Osiris, Can You See?

[vovat]

This is an appropriate time of year to discuss myths of the death and rebirth of deities. This idea is common to belief systems throughout the world, but I can think of only one that involves a detached penis being eaten by a fish. I refer, of course, to the story of Osiris.

Osiris was one of the most important Egyptian gods, and was regarded as the first Pharaoh of the land. His brother Set was jealous of his position, and killed Osiris by sealing him in a box, which he threw in the Nile. Set is a rather interesting character himself, as he seems to be one of the earliest gods who wasn't just a trickster or a jerk, but rather purely evil. This wasn't always the case, however. He was originally the god of the desert and of chaos, but was eventually vilified, and came to be essentially the Satan of the Egyptian pantheon. Anyway, getting back to Osiris, his wife Isis retrieved him from the box, and sought the help of Thoth in bringing him back to life. Before the ritual could be completed, Set stole his brother's body and cut it into pieces, which he scattered throughout the country. Isis managed to find all of them except for his penis, as it had become literal fish food, and had him revived. Still, he was not allowed to stay in the world of the living, and became the ruler of the underworld instead. Pharaohs, and eventually common Egyptians as well, were said to be able to become Osiris at death, essentially being able to gain new life and avoid harsh judgment in the next world by accepting him as their savior, in much the same way as people today seek salvation by means of another resurrected god. There's truly nothing new under the great solar disc of Amon-Ra, is there?

Comments

[vovat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, changing your DNA like that really does wreak havoc with genetics, doesn't it? {g}

Osiris

[charliner.livejournal.com]

Actually, Osiris was killed twice.

The first time he was tricked into a coffin by Set where he drowned and was found dead (but completely whole) by Isis. She used a spell taught to her by her father, the earth god Geb, to resurrect Osiris. It was at THIS point that she was impregnated and once they finished the deed Osiris died again.

Isis hid Osiris' body in the desert and several months after this Horus was born. While Isis was away raising Horus, Set was out hunting one night and discovered Osiris' body.

It is at THIS point that Set tore him into 14 pieces and scattered them across the lands. Isis did manage to find everything with the exception of the phallus and he was basically put back together in his bandages so that he could receive a proper burial.

Horus is represented as a falcon because he is the sky god.

Hope this helps :)

Charline Ratcliff, Author
www.thecurseofnefertiti.com

Re: Osiris

[vovat.livejournal.com]

Thanks for clearing that up. I'm sure there were several different versions of the myth, though, as that's usually the case.