PICTURE BELOW:From right to left: Isis, her husband Osiris, and their son Horus, the protagonists of the Osiris myth. 22nd Dynasty period The Osiris myth is the most elaborate and influential story in ancient Egyptian mythology. It concerns the murder of the god Osiris, a primeval king of Egypt, and its consequences. Osiris murderer, his brother Set, usurps his throne. Meanwhile, Osiris wife Isis restores her husbands body, allowing him to posthumously conceive a son with her. The remainder of the story focuses on Horus, the product of Isis and Osiris union, who is first a vulnerable child protected by his mother and then becomes Sets rival for the throne. Their often violent conflict ends with Horus triumph, which restores order to Egypt after Sets unrighteous reign and completes the process of Osiris resurrection. The myth, with its complex symbolism, is integral to the Egyptian conceptions of kingship and succession, conflict between order and disorder and, especially, death and the afterlife. It also expresses the essential character of each of the four deities at its center, and many elements of their worship in ancient Egyptian religion were derived from the myth. The Osiris myth reached its basic form in or before the 24th century BC. Many of its elements originated in religious ideas, but the conflict between Horus and Set may have been partly inspired by a regional struggle in Egypts early history or prehistory. Scholars have tried to discern the exact nature of the events that gave rise to the story, but they have reached no definitive conclusions. Parts of the myth appear in a wide variety of Egyptian texts, from funerary texts and magical spells to short stories. The story is, therefore, more detailed and more cohesive than any other ancient Egyptian myth. Yet no Egyptian source gives a full account of the myth, and the sources vary widely in their versions of events. Greek and Roman writings, particularly De Iside et Osiride by Plutarch, provide more information but may not always accurately reflect Egyptian beliefs. Through these writings, the Osiris myth persisted after knowledge of most ancient Egyptian beliefs was lost, and it is still well known today.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 17:20:15 +0000
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