The Osiris Myth: The Story of Osiris and Isis

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      After Ra retired to the heavens (Egyptian Mythology: Story of Sekhmet/Ra's Eye), Osiris became the king of Egypt and married his sister Isis. In ancient Egypt, red was the color for evil and chaos instead of black. Black was actually a very good color because it represented the blackness of Nun. It also represented the dark, fertile soil of the Nile river after its annual flood. Red reminded everyone of the infertile red desert ruled by Set, and so was a symbol of Isfet (chaos).

     Set hated Osiris for how much he was loved by his family and his people. Osiris once kicked him in their youth and from then on, his hate was fueled by his very existence. Set was also jealous of the love shared between Osiris and Isis. Set would rather have married the beautiful Isis and rarely paid any attention to his wife Nephthys, whom he unwillingly married.

     Nephthys desperately wanted a child, so she first seduced Ra, and then seduced Osiris, which was easy, since she looked almost identical to Isis. She later gave birth to Anubis, the jackal god of funerals and mummification. He had the head of a jackal, like the jackals that are found near the burial grounds. Nephthys's affair with Osiris gave Set another reason for hating Osiris. Set didn't care about Anubis, who had a big liking to Osiris. So, when Anubis left to rule the Duat (Egyptian underworld), Set was actually happy. Who needed such a stupid son who liked Osiris more than his own father?

     The kingdom of Egypt at the time was called Kemet, which means "The Black Land", referencing the rich black spoils around the Nile. At the time, humans hadn't discovered agriculture and so turned to cannibalism. This made them very war-like and bloodthirsty. This caused much distress for Isis, who then solved the problem after she discovered barley, and wild wheat, which grew throughout the land. She then helped Osiris abolish cannibalism and they taught the people agriculture and farming. Osiris taught the people poetry, music and dance. Osiris then taught the people how to turn the barley into beer and the wheat into bread. This gave them a better food supply, and Egypt thrived under Osiris's rule. Osiris then left Egypt for a while and, alongside satyrs and the Nine Muses, he moved towards the Orient (the eastern hemisphere), to spread his knowledge to more of the world. While he was travelling, Isis ruled Egypt as the queen. She was very intelligent and watchful and so Set made no attempt to take the throne during her rule. Isis was known far and wide for her beauty and her sweet fragrance. This angered Tefnut, the goddess of moisture, who felt like she wasn't being respected as much as she should be. She told her father Ra about it.

     "Father, how can it be that Isis is known for sweetness because of her fragrance, when sweetness is a taste not a smell?"

     "Tefnut..."

     "No father, call me Tefnut the beautiful, or Tefnut the sweet one."

     "Tefnut, you know that Isis is already the one known for beauty and sweetness, why don't you go and spread some rain?"

     "How dare you!"

     Tefnut went to her husband Shu, and the two of them got into an argument, that ended with Tefnut leaving Egypt and going to Nubia as a lion. Nubia was just south of Egypt. Rains stopped falling in Egypt while Nubia flooded. Tefnut devoured any human or god who came to her. So, Shu sent Thoth to calm her and bring her back. So, Thoth turned into a baboon ad convinced her to come back. Since then, Tefnut was properly worshipped for her life bringing rain.

     Meanwhile, while Osiris was on his travels, Set gathered 72 people and the evil queen of Ethiopia who were willing to help him in taking down Osiris. When Osiris slept, Set secretly took his body measurements. Then he and his followers built a box of ebony and cedar based on his measurements and, when Osiris returned for his birthday, Set presented a contest. Whoever fit perfectly in his box would earn as much gold as the box could carry. All of the other gods were either too big, too small, too fat, or too skinny. Osiris was the one who fit perfectly. The moment he sat in the box, Set shut the box and poured liquid lead and ivory over the box, which then hardened, completely sealing the box. Set then threw the box far into the Nile river.

     There are two different versions of the murder. In one  version, Set turns into either a crocodile or a bull to kill Osiris, and then denies his death. Another version is similar to the more famous one, in which Osiris is shut in a box and thrown into the Nile, their souls were considered sacred.

     There are two different versions of the murder. In one version, Set turns into either a crocodile or a bull to kill Osiris, and then denies his death. Another version is similar to the more famous one, in which Osiris is shut in a box and thrown into the Nile, only he dies from drowning instead of suffocation. This is one reason why when people drowned in the Nile, their souls were considered sacred.

     Isis screamed and ran after it down the Nile river. The box was carried far away from her reach down the fast currents. She didn't care. She kept running until her feet bled and she was insanely dizzy. She eventually fell down on the bank of the river and stayed there until her dizziness calmed down. Meanwhile, Osiris' box went upriver, out to the ocean, and eventually stopped near Byblos, a city in Phoenicia. By this time, Osiris had died from suffocation. Tons of reeds grew around the box and soon grew into a fresh cedar tree, completely concealing Osiris' box inside its trunk. The king of Byblos and his queen Ishtar saw the tree and decided to take it back to their palace, where it would serve as a pillar.

     Isis' dizziness eventually dissipated and coming to the conclusion that her brother-husband was dead, Isis cried and lamented. Her tears flowed into the Nile river until it flooded. This led to the annual flooding on the banks of the river Nile. Soon, Isis continued her journey down the river until she came upon Anubis, who was also grieving Osiris' death. Isis comforted him and taught him magic. Anubis then left to rule the Duat, or the underworld. Anubis married Anput, the jackal-headed goddess of funerals and the seventh Nome of Egypt, and also the protector of Osiris' body. They had a daughter named Kebechet, the serpent goddess of liquid and fertility.

     Meanwhile, Isis continued her journey down the Nile, asking everyone of they had seen a box, but no one had seen it. She soon came upon some children who told her that they had seen it and where it had been carried off to. Out of gratitude, Isis blessed the children that they should always speak the truth and always speak words of wisdom. Soon, she reached Byblos, in Phoenicia. Isis saw some handmaidens bathing in the river. She took the form of an old woman and taught them how to make their hair into plaits. The handmaidens then returned to the palace and they were accompanied with a special fragrance. The queen Ishtar noticed this and asked them what happened and they told her the whole story. So, she went to Isis who was busy crying over her dead husband. Ishtar took pity on her and tasked her with taking care of the baby prince, and for a while, she was happy. She was always happy when she took care of the prince.

     But one day, she realized that the baby prince would also die and leave her like Osiris did. So, she concocted a plan to do a magic fire ritual that would burn away the baby's mortal bits and make him immortal. She snuck into the courtyard with the baby and created a magic fore and placed the baby in the fire, ignoring his cries. She then turned into a kite (a kind of bird), and flew above the fire, protecting it. Ishtar burst with her guards and snatched the baby from the fire before the spell could be completed.

     Isis angrily revealed herself in all her glory. She demanded to have possession of the box inside the palace pillar. The soldiers broke open the pillar and the box came out, much to their shock. Hearing the box fall with a hollow, lifeless sound, She lamented to the sky, which was so loud that it killed the baby prince. Ishtar and her husband fell at Isis' feet and begged for forgiveness. She forgave them and allowed them to keep the tree, which was revered from that day forth, since it had contained the body of a god.

     Isis took Osiris' box and returned to Egypt, where she hid it amongst some reds. Meanwhile, lush Egypt had turned into a dry desert under Set's rule. The goddess Neith tried to make him nicer by giving the goddesses Astarte and Anat to him as wives, but it didn't work. Meanwhile, Isis kept the chest safe with her and she hid from Set. Set learned that Isis had Osiris' body and wasn't willing to let her bring Osiris back with her great powers. Set forced Nephthys to tell him where the body was and in the dead of night, Set found the box, opened it, and chopped Osiris' body into 42 pieces, which he spread throughout the 42 Nomes of Egypt.

     The next day, Isis and Nephthys both flew all over Egypt, finding Osiris' body parts, while mourning simultaneously. They gathered all the pieces, but weren't able to find his privates (gross). A fish told them that it was eaten by a crocodile (even more gross!). The crocodile just so happened to be Sobek, the crocodile god of the Nile. He didn't know that the privates belonged to Osiris. As a punishment, the gods cut his tongue, which is why crocodiles have small tongues. But since a crocodile ate it, Egyptians found it sinful to eat fish or crocodile meat. In a different version of the story, Osiris's privates were eaten by a fish instead of crocodile.

This story continues in Egyptian Mythology: Osiris Myth: Horus and Set

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