Osiris in mythology. The myth of Osiris Report on the Egyptian god Osiris

The mythology of Ancient Egypt is interesting and it is connected to a greater extent with numerous gods. People for each important event or natural phenomenon came up with their patron, and they differed in external signs and.

Major gods of ancient Egypt

The religion of the country is distinguished by the presence of numerous beliefs, which is directly reflected in the appearance of the gods, which in most cases are presented as a hybrid of man and animal. The Egyptian gods and their meaning were of great importance to people, which is confirmed by numerous temples, statues and images. Among them, one can single out the main deities who were responsible for important aspects of the life of the Egyptians.

Egyptian god Amon Ra

In ancient times, this deity was depicted as a man with a ram's head, or completely in the form of an animal. In his hands he holds a cross with a noose, which symbolizes life and immortality. It united the gods of Ancient Egypt Amon and Ra, so it has the power and influence of both. He was supportive of people, helping them in difficult situations, and therefore was presented as a caring and fair creator of all things.

And Amon illuminated the earth, moving across the sky along the river, and at night changing to the underground Nile in order to return to their home. People believed that every day at exactly midnight he fights with a huge snake. Amon Ra was considered the main patron of the pharaohs. In mythology, you can see that the cult of this god is constantly changing its significance, then falling, then rising.

Egyptian god Osiris

In ancient Egypt, the deity was represented in the form of a man wrapped in a shroud, which added to the resemblance to a mummy. Osiris was the ruler of the underworld, so a crown always crowned his head. According to the mythology of Ancient Egypt, this was the first king of this country, therefore, in the hands are symbols of power - a whip and a scepter. His skin is black and this color symbolizes rebirth and new life. Osiris is always accompanied by a plant, such as a lotus, a vine and a tree.

The Egyptian god of fertility is multifaceted, meaning Osiris performed many duties. He was revered as the patron of vegetation and the productive forces of nature. Osiris was considered the main patron and protector of people, and also the lord of the underworld, who judged dead people. Osiris taught people to cultivate the land, grow grapes, treat various diseases and perform other important work.

Egyptian God Anubis

The main feature of this deity is the body of a man with the head of a black dog or jackal. This animal was not chosen at all by chance, the thing is that the Egyptians often saw it in cemeteries, which is why they were associated with the afterlife. In some images, Anubis is represented entirely in the form of a wolf or a jackal, which lies on a chest. In ancient Egypt, the jackal-headed god of the dead had several important responsibilities.

1. He protected the graves, so people often carved prayers to Anubis on the tombs.
2. He took part in the embalming of gods and pharaohs. Many depictions of the mummification process featured a priest wearing a dog mask.
3. Guide of dead souls to the afterlife. In ancient Egypt, it was believed that Anubis escorted people to the court of Osiris.

He weighed the heart of a dead person to determine whether the soul was worthy to go to the afterlife. A heart is placed on the scales on one side, and the goddess Maat in the form of an ostrich feather on the other.

egyptian god set

They represented a deity with a human body and the head of a mythical animal, which combines a dog and a tapir. Another distinguishing feature is the heavy wig. Seth is the brother of Osiris and, in the understanding of the ancient Egyptians, is the god of evil. He was often depicted with the head of a sacred animal - a donkey. Seth was considered the personification of war, drought and death. All troubles and misfortunes were attributed to this god of Ancient Egypt. He was not renounced only because he was considered the main protector of Ra during the night fight with the serpent.

Egyptian God Horus

This deity has several incarnations, but the most famous is a man with a falcon's head, on which there is certainly a crown. Its symbol is the sun with outstretched wings. The Egyptian god of the sun during the fight lost his eye, which became an important sign in mythology. It is a symbol of wisdom, clairvoyance and eternal life. In ancient Egypt, the Eye of Horus was worn as an amulet.

According to ancient beliefs, Horus was revered as a predatory deity who dug into his victim with falcon claws. There is another myth where he moves across the sky in a boat. The sun god Horus helped resurrect Osiris, for which he received the throne in gratitude and became the ruler. He was patronized by many gods, teaching magic and various wisdom.

Egyptian God Geb

Several original images found by archaeologists have survived to this day. Geb is the patron of the earth, which the Egyptians sought to convey in an external image: the body is elongated, like a plain, arms raised up - the personification of the slopes. In ancient Egypt, he was represented with his wife Nut, the patroness of heaven. Although there are many drawings, there is not much information about the powers and purposes of Geb. The god of the earth in Egypt was the father of Osiris and Isis. There was a whole cult, which included people who worked in the fields to protect themselves from hunger and ensure a good harvest.

Egyptian God Thoth

The deity was represented in two guises and in ancient times, it was an ibis bird with a long curved beak. He was considered a symbol of dawn and a harbinger of abundance. In the late period, Thoth was represented as a baboon. There are gods of Ancient Egypt who live among people and include the One who was the patron of wisdom and helped everyone to learn science. It was believed that he taught the Egyptians how to write, count, and also created a calendar.

Thoth is the god of the moon and through its phases he was associated with various astronomical and astrological observations. This was the reason for the transformation into a deity of wisdom and magic. Thoth was considered the founder of numerous rites of religious content. In some sources, he is ranked among the deities of time. In the pantheon of the gods of ancient Egypt, Thoth took the place of the scribe, the vizier of Ra and the secretary of judicial affairs.

Egyptian god Aten

The deity of the solar disk, which was represented with rays in the form of palms, stretching to the earth and people. This is what distinguished him from other humanoid gods. The most famous image is presented on the back of the throne of Tutankhamen. There is an opinion that the cult of this deity influenced the formation and development of Jewish monotheism. This sun god in Egypt combines male and female features at the same time. In ancient times, another term was used - "silver of the Aten", which denoted the moon.

Egyptian god Ptah

The deity was represented as a man who, unlike others, did not wear a crown, and his head was covered with a headdress that looked like a helmet. Like other gods of ancient Egypt associated with the earth (Osiris and Sokar), Ptah is clothed in a shroud, which bared only his hands and head. External similarity led to the fact that there was a merger into one common deity Ptah-Sokar-Osiris. The Egyptians considered him a beautiful god, but many archaeological finds refute this opinion, since portraits have been found where he is represented in the form of a dwarf trampling animals underfoot.

Ptah is the patron of the city of Memphis, where there was a myth that he created everything on earth with the power of thought and the word, so he was considered the creator. He had a connection with the earth, the burial place of the dead and sources of fertility. Another purpose of Ptah is the Egyptian god of art, which is why he was considered a blacksmith and sculptor of mankind, and also the patron of artisans.

Egyptian God Apis

The Egyptians had many sacred animals, but the most revered was the bull - Apis. He had a real incarnation and he was credited with 29 signs that were known only to the priests. According to them, the birth of a new god in the form of a black bull was determined, and this was a famous holiday of Ancient Egypt. The bull was settled in the temple and was surrounded by divine honors throughout his life. Once a year, before the start of agricultural work, Apis was harnessed, and the pharaoh plowed a furrow. This provided a good harvest in the future. After the death of the bull, they solemnly buried it.

Apis, the god of Egypt, patronizing fertility, was depicted with a snow-white skin with several black spots, and their number was strictly determined. He is presented with different necklaces, which corresponded to different festive rites. Between the horns is the solar disk of the god Ra. Apis could also take on a human form with the head of a bull, but such a representation was common in the Late Period.

pantheon of egyptian gods

From the moment the ancient civilization was born, belief in the Higher powers also arose. The pantheon was inhabited by gods who had different abilities. They did not always treat people favorably, so the Egyptians built temples in their honor, brought gifts and prayed. The pantheon of the gods of Egypt has more than two thousand names, but less than a hundred of them can be attributed to the main group. Some deities were worshiped only in certain regions or tribes. Another important point is that the hierarchy could change depending on the dominant political force.

Osiris had a brother, the evil and treacherous Set. who envied Osiris and decided to destroy him. Secretly, he measured the height of Osiris and ordered a box made to measure with a beautiful finish. Then he invited Osiris to his feast. All the guests at the feast, being Set's accomplices, began to loudly admire the box. Seth said that he would give the box to someone who would have it in size. Everyone in turn began to lie down in the box, but it did not fit anyone except Osiris. When Osiris lay down in the box, Seth slammed the lid, locked the lock, and his accomplices carried the box to the Nile and threw it into the water.

The wife of Osiris, Isis, having learned about the death of her husband, set off in search of his body in order to bury it in a worthy manner.

The waves carried the box with the body of Osiris to the shore near the city of Byblos. A mighty tree grew above him, hiding the box inside its trunk. The local king ordered to cut down a tree and make a column out of it to decorate his palace.

Isis reached the city of Byblos, removed the body of Osiris from the column and took him on her pubis to the Nile Delta. There, in solitude, among the swamps, she began to mourn her husband.

... Darkness is around us, although Ra is in the sky, The sky mixed with the earth, a shadow fell on the earth.

My heart burns from evil separation, My heart burns, because you fenced yourself off from me with a wall ...

(Translated by Anna Akhmatova)

At night, when Isis fell asleep, the evil Set went out to hunt in the moonlight. And it so happened that on a deserted shore he saw the body of his hated brother. Seth cut the body of Osiris into fourteen pieces and scattered it all over the world.

The woeful Isis again went in search of her husband's body. In her wanderings, she was helped by people and animals, snakes and birds, and even crocodiles did not harm her when she sailed through the swamps on a papyrus boat. The Egyptians believed that in memory of the great goddess, crocodiles would never touch anyone who was sailing on a boat made of papyrus.

In one version of the myth, Isis buried the found parts of the body of Osiris in different places. This explains why there were several tombs of Osiris in Egypt. In another, she gathered his body together and said: “O bright Osiris! Your bones are gathered, your body is gathered, your heart is given to your body!”

The god Anubis embalmed the body of Osiris and made the world's first mummy. Since then, the Egyptians had a custom to mummify the dead.

Isis miraculously conceived from the deceased Osiris son - Horus. Growing up, Horus avenged his father, defeated Set and became king of Egypt.

And Osiris went to the afterlife, becoming its lord and judge over the dead.

Set killed his brother Osiris, the god of earth and growth. But he was resurrected and reigned in the afterlife, becoming the ruler of the tombs and the dead, the lord of the other world and the harbinger of the resurrection of the entire human race.

As a dead king and king of the dead, Osiris was especially revered in ancient Egypt. The love of Isis, his paredra sister, saved Osiris, and he came to life. This god embodies rebirth. Thanks to him, every person who has passed the terrible judgment will find a new life. And before the names of those who will be proclaimed "justified" at this judgment, the name "Osiris" will appear. Osiris is the god of Salvation, so it is people who need it the most!

Depictions of Osiris

Osiris is an anthropomorphic god, that is, a god with the appearance of a man. In addition, the white shroud in which he is wrapped up likens him to a mummy. This is a sign of the afterlife, ruled by Osiris. This god was always depicted in a static pose: most often standing, less often sitting, and never walking. Sometimes his sisters, Isis and Nephthys, appear next to him.

Sometimes there are also images of the reclining Osiris. This is a reference to the myth of Osiris the fruit-bearing, which we will talk about in more detail in the next article.

Often, before Osiris, an animal sacrificed to him was depicted.

Osiris is always crowned. Myths say that he was the first king of Egypt. In his hands he holds symbols of power - a whip and a scepter. Osiris, his sister and wife Isis, and son Horus make up the main sacred family of the Egyptian pantheon: god, goddess, and divine child.

god of renewal

The skin of Osiris is green or black. Black color in Egypt was not considered a sign of mourning. It is the color of rebirth, the color of new life, just like green. And since death is the path to the new world, Osiris is always accompanied by plants. It is a lotus, vine or tree. The crown of Osiris is a sheaf of wheat, the boat is made of papyrus, and the jed is made of bundles of reeds.

Myths about Osiris

The story of Osiris is the story of a god, but also very human. It is full of promises for people who are doomed to die. This is a love story, in the center of which is the wife of God, Isis. And although the myths about Osiris tell mainly about the afterlife, of which he is the king, this god embodies life and rebirth.

The myth of Osiris begins with the story of the god Ra, who gave birth to the divine couple, Shu and Tefnut. From their union were born Geb, the incarnation of the earth, and Nut, the incarnation of the sky. They were so attached to each other that it seemed impossible to separate them. Nothing separated heaven and earth any longer, and Ra (the sun) could no longer travel across the firmament. This is a rebellion against the power of the god of gods! Shu managed to tear his daughter away from her husband, and air, water and sun entered the vacated space. But Ra decided to punish the lovers for their carelessness.

Knowing that Nut carried five babies in her womb, Ra decreed that children could not be born in any of the twelve months of the year!

Tough birth

God Thoth rebelled against the cruel decision. He went to the moon and won five extra days from her, which were added to the calendar by the end of the year (these were epagomenes, “extra” days). Osiris was born the very first of five babies, so the first of these days is dedicated to him. Then his brothers and sisters were born: Horus, Seth (the future killer of God), Nephthys and Isis (his future wife).

Soon Osiris gained royal power over the world and the pharaohs of the first dynasties dedicated a cult to him. “As soon as he became the king of the world, he immediately brought the Egyptians out of the state of wild animals and helped them in their needs, showing them how to cultivate the land, giving them laws and teaching them to respect the gods. And then he went around the world to introduce it to culture. This is how the ancient texts describe the beginning of the reign of this king-god.

Osiris family

The myth of the creation of the world, common in Heliopolis, the city of the god Ra, says that Osiris is the son of Geb (Earth) and Nut (Heaven). He was born through the intervention of Thoth, the god of time and counting, along with Set, Isis, Nephthys and Horus. But in the divine family, not everything was fine. Osiris was openly at odds with his brother Set. Relations with Isis were also difficult: God wished to be not only her brother, but also her husband.

Seth, jealous brother

But the love and honors that people paid to Osiris for his good deeds aroused the envy and jealousy of other gods, and especially his brother Seth. To get rid of Osiris, Set conceived a cunning plan. Legend has it that the god secretly measured his brother's height. Then, according to these standards, he made a magnificent, richly decorated wooden chest. In the evening, Seth brought it to the feast and jokingly promised that he would give the chest to someone who would fit it. At first, all those present tried ... When the turn of Osiris came, he easily lay down inside. And then the assistants of Seth, running up, quickly nailed the chest and threw it into the Nile. It is at this point that Isis, the sister and wife of Osiris, comes into play. And the search for Osiris begins.

Dismemberment of Osiris

A variant of the myth about the murder of Osiris by his brother Seth, the Dismemberment of Osiris, became the basis of the cult of this god. Seth, who discovered the hiding place where Isis hid the body of her late brother and husband, immediately cut Osiris into 14 pieces, which he scattered in 4 ends of Egypt. The search for Isis was long, she decided that each piece would be buried in the place where it was found. This legend explains that the relics of Osiris were kept in different temples. So, in his main sanctuary, in Abydos, the head of a god was kept.

Search for Osiris

The myth of the search for Osiris has several variants. One of them says that Isis and Nephthys went after the body of Osiris and soon found him on the banks of the Nile.

In another, commonly referred to as The Dismemberment of Osiris, Isis discovered her husband's body much farther away, in the Phoenician city of Byblos (in present-day Lebanon). She brought him back to Egypt and hid him. But Seth, learning about this cache, dismembered the body and scattered its parts in different directions. Then the two sisters called out in a memorial cry to the gods, begging Ra, Thoth and Anubis to heed their requests and revive the god.

Isis miraculously conceived from the deceased Osiris son - Horus. Having been born, little Horus did not fail to avenge Seth for his father. And Osiris, resurrected by the boundless love of his wife, became the lord of the night and everything beyond, reigning in the afterlife. He left power over the day and the world of the living to the god Ra.

Cult of Osiris

As often happens in ancient beliefs, the image of Osiris appeared as a result of the merger of the cults of local deities. Researchers believe that one of them was Anjeti of Busiris, and the other was Khentamentiu of Abydos. It was in these two cities that Osiris was revered the most.

From Anjenti probably comes the kingship of Osiris (which he will never lose). And from the second deity, he received the title of "lord of the West", that is, the lord of the dead. Osiris, as the god of funeral rituals and the lord of the underworld, was unanimously worshiped by all the Egyptians. The enthusiasm with which he was glorified is explained by the fact that it was Osiris who was presented as the last judge of people. This new god-friend is undoubtedly worth two old ones, because it is with him that you will meet on the threshold of a new life!

Abydos: city of Osiris
Pharaohs of all dynasties, including the very first, favored Abydos, because it was the city of Khentamentiu, the predecessor of Osiris. Representatives of the 1st and 2nd dynasty were buried here. By the period of the V and VI dynasties, Khentamentiu was gradually identified with the Osiris of Lower Egypt. It was then that the cult acquired impressive proportions. During the Middle Kingdom era, Abydos became a very popular place of worship. Pilgrims from all over Egypt came here, in addition, the priests announced that the head of a god was kept in the city. Many Egyptians sought to propitiate Osiris, especially at the onset of old age. They erected small brick cenotaphs (funeral monuments) and stone stelae between the temple of Osiris and the traditional necropolises. Initially, this temple was dedicated to Khentamentiu, but from the time of the XII dynasty it became the sanctuary of Osiris. This ancient building is built of bricks. Only the frames of window and door openings were made of stone. This explains the almost complete disappearance of the ruins of the sanctuary. Because of the belief in the mystical presence of the god, many pharaohs erected their mortuary temples at Abydos. The first of these was the temple of Sesostris III.

Any burial is part of the cult of Osiris

Isis conceived Horus, who was born after the death of Osiris and became his heir. Horus fought tirelessly against his uncle Seth to regain his claim to the throne. But the heavenly court intervened in their struggle, and the gods accepted Horus into their circle. By analogy, every reigning pharaoh during his lifetime is identified with Horus. When he dies, he becomes Osiris.

However, mere mortals found hope for a new life only in the era of the Middle Kingdom, as the Egyptologist Serge Soneron (IFAO) writes: “On the eve of the Middle Kingdom, all the dead began to be considered Osiris, and thus humanity, which could once participate in the conquest of heaven only indirectly, through the deceased the lord, who embodied the vague and faceless collective image of his people, was given the opportunity to follow Osiris to the other world, which was democratically open to everyone. What does it mean to be Osiris? His life path and the love of his wife, Isis, make this god close and understandable to every Egyptian. Having opened the way to a new life, Osiris gave people the key to a new kingdom - the afterlife. Therefore, Osiris is addressed during the various stages of the burial ritual: during the embalming, the ritual opening of the mouth (which returns the breath to the deceased), during the procession, etc. All the deceased and embalmed pharaohs depict Osiris: they are wrapped in a white shroud, crowned with an atef crown holding divine symbols of power in their hands. The paintings in their tombs also inform about the new role of the pharaoh.

The symbols of power that Osiris holds in his hands first of all remind that this god is the founder of the Egyptian kingdom, but their origin is clear to ordinary people. Curved at the end of the heka scepter, the Magic Wand (the word heka means "magic"), is similar in shape to a shepherd's staff. Aflagellum (or nekheh) resembles a whip used to collect incense. The atef crown symbolizes the fertility of the lands of Egypt. Its outlines are similar to the ears of a sheaf of wheat pulled together at the top. This indicates that Osiris, according to legend, taught people how to cultivate the land. Two feathers (probably ostrich) on the sides of the headdress indicate the highest rank of the god. Osiris is a deity who embodies agriculture and pastoralism, which underlay the ancient Egyptian civilization.

memphis festivities

In Memphis, a unique festival was celebrated in honor of Osiris: "the erection of the column of the djed." This ritual connected Osiris with royal power, which he endowed with divine power. On the eve of the coronation and on the days of anniversaries, the pharaoh himself led the installation of the monumental djed column, symbolizing the permanence and longevity that Osiris embodied.

Holidays and ceremonies

The main holidays of the cult of Osiris are celebrated in the month of Khoyak (October - November), between the decline of the Nile waters and the beginning of sowing. The soil, fertilized by the silt brought during the floods, can soon be sown. This earthly symbolism of rebirth, which the entire human race dreams of, is the basis of the rites of worship of Osiris.

The festivities begin with public rituals taking place outside the temple (closed to mere mortals). God is taken out to the people in a Nekhmet boat, with a statue of Upuaut. This jackal-god, "opener of paths", plays the role of a psychopomp (guide of souls). He accompanies the dead to the grave and helps them to be reborn. The victory of Upuaut over the insidious demons is also the victory of Osiris, who fights with the mummers throughout the festive procession.

Then comes the "Big Exit", a realistic and at times somewhat violent performance that recreates the battle between the allies and enemies of Osiris. Of course, the god emerges victorious from the fight and returns to his temple, escorted by a jubilant crowd.

Jed column

The djed column is one of the most common symbols of Ancient Egypt. She was painted on the walls of tombs, her image was worn around the neck as an amulet for both the living and the mummies. Its outlines were reflected in hieroglyphic writing: the hieroglyph "column" means "permanence" and "longevity". This fetish has a very ancient origin. Some scholars believe that the djed was originally a tree. Chapter 155 of the Book of the Dead connects him to the spine of Osiris and therefore to death. Therefore, this sign was often depicted inside sarcophagi. Others see it as a nilometer, a pillar that measured the level of the Nile floods. Too much or too little rise in water had a bad effect on crops, and a measuring post made it possible to know what to be prepared for.

Fruitful Osiris

Other ceremonies are performed secretly, in temples, away from the crowds, in the circle of high-ranking priests, and sometimes in the presence of the pharaoh himself. Their goal is to secure the mystical resurrection of Osiris.

How did this ritual go? First, in the silt brought from the river, they painted the image of Osiris. While it was still wet, it was sown with grain, which was watered for the next nine days. When shoots appeared on the surface, this "fruitful Osiris" was solemnly transferred to the boat, accompanied by a procession with 365 torches.

The boat, sailing through the sacred waters of the temple lake, reached the island, symbolizing the mound where the god was buried. When she approached, sprouted Osiris was carried out of her. The withered last year's image was removed and a verdant god was placed in the same place.

Thus, the annual renewal cycle was closed. The life-giving forces of nature were restored, and a new cycle could begin. Nine days of watering, silt in which grains sprout... The connection with the bearing and birth of a new life is obvious. This is the life of Osiris in the other world! It is no coincidence that the Egyptian god was later identified with the ancient Greek Dionysus, the god of winemaking, the productive forces of nature, and Priapus, the god of fertility, fields and gardens.

Names of Osiris

The inhabitants of Ancient Egypt believed that one name is not enough for a divine being, whether it be a pharaoh or a god. So Osiris received many titles.

He is the lord of the West: to the west of the Nile, the desert began, over which the sun set every evening. A sunset is a very symbolic image of death. The Egyptians believed that in the west, under the earth, there was an afterlife (duat) and the sun had to cross it every night. Osiris, who managed to be reborn after death, was perceived as the ruler of this world, the lord of the West, in other words, the king of the dead!

He is the "Lord of Maat": the word maat means "truth and justice". These virtues are embodied by the goddess Maat. People who lived "according to Maat" could hope that they would be acquitted at the last judgment. This judgment is administered by Osiris himself, and when the heart of the deceased (the receptacle of the soul) is weighed, Maat appears in the form of a weight on the other side of the scale. If the weight-maat outweighs, then the burden of errors is not too great. And then the deceased finds a new life in the kingdom of Osiris.
He is the Lord of Eternity. This seems natural, because the power of Osiris extends over the afterlife. And eternity is promised to every dead person admitted into it. Whether a person is worthy or not - this, as we have already said, determines the judgment of Osiris.

He is the "Good Being" (unefer). This name reminds us of the enlightenment that Osiris gave to the first people. And that it was he who made the first plow and taught people how to farm and garden.

Osiris is the king of Egypt. It was a very long time ago, after the god Ra left the earth and ascended to heaven. The Egyptians did not yet know how to raise cattle, cultivate fields, harvest crops, did not know how to treat the simplest diseases. People were at enmity, between them every now and then there were bloody fights.

But then Osiris became the king of Egypt. He called on the god of wisdom, Thoth, and with his help taught the Egyptians to sow cereals, grow grapes, bake bread, prepare beer and wine, mine and process copper and gold, heal diseases, build dwellings, palaces, temples, read and write, engage in astronomy (study stars), mathematics and other sciences. He taught people laws and justice. It was a happy time, a "golden" age in the life of Egypt.

Sarcophagus of Set. Osiris was the eldest son of the sky goddess Nut and the earth god Geb. Then they had a second son - Seth, the evil god of the desert. Osiris, as the eldest, became the ruler of Egypt, which Set was very jealous of. He himself wanted to rule the country and people so much that he planned to destroy his elder brother by cunning. He conceived a conspiracy against Osiris, and 72 demons helped him in this. Somehow Osiris returned after a successful military campaign and decided to arrange a feast in honor of his victory. Seth took advantage of the opportunity. Secretly measuring the body of Osiris, he ordered to make a sarcophagus according to this measure, decorate it with gold, silver, and precious stones. This sarcophagus was brought by Set to the feast of the gods. Everyone was delighted with such a wonderful thing; everyone wanted to own it.

Seth brings an evil plan to fruition. Seth, as if in jest, suggested that the participants of the feast take turns lying in the sarcophagus - whoever fits it will get it. Everyone began to try on, but the sarcophagus did not fit anyone. Osiris, without suspecting anything, watched what was happening. He was not interested in wealth, and he would hardly have gone into a sarcophagus just to get it. However, Osiris did not want to offend his brother. He went to the sarcophagus, lay down in it, and Seth and his accomplices quickly slammed the lid, pushed the bolt, filled it with lead and threw the sarcophagus into the waters of the Nile. The sarcophagus was carried away by the course of the Nile into the sea, and there the waves carried it to the city of Byblos and there they threw it ashore next to a heather bush. Heather quickly grew and hid the sarcophagus inside its trunk. And then this trunk was cut down by order of the king Byblos and made of it a column for the royal palace.

Isis searches for her husband's body. Isis, the devoted and faithful wife of Osiris, went in search of her husband. She wept and lamented:

“The sky merges with the earth, the shadow on the earth today, My heart burns from a long separation from you. O lord, who has departed to the lands of silence, return to us in your former form.

Mummy of Osiris, cooked
to the burial of Anubis

Distraught with grief, she walked and walked, asking everyone she met if they had seen Osiris, and finally learned that the sarcophagus with the body of her husband had washed up on the seashore near the city of Byblos. Isis went there. No one in Byblos knew that she was a goddess and she went to the palace to work as a servant. She served the queen of Byblos, nursed her little son. And at night, when everyone was asleep, she put the king's son in the fire and cast spells to make him immortal. But one day the queen Byblos saw this and screamed in fear. This cry destroyed the spell of Isis, and she could not make the prince immortal. Isis called her real name, cut the column, took out the sarcophagus with the body of Osiris from it and returned with him to Egypt. There she hid the sarcophagus in the Nile Delta and, covering it with branches so that it was not visible, went to her sister, with whom she wanted to mourn Osiris and bury with honors.

Goddess Isis
and god Horus

Meanwhile, Seth went hunting. He liked to hunt at night under the moon. The villain stumbled upon the sarcophagus, was surprised to see the body of his unfortunate brother, cut it into pieces and scattered them throughout Egypt. Soon the sisters returned, opened the sarcophagus, and it was empty. The grief of Isis knew no bounds, for twelve days she searched for the remains of her husband until she found them and buried them. And where she found parts of the body of Osiris, she placed a stone stele, and from this the veneration of Osiris began in Egypt.

Isis gives birth to Horus, the future avenger. Then Isis went into the swamps of the delta to hide from the persecution of the insidious Set. There her son Horus was born. She managed to feed and save the baby. Once, when Horus was left alone, he was bitten by a poisonous snake. Returning, Isis saw the lifeless body of her little son. The unfortunate mother raised a terrible cry, begging the gods and people to come to her aid. The god of wisdom Thoth calmed her and healed the baby with his miraculous spells.

Horus grew up, matured and decided to avenge the death of his father.

Osiris is one of the most revered Egyptian gods. The Lord of the Dead, Osiris at the same time embodied the idea of ​​rebirth and eternal life - this is precisely what explains his popularity. The myths about Osiris are conveyed by Plutarch in his essay On Isis. Their general meaning coincides with numerous passages in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic texts, although individual details of the legend differ markedly.

According to Plutarch, Osiris, the son of the gods of earth and sky - Hebe and Nut - after his parents reigned over Egypt, along with his sister and wife Isis. The people of that time still continued to live in savagery and lack of culture. Osiris and Isis taught mankind agriculture and settled life, medicine, urban planning, family life, worship of the gods. They were helped in all this by the god of wisdom Thoth. Then Osiris staged a victorious military expedition to Asia.

God Osiris

The royal throne of Osiris dreamed of getting for himself his envious brother, the god Set. To carry out his insidious plan, he went to the trick: once he brought a magnificent chest to the feast and promised to give it to the one whose height it would be. When Osiris lay down in the chest, Seth locked it, filled it with lead on top and ordered it to be thrown into the Nile. This river carried Osiris to the Mediterranean Sea, along which he swam to the coast of Phoenicia. Near the city of Byblos, the chest was thrown ashore, where a tamarisk tree grew around it, so that Osiris with the chest was inside the trunk. The local king cut down this tree and made a column out of it, supporting the roof of the palace.

Meanwhile, in search of Osiris, his loving wife Isis moved. After long wanderings, she arrived in Byblos, became the tutor of the prince there and begged for herself a tree trunk with the coffin of her husband already dead. Isis brought him to Egypt, but there the body of Osiris fell into the hands of the evil Seth. Set cut it into 14 pieces and scattered them throughout the country. Ishida managed to collect almost all the parts. At the location of each of them, she erected a tomb - so in many Egyptian regions (nomes) there were centers of worship of Osiris. One of the most famous was the sanctuary in the city of Abydos, where the “head of Osiris” was kept, which attracted masses of pilgrims. According to the chronicler Manetho, this temple laid the foundation for the Egyptian statehood.

Delighted by the devotion of Isis, the gods revived Osiris and made him lord the underworld of the dead. He performed the duties of the afterlife judge there, pronouncing guilty or acquittal verdicts on the deceased, depending on their behavior in earthly life. The Judgment of Osiris is described in the famous ancient Egyptian book of the dead.

Weighing the heart of the scribe Hunefer at the afterlife court of the god Osiris. "Book of the Dead"

The myth of Osiris is set out fully developed already in the Pyramid Texts (the era of the Old Kingdom). He is one of the oldest incarnations of the story of the dying and resurrecting god, which is then repeated in the legends of Tammuz, Adonis and the image of Jesus Christ. The cult of Osiris was closely connected with the idea of ​​agriculture (buried in the ground, but then the grain sprouting from it). The culmination of the main festival of Osiris in Egypt fell on the day of sowing. The idea that life is impossible except through death, and that death will inevitably be replaced by a new life, had a strong influence on subsequent human culture. She was also inspired in the ancient Greek Eleusinian mysteries. A clear image of this in Egypt could be not only the germination of grain, but also the change of seasons, as well as the periodic floods of the Nile. The legend of the murder of Osiris by Seth symbolizes the struggle of agriculture with a gloomy, dry desert. Festivities in honor of Osiris were widely celebrated throughout Egypt in November and late December. The main ones took place in Phil, Dendera and Abydos.

In ancient Egypt, Osiris was depicted as a man wrapped below the waist in mummy veils, with a green face (whose color symbolized fresh vegetation), with a whip and a staff (scepter) in his hands. Statuettes of Osiris have been found in great numbers. Of the animals, the phoenix and the bull were dedicated to Osiris. Apis.

Let's start.

Osiris, in Egyptian mythology, the god of the productive forces of nature, the lord of the underworld, the judge in the realm of the dead. Osiris was the eldest son of the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut, the brother and husband of Isis. He taught the Egyptians agriculture, viticulture and winemaking, the mining and processing of copper and gold ore, the art of medicine, the construction of cities, and established the cult of the gods.
Usually Osiris was depicted as a man with green skin, sitting among the trees, or with a vine wrapped around his figure. It was believed that, like the entire plant world, Osiris dies every year and is reborn to a new life, but the fertilizing life force in him remains even in the dead. Myth:
Set, his brother, the evil god of the desert, decided to kill Osiris and made a sarcophagus according to the measurements of his older brother. Having arranged a feast, he invited Osiris and announced that the sarcophagus would be presented to the one who would fit. When Osiris lay down in the cascophagus, the conspirators slammed the lid, filled it with lead and threw it into the waters of the Nile. (It was normal at that time to pick up a sarcophagus while alive.)
The faithful wife of Osiris, Isis, found the body of her husband, miraculously extracted the life force hidden in it and conceived from the dead Osiris a son named Horus. When Horus grew up, he took revenge on Set. Horus gave his magical Eye, torn out by Set at the beginning of the battle, to be swallowed by his dead father. Osiris came to life, but did not want to return to earth, and, leaving the throne to Horus, began to reign and judge in the afterlife. Seth, in Egyptian mythology, the god of the desert, that is, "foreign countries", the personification of the evil inclination, the brother and murderer of Osiris. In the era of the Old Kingdom, Set was revered as a warrior god, assistant to Ra and patron of the pharaohs.
As the personification of war, drought, death, Seth also embodied the evil principle - as the deity of the merciless desert, the god of strangers: he cut down sacred trees, ate the sacred cat of the goddess Bast, and so on.
The sacred animals of Set were considered a pig ("abomination for the gods"), an antelope, a giraffe, and the donkey was the main one. The Egyptians imagined him as a man with a thin long torso and a donkey's head. Some myths attributed to Set the salvation of Ra from the serpent Apep - Set pierced the giant Apep, personifying darkness and evil, with a harpoon. Myth:
Seth, envious of his brother Osiris, killed him, and threw his body into the Nile and legally took his throne. But the son of Osiris Horus, who had been hiding for many years, wanted to take revenge on Seth and take his throne. Horus and Set fought for eighty years. During one of the battles, Seth tore out his eye from Horus, which later became the great amulet of ujat; Horus castrated Set, depriving him of the main part of his essence. Horus or Horus, Horus ("height", "sky"), in Egyptian mythology, the god of heaven and the sun in the guise of a falcon, a man with a falcon's head or a winged sun, the son of the fertility goddess Isis and Osiris, the god of productive forces. His symbol is a solar disk with outstretched wings. Initially, the falcon god was revered as a predatory god of hunting, claws digging into prey. Myth:
Isis conceived Horus from the dead Osiris, treacherously killed by the formidable god of the desert Seth, his brother. Having retired deep into the swampy Nile Delta, Isis gave birth and raised a son, who, having matured, in a dispute with Seth, seeks to recognize himself as the sole heir of Osiris.
In the battle with Seth, the killer of his father, Horus is first defeated - Seth tore out his eye, the wonderful Eye, but then Horus defeated Seth and deprived him of his masculinity. As a sign of submission, he placed the sandal of Osiris on Set's head. He gave his wonderful Eye of Horus to be swallowed by his father, and he came to life. The resurrected Osiris gave his throne in Egypt to Horus, and he himself became the king of the underworld. Isis or Isis, in Egyptian mythology, the goddess of fertility, water and wind, a symbol of femininity and marital fidelity, the goddess of navigation. Isis helped Osiris civilize Egypt and taught women to reap, spin and weave, heal diseases and established the institution of marriage. When Osiris went to wander the world, Isis replaced him and wisely ruled the country. Myth:
Upon hearing of the death of Osiris at the hands of the evil god Seth, Isis was dismayed. She cut her hair, put on mourning clothes and began searching for his body. The children told Isis that they saw a box with the body of Osiris floating down the Nile. The water carried him under a tree that grew on the shore near Byblos, which began to grow rapidly and soon the coffin completely disappeared in its trunk.
Upon learning of this, the king of Byblos ordered the tree to be cut down and brought to the palace, where it was used as a support for the roof in the form of a column. Isis, guessing everything, rushed to Byblos. She dressed poorly and sat by a well in the center of the city. When the queen's servants came to the well, Isis braided their hair and enveloped them in such a fragrance that the queen soon sent for her and took her son as a teacher. Every night, Isis placed the royal child in the fire of immortality, and herself, turning into a swallow, flew around the column with the body of her husband. Seeing her son in flames, the queen uttered such a piercing cry that the child lost immortality, and Isis revealed herself and asked to give her the column. Having received the body of her husband, Isis hid him in a swamp. However, Seth found the body and cut it into fourteen pieces, which he scattered throughout the country. With the help of the gods, Isis found all the pieces except for the penis, which had been swallowed by the fish.
According to one version, Isis collected the body and revived Osiris to life using her healing power, and conceived from him the sky and sun god Horus. Isis was so popular in Egypt that over time she took on the features of other goddesses. She was revered as the patroness of women in childbirth, determining the fate of newborn kings.