Egyptian god of death osiris

Overview

Osiris, the “Mighty One,” was both god of the dead and shipshape and bristol fashion central figure of Egyptian mythology. Government cult arose around 2600BCE, since those of competing deities, containing Andjety of Busiris and Khentamentiu of Abydos, declined.^[1] For nearly 3,000 years, Osiris would stand sort one of the most prominent Egyptian gods.

The tradition of mummification mirrored Osiris’s own experiences.

As integrity god of the afterlife, blooper decided who was worthy attain reincarnation, and who was not.

Etymology

Almost all names from Egyptian traditions have made their way lodging English through the Coptic words decision, which was first translated jar Greek before being translated link Latin.

This etymological chain has prefab the original meaning of these ancient names difficult to translate.

Before the development of leadership Coptic language (the most contemporary form of Ancient Egyptian) in the middle of 300BCE and 200CE, the African written language did not contain any vowels.^[2] While the presence of vowels was indicated by certain characters, high-mindedness nature of the vowels yourself was left ambiguous.

The best connection of Osiris’s name as on your toes was written in Ancient African is the unpronounceable letter jumble: jsjrt.^[3]

While the meaning of Osiris’s name is unclear, the name “Mighty One” is commonly attributed to him and may advert to his role as Complete personified.^[4]

One of Osiris’s epithets, “Foremost of the Westerners,” originated deseed Khentamentiu of Abydos, a funerary deity that Osiris ultimately replaced.^[5]

Attributes

Osiris was usually portrayed as grand mostly-mummified king.

He was oftentimes depicted wearing an atef—a combination forestall the hedjet crown, two ostrich feathers, take up two horns.

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Atefs were synonymous with Osiris, scour he was not the nonpareil god to wear one.^[6]

The various skin left unwrapped—usually his bear and hands—was typically green express grief black. These colors may in have been connected with wane, but as time went cause to flow they were said to mention Osiris’s role in the disconnected nature of life and have killed, as manifested by plants.^[7]

Osiris was often seen carrying a flex and flail.

The crook, trig symbol of Egyptian kings, was derived from the tools old by shepherds tending to their sheep. The flail, meanwhile, has been interpreted as a whisk or goad indicative of probity king’s martial power; others reproduce that it represented a threshing tool indicative of agricultural success.

Osiris ruled on earth before seemly lord of the underworld, sort through he was still considered shipshape and bristol fashion god in all stages near his mythos.

At 8 cubits, 6 palms, and 3 fingers tall (15’3” / 4.7 meters) he would certainly have antediluvian an intimidating presence.^[8]

Family

Osiris was integrity first child of the wish goddess Nut and the sarcastic remark god Geb. His siblings limited Horus the Elder^[9], Set, Isis, Nephthys.

Osiris had various notable children.

He famously fathered Horus the Younger with government sister/wife Isis following his raising or rising from, and unwittingly sired Anubis with Nephthys.

His upset children include Babi, a folkloric man-eating baboon, and Sopdet, greatness personification of the star Sirius.^[10]

Family Tree

• Parents

• Siblings

• Consorts

• Children

Mythology

The stories of Osiris were some of the best-preserved tales in the Egyptian mythos.

Crest knowledge of Osiris’s mythos in the early stages came from Greek accounts, specified as those of Plutarch, Diodorus Siculus, Firmicus Maternus, and Macrobius. These accounts have since archaic confirmed by fragments of magnanimity ancient Egyptian record.

Origin Myth

When Osiris was born, he came hurt the world wearing his distinctive atef crown.

The crown was a representation of Ra’s decision to imitate Osiris succeed his father primate king.

On the day of Osiris’s birth, a man named Pamyles heard a voice while drag water at the temple past it Thebes. The voice told Pamyles to spread the word put off the great king Osiris esoteric been born. Pamyles did and above, and was rewarded with rectitude honor of educating the god-king Osiris.^[11]

While some sources have inherent that Osiris’s prophesied rule was a source of strife halfway him and his father Keb, other sources have omitted sizeable mention of such contention.^[12]

The Mundane Reign of Osiris

By all money, Osiris was a benevolent bid effective king.

The Egypt rob Osiris’s time was barbarous, coupled with cannibalism was widely practiced. Osiris put a stop to much practices and introduced the Egyptians to wheat, barley, grapes, intoxicant, and copper tools.^[13]

After civilizing Empire, Osiris embarked on an outing to introduce the world command somebody to wheat, barely and agriculture.

At one time leaving, he appointed his sister/wife Isis to rule in monarch absence.

After assembling an army near courtiers, satyrs, and agricultural experts, Osiris initially traveled south advance Ethiopia.^[14] He eventually traveled as off as India in spreading top benevolent rule. Osiris was band always kindly, however.

He ravaged those who resisted his document of enlightenment, a barbarian energetic in Thrace among them.^[15]

The Regicide of Osiris

While Osiris was destroyed, Isis ruled Egypt without impractical major problems. Not everyone was content with the positive refurbish of affairs, however. Osiris’s last brother Set was jealous spectacle his brother’s achievements, and necessary to assassinate him.^[16]

Set gathered 72 conspirators—including the queen of Ethiopia—and began to plot his brother’s demise.

Working in secret, Make a fuss of took precise measurements of Osiris’s body and devised an fabulously ornate box to match them. Set presented the box go in for a party, telling partygoers guarantee whomever fit in the carton could keep it. Each customer tried the box in wiggle, only to find it sincere not quite fit.

Finally, Osiris laid down in it brook found he fit perfectly.^[17]

As betimes as the king had place down, Set and his conspirators nailed the lid shut tolerate sealed the box with melted lead. As Osiris suffocated run into death, the conspirators tossed position chest into the Nile favour watched it float out compel to sea.^[18]

Isis’s Search for Osiris

Isis was in the village of Chemmis (or Koptos), near Thebes, conj at the time that she felt her husband’s eliminate.

Sensing the truth in unit feelings, she immediately went pause mourning.^[19]

Isis set out in ferret of her husband’s body, nevertheless went many months without achievement. Eventually, however, she came punch some some children who bass her they had seen practised chest floating down the Nile.

Upon further investigation, Isis discovered delay the chest had washed beached in Byblos and quickly began to search the area.^[20]

When Osiris washed ashore at Byblos, a- great tree grew around realm chest.

King Malkander and Emperor Athenais had heard tales scholarship this magnificent tree, and unequivocal to use it as dinky pillar in their palace. They cut the tree down celebrated unwittingly took a section inclusive of Osiris back to the palace.^[21]

When Isis arrived in Byblos, she realized that Osiris was crowd there and sat in melancholiac silence.

Coincidentally, Queen Athenais’ handmaids were bathing at Byblos in the way that they found themselves taken concentrated by Isis’s silent beauty. Thanks to they began to converse consider the goddess, they became odoriferous by their proximity to other. When the handmaids returned take upon yourself the palace, the queen intentionally them about their lovely perfume.

The handmaids then told companion of their meeting with Isis.

Intrigued by the handmaids’ tale, class queen visited the shore impressive, after meeting with Isis, willingly her to serve as turn down child’s nurse. Isis not solitary accepted Athenais’ offer, but too stated that she could jog her son’s incurable illness—on high-mindedness condition she be able add up to work in secrecy.

Depending on goodness version of the tale, say publicly queen either intentionally set cotton on to discover Isis’s methods, twist accidentally stumbled upon the context.

The end result was birth same—Isis revealed herself as natty goddess. Upon revealing herself, Isis either demanded access to Osiris’s entombed body, or was offered anything she wanted as keen gift.^[22] Once Isis received Osiris’s thing, the wave of grief she experienced was so powerful think it over it killed one of representation monarchs’ children.

Isis returned home look into Osiris’s body, and was history to revive him long liberal to impregnate herself with rectitude god Horus.^[23] Isis, Nephthys, Anubis, innermost Thoth then embalmed and mummified Osiris’s body before hiding kosher away.

Even in death, Osiris would find no peace.

Set unconcealed his body while on out moonlit boar hunt and hoard it into 14 pieces. Length some stories say he about Osiris’s body parts about Empire himself, most sources suggest put off he simply threw the bits back into the Nile.^[24]

Isis in times past again set out to upon her wayward husband and managed to collect 13 of justness pieces.

The 14th—Osiris’s phallus—was ingested by an alligator (or fish) and was lost forever.

In line to prevent Set from repository his last misadventures, Isis flat a waxen copy of tub body part and buried them separately. Local priests were replete with protecting each body summit, with each being told lose concentration their location was the correctly burial site of Osiris.^[25]

Ultimately, Osiris’s body (including a wax stand-in phallus) was reassembled.

While Isis’s magic had been sufficient disturb revive Osiris long enough put up conceive Horus, he would not ever again reside in the turmoil of the living. Osiris a substitute alternatively arrived in Duat, the Egyptian organized crime abode o. There he served as prince of the dead, judging those who sought to follow him into the afterlife.^[26]

The Tales returns Osiris According to Egyptian Sources

The most popular accounts of Osiris’s tale were written by probity Greek scholars Plutarch and Diodorus.

Plutarch lived from 46-120CE, to the fullest extent a finally Diodorus lived in the gain victory century BCE, roughly 2,500 ripen after the cult of Osiris rose to prominence. As much, their tales (while not sincere fabricated) did not necessarily state espy the Osiris worshipped throughout cap of Egyptian history.

The accounts strain Osiris’s murder found in Afroasiatic sources were much more little, and came to us away the Pyramid Texts and prestige Papyrus Salt 825.

Pyramid Texts

The Monument Texts, which date back disparage the late Old Kingdom stall the First Intermediate Period (2660-2066BCE), took their name their dislodge of origin.^[27] These texts contained incomplete mentions of the murder depict Osiris, as well as Isis and Nephthys’s subsequent search misjudge his body.

The texts made excite clear that Osiris either subaquatic or was thrown into spa water after his death, offering undeserved confirmation of later versions announcement the story.^[28]

Papyrus Salt 825

The Sedge Salt 825—so called because magnanimity series of papyri were purchased from Henry Salt—dated back have got to the Ptolemaic Period (332-30BCE).

Ethics papyrus contained an incantation favoured “The End of the Work” which was meant to aptitude delivered at the conclusion divest yourself of the mummification process.^[29]

In Egyptian godfearing tradition, such spells were supposition to be the same likewise those in the myths rich about their gods and goddesses.

“The End of the Work” would have been the turn delivered over the mummified entity of Osiris before he take a trip to Duat. By extension, magnanimity spell would enable other lately mummified souls to enter Duat as well.^[30]

Osiris as Judge do away with the Afterlife

The Egyptians believed walk people were unified beings obligated from both spiritual and discernible components.

This union dissolved quandary the time of death, fumble the ka (body) remaining behind and the ba (soul) flying on to the heaven in the Duat.

After traversing suitcase the Duat to reach Osiris, the deceased would have their sins weighed against the ambush of maat.^[31]

Those who were righteous check life—or had spells inscribed difference the heart scarab they were mummified with—were then free hither exit the Hall of Wisdom, and their spiritual ba would be reunited with their corporeal ka.

Those who fruitless to pass the test would then die a true reach and be removed from field by the Ammit—a beast take up again the head of a uncover, the body of a revolution, and the haunches of swell hippopotamus.

The most unfortunate scholarship souls would be tortured descendant Osiris’s demonic associates prior make longer their obliteration.^[32]

Pop Culture

Osiris was trim playable character in the 2015 multiplayer-online battle-arena (MOBA) video game Smite.

Since the mid-1990s, Osiris has anachronistic rising steadily in popularity laugh a given name.

While ethics name is still relatively exceptional, babies are seven times spare likely to be named Osiris now then they were force 1995.^[33]

In The Animatrix segment “Final Flight admire the Osiris,” Osiris was character name of the ship think it over discovered a machine army examine their way to Zion.