Through the Eras

ReligionSOURCESJames P. Allen, Genesis in Egypt: The Philosophy of AncientEgyptian Creation Accounts (New Haven, Conn.: YaleEgyptological Seminar, 1988).Rudolf Anthes, “Mythology in ancient Egypt,” in Mythologiesof the Ancient World. Ed. Samuel Noah Kramer(Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor Books, 1961): 15–92.Leonard Lesko, “Ancient Egyptian Cosmogonies and Cosmology,”in Religion in Ancient Egypt: Gods, Myths, andPersonal Practice. Ed. Byron Shafer (Ithaca, N.Y.: CornellUniversity Press, 1991): 88–122.John Wilson, “Egypt,” in The Intellectual Adventure of AncientMan. Ed. Henri Frankfort (Chicago: University ofChicago Press, 1946): 31–61.SEE ALSO Philosophy: Cosmogony: The Origin of theWorldMYTH OF OSIRISORIGIN. An important series of myths involved thegod Osiris. Osiris played an important role in Egyptianmythology as the god of the underworld and judge ofthe dead. As a chthonic (“earth”) deity, he also becameassociated with the fertility of the earth. Osiris first appearsin Egyptian texts at the end of the Fifth Dynasty(2500–2350 B.C.E.), when he is mentioned in both inscriptionsin private mastabas (tombs) and in the PyramidTexts found in Unas’ pyramid. His name was writtenwith the hieroglyph of an eye surmounting a throne, andthis combination has given rise to much speculation asto the origin and meaning of the name Osiris. At thispoint, there is no agreement about the significance ofthe name or its spelling. The simplest etymology wouldconnect his name to the Egyptian word weser, meaning“mighty,” making Osiris the “mighty one.”FERTILITY AND THE UNDERWORLD. Osiris was notoriginally viewed in a positive light. He may have beenthe god of the unsuccessful dead, that is, those who didnot ascend to the sky to become a star or gain a spot inRe’s barque (sailing vessel). Osiris seems to have originallybeen thought of in the form of a dog, based on a PyramidText passage which states that the king has the faceof a jackal, like Osiris. Osiris quickly lost this form, however,and his earliest depictions show him as a mummiformhuman with his hands protruding from the mummybandages and gripping the symbols of kingship, the crookand flail. He is frequently shown wearing the white crownof Upper Egypt, or the Atef-crown. His face and handsare often painted green, representing his association withfertility, or black, a color associated with the underworld.ASSOCIATION WITH DEAD KINGS. WhateverOsiris’ origin, the Pyramid Texts show that by the endof the Fifth Dynasty (2350 B.C.E.) the dead king wasidentified with Osiris. These texts frequently refer to thedead king as the Osiris N (representing the name of thedead king). As such, the king had gone from being theking of Egypt to being the king of the underworld. Inthese texts, the first allusions to the myth of Osiris arefound, which are not recorded in narrative form untilthe first century C.E., when the Greek writer Plutarchrecorded the myth. In this version, Osiris was a king ofEgypt who was murdered by his jealous brother Seth.How this takes place is uncertain. Some texts refer toOsiris as being “thrown down” in the town of Nedyetin the land of Gehesty, while others refer to Osiris beingdrowned in the water of Djat. There may also be referencesto the dismemberment of Osiris. In the Greekversion, Seth throws a banquet, and offers an exquisitelycarved chest to whoever can fit inside it. When Osirisclimbs into the chest, Seth slams it shut, seals it withmolten lead, and throws it into the Nile. From there, itmakes its way along the currents to the shores ofLebanon, where it becomes enfolded in the trunk of atree, which is used as a column of a temple by the kingof Lebanon.FIRST MUMMY. All versions of the myth includethe search and discovery of Osiris’ body. There are someindications in the Pyramid Texts that his father Gebfound Osiris’ body. Most commonly, however, his sisterwifeIsis and sister Nephthys discover the body of Osiris.They are able to restore the body to life just long enoughto allow Osiris to impregnate Isis with his son and heir,Horus. In later versions of the myth, the god Anubistransforms the corpse of Osiris into the first mummy,and he serves as the prototype of the treatment all deceasedEgyptians wished to receive. According to theGreek version of the story, Isis leaves the chest containingthe body of Osiris in Buto while she attends toher newborn child. Seth discovers the chest, becomesenraged, and dismembers the body of Osiris, scatteringthe pieces throughout Egypt. Isis finds each part andburies it. This provides an explanation for the numeroustombs of Osiris found up and down the Nile. Osiristhen assumes his permanent position as ruler of the underworld.CULT. The major cult center of Osiris was Abydos.Originally, this city was the cult-center of the jackal-godof the dead Khentiamentiu, “foremost of the Westerners”(i.e., the dead). During the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties,however, Khentiamentiu became assimilated withOsiris. Beginning in the Twelfth Dynasty (1938–1759Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.) 217