Osiris

Osiris, Isis and Horus

Osiris was an Egyptian God who was worshipped since the beginning of the Old Kingdom in 3000 BC. By the Middle Kingdom, he became the god of the afterlife. Osiris judged all Egyptians when they died. This made him important not only to the elite in Egypt, but also to the commoner.

The myth of Osiris developed over time and was recorded in fragments during ancient Egypt. However, the most complete version of the Osiris myth comes from the Greek historian, Plutarch. Plutarch was born in 45 AD, centuries after the Osiris myth was developed. Plutarch's Greek perspective may have kept him from understanding this Egyptian story. For these 2 reasons, scholars believe the story that Plutarch's version is flawed. However, it is the best version still in existence.(Gaspirini, 2011)

The story of Osiris begins with four siblings mentioned in the Heliopolitan creation myth: Isis, Osiris, Nepthys, and Seth. Isis and Osiris married and ruled over Egypt, during which time the land prospered and enjoyed peace. The myth of Osiris is significant because it was linked with the concepts of kingship and the afterlife.

Osiris is also known as the god of agriculture as his rebirth is a sign of a new life. His death and resurrection are like that of a seed, pushed into the dark earth, motionless and breaking through with new life. Osiris is one of the most important of the gods because he symbolizes the triumph of life over death, which many later then tried to achieve.

       Osiris was closely associated with the prayers of the grieving. One of his roles as a god was to judge the dead in the afterlife. He was seen in many images in the Book of the Dead. Osiris would separate the dead into two categories, the prospering and the exterminated. After a while the process became more automatic but Osiris still consulted it from time to time depending on the individual. Osiris was also closely associated with the growth and decay of...