Osiris was one of the chief deities of ancient Egypt and considered the empire’s first ruler. Commonly referred to as the ‘King of Kings,’ he has been known throughout the ages by different names, including Usiris, Asar, Aser, Ausar, Ausir, Wesir and Ausare.

The name Osiris comes from Latin but its root originates from the Egyptian word “Usir,” meaning ‘powerful’ or ‘mighty.’ Renowned German Egyptologist, Dr. H. Brugsch believed that the oldest form of the name was “Us-iri.” His research led him to believe that this translated to “the power, the force of the eyeball.”

Osiris is credited with giving ancient Egypt the rules of civilisation and transforming it into one of the mightiest nations of the age.

Origins

Isis and her son, Horus, as a child.

Osiris was the eldest of the five children of Nut and Geb, the goddess of the sky and the god of the earth respectively. Legend says that when he was born, a voice proclaimed, “The master of all things comes today.”

Marriage between siblings was a common tradition among both ancient Egyptian royalty and the gods from whom they claimed to be descended. Osiris married his sister, Isis, the goddess of motherhood, magic, fertility, death, healing and rebirth. Their son, Horus would later succeed his father to the throne.

Osiris also had another sister, Nephthys. She represented death and was married to Seth, the god of chaos and the desert. Legend tells us that Nephthys took on the form of Isis to seduce her brother. The offspring of their union was Anubis, the canine-headed god of mummification who is also associated with various other aspects of the afterlife.

An image of Nut and Geb, the Goddess of the Sky and the God of the Earth respectively.

A depiction of the 19th century Egyptian pharaoh, Ramses between the falcon-headed god Horus and the jackal-headed god Anubis.

Iconography

Osiris is depicted with a long, narrow beard and either green or black skin. His skin colour symbolises divine power over life and rebirth, and the fertile ground of the Nile.

He holds a crook in one hand and a flail in the other. On his head is a white Atef crown decorated with a pair of ostrich feathers. His legs are wrapped in the way a mummy’s were.

Pharaohs in their public appearances imitated much of his appearance. Egyptians considered the beard a status symbol and a sign of intelligence. However, pharaohs did not grow beards but instead donned a ceremonial one made of goat hair. They also carried the crook and flail. The former was based upon a shepherd’s staff and alluded to a pharaoh’s aegis of protection over his people. The latter symbolised his power to punish them if the need arose.

Becoming Lord of the Underworld

Seth, the god of chaos

Legend says that Osiris was so popular and beloved by the people that his younger brother, Seth became jealous. When Osiris was travelling the world to share his wisdom, Seth devised a plan to kill him.

He had a beautiful box made in the size and shape of Osiris. When his brother returned, Seth invited him to a banquet. There, he displayed the chest and said that the person who could fit inside would win it. Seth then invited his brother to try the chest.

Once Osiris was inside, Seth and the other conspirators closed the lid and nailed it shut. The box was then covered with lead. Once Osiris had suffocated to death inside, Seth had the box thrown into the Nile.

The heartbroken Isis searched everywhere for her husband and eventually found the box on the coast of Syria. An Erica tree had grown around the box and covered it completely. Seth then tried to prevent Osiris’s safe passage into the afterlife by cutting the body into 14 pieces and dispersing them across the world.

Osiris and Isis

Together, Isis and Nephthys found all the pieces and sewed Osiris back together. They wrapped his body in linen, making him the first mummy. The mummification would allow the spirit of Osiris to emerge from death and to return to earth if he wished.

Osiris’s mother, Nut was the symbol of the stars, the night sky and the cows, but the ladder or Maqet was her most sacred symbol and was even placed in the coffins of pharaohs. Osiris climbed the ladder and became the king of the dead as well as the god of posthumous ceremonies and rituals.

VIDEO: The Story of Osiris

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The Judge of the Dead

Osiris was considered the god of resurrection and the god of the underworld. He would pass judgement on the soul of every Egyptian. The heart of the deceased would be weighed on a set of scales against the Feather of Truth.

If the heart was heavier, it meant that the person was unworthy and they would be consumed by a gruesome monster hiding in the shadows. This was considered the worst possible fate. If the heart was lighter, the person was admitted to the Fields of Aalu where the gods resided.

The Many Forms of Osiris

Osiris was one of many native gods of the dead worshipped in Egypt. It is said that he took on other forms as well, such as a grain-spirit, tree-spirit, water-spirit, animal-spirit, and star-spirit before he was resurrected as the god of the dead.

Here are some names and explanations of the other forms of Osiris:

Osiris-Seker

Usually depicted sitting or standing, he was a hawk-headed mummy holding a whip, sceptre and crook. His kingdom of Seker was the Tuat, or Other World, of Memphis. It was shrouded in darkness, and was formed by bare, sandy deserts full of terrifying monsters, some winged and some many-headed.

Osiris-Neper

He was one of the oldest grain-gods, manifesting wheat, barley, dhura, and similar crops. Osiris absorbed his qualities as the god of agriculture. This is shown in a relief at Philae that depicts Osiris with corn growing out of his mummified body. There was also a custom of making a figure of the god in grain on a mat which was placed in the tombs of pharaohs. The germinated grain symbolised the “sprouting” of the spirit of the deceased.

Osiris-Aah, the Moon-god

He is seen with a crescent moon and full moon on his head, which is in human form. In his hands, he holds the symbols of stability, life, serenity, power and dominion.

Osiris-Sah or Osiris-Orion

His female counterpart was Isis-Sept or Isis-Sothis.

Osiris-Horus

A form of the rising sun.

Osiris-Har-Machis-Temu

He represented the evening sun, the night sun and the morning sun. In later times, we have Osiris-Ra, a dual god who represented the day-sun and the night-sun.

Osiris-Neb-Heh, Lord of Eternity

He is depicted as a mummy with the head of the bennu-bird, or phoenix, associated with renewed existence.

Osiris-Keb

He is Osiris fused with the ancient Goose-god and the cosmic egg.

Osiris-Ba-Neb-Tet, the Ram

The Lord of Tetu, who appeared as the sacred Ram of Mendes.

Osiris-Tua, Osiris the Begetter

One of the most important forms of Osiris from about 600 B.C.E to the Roman Period was Asar-Hep or Sarapis. This is the fusion of the qualities of the ancient Greek Bull-god, Apis with those of Osiris.

Sarapis is depicted on stelae and in reliefs as a mummified man with the head of a bull. He holds several implements in his hands and between his horns is a disk flanked by two plumes.

Offerings to Osiris

The ancient Egyptians worshipped and honoured their ancestral spirits and gods with sacrifices, offerings, amulets and prayers.

The gods were worshipped in every town, with a “god-house”. If the god was considered a “great god”, then many “slaves of the god” would be attached to the house in its service.

Osiris Shrine in Hator Temple, Egypt

Every day, the priest would light incense, prostrate himself on the floor, recite a hymn of praise and present offerings to the god. These were meant to feed the god and keep him strong. It was believed that when the offering was accepted, the god would bestow his protection on his worshippers.

The Egyptians also believed that sacrifices and offerings could calm even the god’s worst anger. The only sin that could not be forgiven was an insult to the god.

Thus, the cult of Osiris made offerings a habit and even obligatory. Funerary chapels were attached to the tombs of great kings and offerings were made to their spirits daily. It was believed that the spirits of the dead would absorb the essence of the food and drink, while the physical parts could be eaten by the priests and devotees.

Osiris, Human Sacrifice and Funerals

From right to left – Isis, Osiris, and their son Horus, the protagonists of the Osiris myth.

Osiris tamed the cannibalistic tendencies of the Egyptians, but could not eradicate them fully. However, the practice of human sacrifice and ritual funeral murders did decrease through Osiris.

There is evidence that prisoners were often offered as sacrifices to the gods. It seems that the ancient Egyptians considered human sacrifices as a means to avenge the death of Osiris. In addition, everyone who took part in the ceremony was believed to receive benefit. This practice was also carried out at Abydos, which was considered a holy site because the head of Osiris was believed to have been buried there.

The Osiris Temple in Abydos

Abydos is an important Egyptian archaeological site as it is the burial place of the Egyptian kings of the 1^st dynasty (2925 – 2775 BCE). Later, Abydos became a site of pilgrimage to Osiris.

Panel from the Osiris temple in Abydos: Horus offered royal regalia to a worshipping pharaoh.

The temple dedicated to Osiris here was widely revered because it was believed to have been built near the spot where the god’s head had been buried. There was a yearly procession dedicated to Osiris showing his image on the way from the temple to his tomb.

Many pharaohs, including Pepi I, Ahmose I, Thutmose III, Ramses III and Ahmose II had the complex enlarged during their respective reigns. Osiris’s devotees often chose to be buried at Abydos but those who could not afford this had their names and a prayer inscribed upon stelae erected there instead.

The Ikhernofret Stela

Ikhernofret Stela

The Ikhernofret Stela, named after a treasurer of the 12^th dynasty pharaoh Senwosret III, is a funerary tablet located at Abydos. It is invaluable for the information it contains about the rites of Osiris. These rites were a re-enactment of the funeral rites of Osiris and were performed annually during the flooding of the Nile.

The Stela recounts the programme of events for the five days of the festival:

• The First Day: The Procession of Wepwawet – The God Wepwawet, “the Opener of Ways,” leads the religious procession. A mock battle with Seth and his followers on one side and the followers of Osiris on the other would be performed, and the latter would emerge victorious.
• The Second Day: The Great Procession of Osiris – The body of Osiris, represented by a statue of the god, was brought from his temple through the cemeteries and to his tomb on a vessel called the Neshmet bark. It had to be defended against enemies during its transport. Priestesses playing Isis and Nephthys would search for the body and then mourn and lament its discovery. During the night, the enemies of Osiris would be killed near his tomb and Seth would be tried before the gods.
• The Third Day: The Haker Festival, the Night of the Battle – This is the night of the battle between Horus and Seth as the mourning for Osiris continues. Within the temple, a snake and a donkey representing the evil gods, Apep and Seth may have been sacrificed.
• The Fourth Day: Night Vigil – Funeral rites are performed, accompanied by prayers and recitations.
• The Fifth Day, Osiris is Reborn – Osiris is reborn at dawn and the crown of Ma’at, the goddess of truth, balance, order, harmony, law, morality and justice is placed on his head. Osiris’s statue is purified and brought to the temple, and the public makes offerings to Osiris. Many would erect a stela close to the temple to make sure that they could attend this ceremony even after they passed away.

The part of the myth where Osiris’s body was chopped up into 14 pieces by Seth is not recounted in this particular stela. According to the Papyrus Jumilhac, it took 12 days for Isis to reassemble the body. This correlates with the duration of the ploughing festival. Some of the ceremonies were held in the temple and in the form of theatre with public involvement. Wheat and clay rituals were performed because Osiris was also seen as the substance of earth and water.

The End of the Osirian Cult

The worship of Osiris continued in a similar way on the island of Philae on the Upper Nile for several centuries and human sacrifices were performed there as late as the 6^th century.

In 550, the Roman emperor, Justinian I had the great Osirian temples and sanctuaries destroyed. The priests were thrown into prison and the sacred images were taken to Constantinople.

VIDEO: The Egyptian God Osiris and His Kingdom

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https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/Osiris001-TheEgyptianGodOsirisAndHisKingdom.mp4

Recommended Reading (Free Download)

• Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection (click to download PDF)

The texts above were sourced from legitimate book-hosting services offering these texts for free download. They are made available here for purely educational, non-commercial purposes.

Sources:

• https://egyptianmuseum.org/deities-osiris
• http://www.iapsop.com/ssoc/1911__budge___osiris_and_the_egyptian_resurrection.pdf
• https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/judgment-hall-truth-and-preparations-afterlife-006756
• http://www.egyptianmyths.net/osiris.htm
• https://www.ancient.eu/osiris/
• http://www.paganizingfaithofyeshua.freeservers.com/no_1_original_saviour_gods_orisis.htm
• http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/symbols/crook_and_flail.htm
• https://prezi.com/jr5mcfu7qukh/the-egyptian-goddess-nut/
• https://www.livescience.com/25738-abydos.html
• https://www.britannica.com/place/Abydos-ancient-city-Egypt

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