Osiris

Family

He was the oldest son of Ged and Nut, brother of Set and husband of Isis. Together, he and Isis were beloved rulers of Egypt, and they had a son, Horus. Under his rule, civilization flourished, agriculture prospered, and the Egyptians were taught the arts of law and culture. In fact, Osiris was known to travel the world, teaching lesser civilizations the ways of agriculture and cultivation. He was particularly friendly with the Greek Muses and Satyrs, where he was known by the name Serapis.

Kingship

Osiris was associated with the natural cycle of nature, in particular the sprouting of vegetation, the annual flooding of the Nile, and the rising of the constellations at the start of the new year. He became the sovereign that granted all life benign and youthful.

Osiris is most commonly depicted wearing a crown of white ostrich feathers known as the Atef Crown. He is associated with the color green, representing the color of rebirth, and the color black, representing the fertility of the Nile floodplain. He carried a crook and fail, symbolizing his kingship and authority. Osiris’ own story is a tale of death, resurrection, and hope.

The Afterlife

Osiris presided over the judgement of souls in the underworld. In Egyptian belief, souls of the deceased would pass through the Hall of Judgment, where Osiris, along with 42 divine judges, would weigh their hearts against the feather of Ma’at (the goddess of truth and justice). If the heart was lighter than the feather, the soul was allowed to enter the Field of Reeds, a paradise-like afterlife. If the heart was heavier, it would be devoured by Ammit, a fearsome creature, leading to the annihilation of the soul.

Osiris and Set

The central myth of Osiris is his betrayal and murder by his jealous brother, Set. Osiris was beloved by the people, but Set, representing chaos and disorder, had always coveted his throne. However, after learning that Nephthys betrayed him by laying with Osiris, Set’s wrath was emblazoned into a plan for murder. Having recently returned from a journey, Set threw a grand banquet to celebrate his return, but it was a ruse. Set tricked Osiris by building a magnificent coffin and offered a prize to the one whom it fit best. Since Set had the coffin designed to fit Osiris perfectly, when Osiris lay down inside it was indeed a precise fit. Set and his conspirators slammed the lid shut, sealed the coffin, and threw it into the Nile River. The coffin floated down the Nile and ended up in Byblos (modern-day Lebanon).

Following Osiris’ disappearance and presumed death, Isis searched the land far and wide for him. Although Nephthys feared Set’s retribution, she was Isis’ sister, and she was honor and duty-bound to assist Isis on the search. They eventually found the coffin with Osiris’ body inside, and they brought it back to Egypt. Set descended upon them and forcibly took Osiris body and dismembered it, scattering the pieces far and wide. This morbid act was more than ruthlessness. According to Egyptian death rites, the proper treatment of the body was required for the soul to pass into the afterlife. This dismemberment directly prevented Osiris soul from finding peace.

Many years passed while Isis and Nephthys searched for scattered pieces. They were eventually aided by Thoth and Anubis, who was the son of Osiris that Nephthys abandoned after his birth in fear for Set’s wrath. Anubis was raised by Isis, despite the betrayal he represented, because he was the child of her great love.

They managed to recover and reassemble 13 of the 14 pieces, with the one missing part being Osiris’s phallus, which had been swallowed by a fish. Using her magical abilities, Isis reconstituted Osiris’s body and performed rituals to resurrect him. This act of resurrection lasted only a single night, and afterward, rather than remain in the land of the living, Orisis became the ruler of the afterlife where he presided over the judgment of the dead.

After Osiris’s resurrection, his son Horus took up the cause of avenging his father’s death. Horus and Set engaged in a long and brutal conflict for the throne of Egypt, symbolizing the battle between order (Ma’at) and chaos. Eventually, Horus triumphed, becoming the rightful ruler of Egypt, while Set was cast down as the god of the desert, storms, and chaos. The conflict between Horus and Set is often seen as a metaphor for the balance between good and evil, and Horus’s victory solidified the divine right of kingship in Egyptian society.

After Set was overthrown by Horus, he once more intended to obliterate the body of his dead brother, now watched over by Anubis. Set continually attempted to steal Osiris’ body, but each time was thwarted by Anubis, who eventually had enough and viciously murdered Set. Wearing Set’s flayed skin across his armor, he entered Set’s camp and murdered all of his followers.

Finally, Osiris was able to rest in peace.

Rebirths

1st Age – Jared Vanders