), or any combination. None of the gods or goddesses was completely good, or completely evil. There was no all-evil “devil.”
World History
