Osiris

The God

Osiris, also called Usir, was one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt. The origin of Osiris is obscure; he was a local god of Busiris in Lower Egypt, and may have been a personification of chthonic (underworld) fertility. By about 2400 BCE, however, Osiris clearly played a double role: he was both a god of fertility and the embodiment of the dead and resurrected king.

This dual role was combined with the Egyptian concept of divine kingship: the king at death became Osiris, god of the underworld; and the dead king’s son, the living king, was identified with Horus, a god of the sky. Isis was the mother of the king, and thus the mother of Horus and consort of Osiris. The god Seth was considered the murderer of Osiris and adversary of Horus.

Myth: Slain and Reassembled

According to the form of the myth reported by Plutarch, Osiris was slain or drowned by Seth, who tore the corpse into 14 pieces and flung them over Egypt. Eventually Isis and her sister Nephthys found and buried all the pieces, except the phallus, thereby giving new life to Osiris, who thenceforth remained in the underworld as ruler and judge. His son Horus successfully fought against Seth, avenging Osiris and becoming the new king of Egypt.

Osiris was not only ruler of the dead but also the power that granted all life from the underworld — from sprouting vegetation to the annual flood of the Nile River.

Cult & Image: Festivals of Renewal

In the Middle Kingdom (1938–c. 1630 BCE) the god’s festivals consisted of processions and nocturnal rites celebrated at the temple of Abydos, where Osiris had assimilated the very ancient god of the dead, Khenty-Imentiu, “Foremost of the Westerners.” Public participation was permitted, and it became fashionable to be buried along the processional road at Abydos or to erect a cenotaph there.

A central feature of the late-period festivals was the construction of the “Osiris garden” — a mold in the shape of Osiris, filled with soil, moistened with the water of the Nile and sown with grain; the sprouting grain symbolized the vital strength of Osiris. From about 2000 BCE it was believed that every man, not just deceased kings, became associated with Osiris at death, signifying the renewal of life both in the next world and through one’s descendants on Earth.