Osiris he was a very traditional deity in Egyptian religiosity and mythology in Aantiquity. His cult became more important over time, and the attributes of this god also changed, as He, initially considered the god of fertility, came to be considered the god of the dead and the lord of the world of dead. Osiris was the protagonist of one of the most popular episodes in Egyptian mythology: the myth of his murder by his brother Set.
Read too:Anubis — the Egyptian god responsible for guiding the dead in the afterlife
Summary about Osiris
Osiris was one of the most traditional deities in the religion and mythology of the Egyptians in Antiquity.
His cult most likely emerged during the Pre-Dynastic period.
The importance of his cult extended until the Ptolemaic dynasty.
In mythology, he was married to Isis, with whom he had a son named Horus.
Egyptian myths tell that Osiris was murdered by his brother Set and resurrected by his wife, Isis.
Who is the god Osiris?
Osiris is a deity that he did part from the
religiosity It is from the mythology of the Egyptians in Aantiquity. Over time, his cult gained relevance, and the attributes related to this god began to change. Initially, he was considered a fertility god, but over time he was linkedà death and à life after death.In this last attribute, Osiris was considered the lord of the world of the dead, the one who reigned in that domain, and was also the one who carried out the judgment of all who died. This judgment determined each person's fate in the afterlife and was based on the person's actions in life.
It was very common in Egyptian representations for Osiris to be presented as a mummified god (there is an Egyptian myth that narrates his mummification). This representation reinforces the ties of this god with the Egyptian belief in life after death and the importance of mummification and funeral rites for these people.
In Egyptian mythology, Osiris was presented as the first Egyptian pharaoh, having ruled the Earth with his wife, Isis. This would have been a period of peace, prosperity and justice, with Osiris being a good ruler and responsible, along with of his wife, for teaching valuable lessons to humanity, such as knowledge of medicine and agriculture.
The fact that he was a pharaoh made Osiris a god closely related to the Egyptian nobility, mainly because he wore a atef, a type of pharaonic crown. Osiris too was represented with the black or green color of your skin, associated with mud from the Nile River, also reinforcing its connection with fertility. The name of Osiris in the language of the Egyptians was Usir, translated as “powerful”.
When did Osiris appear?
Historically, It is believed that the cult of Osiris in Egypt was established during the Pre-Dynastic period, lasting 6000 BC. W. to 3150 a. W. His cult became more influential from the Dynastic period, between 3150 BC. W. and 2613 a. W. and remained very present until the period in which the Greeks controlled Egypt, in the Ptolemaic dynasty, between 323 BC. W. and 30 a. W.
There is a theory that claims that Osiris was a very important pharaoh from the Pre-Dynastic period and was deified after his death, although this is not the only idea about the origin of the cult of this god.
In mythology, Osiris was a divinity daughter of Geb, goddess of the Earth, and Nut, goddess of the sky. From the love between these two gods, Osiris and his brothers, Isis, Set, Nephthys and Horus (a variation of Osiris) were born. In Egyptian myths, Osiris was married to Isis and had a son with her named Horus.
Osiris and Egyptian mythology
Osiris was an important deity in Egyptian religiosity and, as such, had a central role in the myths narrated by these people. A myth that surrounds him is one of the best known in all of Egyptian mythology.
The Egyptians considered Osiris a good and just ruler who brought important teachings to humanity. Therefore, the myths say that Osiris was a ruler respected and loved by people, and this caused great jealousy in his brother Set. Like this, Set decided to devise a plan to imprison his brother, kill him and dispose of his body.. The plan worked, and Set managed to imprison Osiris in a sarcophagus, throwing him into the Nile River.
Osiris' body traveled to Phenicia, where he was rescued by his wife, Isis, who made a great journey to find him. Thus, he was taken back to Egypt so that Isis could perform a ritual to bring him back to life. Before the ritual took place, Set found his brother's body and dismembered it, scattering the parts throughout Egypt.
Isis began a new journey; this time, to find all the parts of Osiris's body. She managed to find them, except one, and so performed the ritual to resurrect her husband. After that, they had a son, the god Horus, but Osiris could not stay in the world of the living because he was missing part of his body. So he went to reign in the world of the dead.
See too: Hades — the Greek god of the underworld
Osiris in Egyptian religiosity
A consolidated practice in Egyptian religiosity, Worship of Osiris was carried out throughout Egypt through ceremonies, rituals, offerings, festivals It issacrifices. Many festivals were held to celebrate his rebirth after he was killed by Set.
The cult of Osiris was centered in Abydos, with an important temple to this god there. The most important sanctuary of this temple was open only to priests, but the population could visit the temple to worship and leave offerings to the god of the dead. The cult of Osiris also established parallels between the god and the Nile River, demonstrating that the Nile's floods symbolized his rebirth.
