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ISIS

Isis
Isis was the Goddess of Maternity and Magic. The wife and sister of Osiris and the mother of Horus, she was often topless and dressed in a red dress. Arguably the most popular member of the Egyptian pantheon, she was originally a local god in northern Egypt and was admired her magical powers and for her devotion to her husband and son. Isis and Nephthys and Neith and Selket — or Bast, and Hathor — were the four female benefactors of the dead, guarding coffins and Canopic jars. Isis was in charge of protecting the jar containing the liver. The four sons of Horus — Imsety, Hapy, Qebhsenuef and Duamutef — guarded the shrines of internal organs among other duties. During the Roman period she was even worshiped in London. Her cult of the divine mother lasted until it was superseded by that of the Virgin Mary. Also See Pyramid Texts, Funerals, Judgement.
Isis was loved by ancient Egyptians for her undying devotion to her husband Osiris and her son Horus. As the wife and chief mourner of Osiris, the god of the dead, Isis played a central role in Egyptian, and later Nubian, concepts of royal power and in rites celebrating the dead. As the mother of the god Horus, she was considered the embodiment of perfect motherhood. [Source: Archaeology magazine, November 2021]
Mark Millmore wrote in discoveringegypt.com: “Isis was associated with funeral rites and said to have made the first mummy from the dismembered parts of Osiris. As the enchantress who resurrected Osiris and gave birth to Horus, she was also the giver of life, a healer and protector of kings. Isis is represented with a throne on her head and sometimes shown breastfeeding the infant Horus. In this manifestation she was known as “Mother of God.” To the Egyptians she represented the ideal wife and mother; loving, devoted, and caring. Her most famous temple is at Philae though her cult spread throughout the Mediterranean world and, during the Roman period, extended as far as northern Europe. [Source: Mark Millmore, discoveringegypt.com discoveringegypt.com]
RELATED ARTICLES:
OSIRIS (GOD OF THE DEAD AND THE AFTERLIFE): MYTHS, CULTS, RITUALS africame.factsanddetails.com ;
SETH, THE GOD OF CHAOS: HISTORY, MYTHS, CULT CENTERS africame.factsanddetails.com ;
HORUS, THE FALCON-HEADED PATRON OF KINGS africame.factsanddetails.com ;
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN GODS AND GODDESSES: TYPES, ROLES, BEHAVIOR AND LETTERS africame.factsanddetails.com ;
FORMS AND EPITHETS OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN GODS AND GODDESSES africame.factsanddetails.com ;
LIST OF EGYPTIAN GODS AND GODDESSES africame.factsanddetails.com
Origins and Early History of Isis
The earliest mention of Isis occurs in the late 5th Dynasty (ca. 2465–2323 B.C.), in the Pyramid Texts — funerary writings in the form of sacred inscriptions carved in tomb walls of pyramids in Saqqara in Ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom. Among the most ancient sacred writings, these texts center on pharaonic funerary rituals and beliefs about the journey of kings through the afterlife.
Isis is the Greek form of the goddess’s name, which in ancient Egyptian was Aset, meaning “seat” or “throne.” Jamie Alvar wrote in National Geographic History: At first Isis was only worshipped in the Nile Delta where she originated, but she grew to become an important deity for the whole of ancient Egypt. Known for her magic, her beneficent power encompassed both daily life and the afterlife. As Egyptian notions of the afterlife became more democratic, she was considered the protector of all the dead across Egyptian society, not just the pharaohs and their families at the top. Egyptian women regarded her as the model mother and wife. Her reputation as one of the warmest and most humane of the gods would later win hearts outside Egypt. [Source: Jamie Alvar, National Geographic History, March 20, 2020]
As her divine roles diversified, her appearance would change. As Isis became closely linked to maternity, her headdress morphed and became like Hathor’s. Isis’s ability to absorb new traits would prove valuable to the longevity and spread of her worship throughout the ancient world.
Isis Myths
Minnesota State University, Mankato: Isis is sister of Nephthys with whom she acted as a divine mourner for the dead, and is divinely represented by the Ankh...She is also known as The Queen of Heaven (similar to Astarte), and rules over all matters concerning life, mothering, and sorcery. In the origin myth of Re and the world, it was written that she found out Re's name by enchanting a poisonous snake to bite him. The snake bit Re, and Isis could only heal him by knowing Re's true name. By knowing Re's name, she then had power equal to him and was then given all of her magical power and was thenceforth known as the divine sorceress. [Source: Minnesota State University, Mankato, ethanholman.com]
Jamie Alvar wrote in National Geographic History: In one of the most popular tellings of the Isis myth, she is one of the children of the gods Geb, god of the earth, and Nut, goddess of the sky. She marries one of her brothers, the god Osiris, and the pair rule the world. Osiris is murdered by his jealous younger brother Seth, who dismembers the body and scatters it. Grieving, Isis searches the world to collect the pieces and puts him back together. Osiris is revived, but rather than being the lord of the living, Osiris becomes lord of the dead. Isis gives birth to a son, Horus. Horus grows up to banish Seth, restoring order to the world. [Source: Jamie Alvar, National Geographic History, March 20, 2020]
Isis Resurrects Osiris from the Dead
In one telling of Isian myth with Osiris, and Horus, Seth kills Osiris and scatters his body in fourteen pieces around the world. Isis goes to find these pieces. After she find all of the pieces, she reassembles Osiris and he comes back to life for one night during which Isis conceives their son, Horus, who was committed to avenging his father's death by killing Seth. Isis from then on lived as the divine mourner on earth and in heaven.
The story goes: “When Isis found the empty coffin, Her cries reached unto the heavens; even unto the ears of Her beloved Nephthys. She came to Isis' side, and the two sisters searched the land for the scattered body of Osiris. For many sad years the Daughters of Nuit wandered through Egypt. Everywhere They found a fragment They built a shrine. At last, all the pieces were gathered; with the exception of the God's phallus. Isis reassembled Osiris' body, and fashioned a phallus of pure gold to replace the lost member. She wrapped the body in cloth and perfumed it with many scents. Thus was Osiris whole again, and mummification was created. [Source: Theology WebSite]
“Isis then transformed Herself into the form of a swallow, and with Her wings She fanned the Breath of Life into Her husband. The Lord of Eternity arose, restored to life at last. But it was only to last for the length of one night, so that He and Isis could conceive their Divine Son Horus. Because of the loss of His phallus, He could not return to the land of the living. Instead, Re-Atum made Him the King of the Dead in the relm of the Beautiful West. From that time onwards, every Egyptian knew that death was nothing to fear, for his spirit would live on in the Kingdom of Osiris. “Even Horus could not have been come into being had not His Half-Brother Anubis sacrificed a day of His own life so that Horus could be born. The Young God lived a perilous childhood, yet survived to grow strong and proud. Soon He came of age and set out to fullfill His destiny-to pull the Crown from His uncle, Seth, and thus avenge His Father's death and claim His place as rightful Heir to the Throne.”
Isis Receives the True and Hidden Name of Re
The myth of how Isis Receives the True and Hidden Name of Re goes: “Now Isis was a woman who possessed Words of Power; Her heart was wearied with the millions of men, therefore she chose the millions of the Gods, but She esteemed more hightly the millions of the Spirits. And she meditated in her heart, saying, "Cannot I, by means of the Sacred Name of Divinity, make Myself Mistress of the Earth and become a Goddess like unto Re in heaven and upon earth?" [Source: Internet Archive, from an AOL-Wiccan Site]
“Now, behold, each day Re entered at the head of His holy mariners and established Himself upon the Throne of the Two Horizons. Now the Divine One had grown old, He dribbled at the mouth, His spittle fell upon the earth, and His slobbering dropped upon the ground. And Isis kneaded it with earth in Her hand, and formed thereof a Sacred Serpent in the form of a dart; She did not set it upright before Her face, but let it lie upon the ground in the path whereby the Great God went forth, according to His heart's desire, into His double Kingdom.
“Now the Holy God arose, and the Gods who followed Him as though He were Pharoah went with Him; and He came forth according to His daily wont; and the Sacred Serpent bit Him. The flame of life departed from Him, and He who dwelt amoung the ceders was overcome. The Holy God opened His mouth, and the cry of His Majesty reached unto heaven; His company of Gods said, "What hath happened?" and His Gods exclaimed, "What is it?". But Re could not answer, for his jaws trembled and all his members quaked; the poison spread swiftly through His flesh just as the Nile rusheth through all His land.
“When the Great God had established His heart, He cried unto Those who were in His train, saying, "Come unto me, O Ye who have come into being from My body, Ye Gods who have come forth from Me, make Ye known unto Khephera that a dire calamity hath fallen upon Me. My heart percieveth it, but My eyes see it not; My hand hath not caused it, nor do I know who hath done this unto Me. Never hath I felt such pain, neither can sickness cause more woe than this. I am a prince, the son of a prince, the Sacred Essence which hath proceeded from Divinity. I am the Great One, the Son of the Great One, and my Father planned My Name; I have multitudes of Names and multitudes of Forms, and my Being is in every God. I have proclaimed by the heralds Temu and Horus, and My Father and my Mother uttered My Name; but it hath been hidden within Me by Him that begat Me, who would not that the Words of Power of any seer should have dominion over Me. I came forth to look upon that which I had made, I was passing through the World which I had created, when lo! something stung Me, but what I know not. Is it fire? Is is water? My heart is on fire, My flesh quaketh, and trembling hath siezed all My limbs. Let there be brought unto Me My Children, the Gods, who possess the Words of Power and Magickal Speech, and mouths which know how to utter them, and also powers which reach even unto the Heavens."
“Then the Children of every God came unto Him uttering cries of grief. And Isis also came, bringing with Her Her Words of Magickal Power, and Her mouth was full of the Breath of Life; for Her Talismans vanquish the pains of sickness, and Her Words make to live again the throats of those who are dead. And she spake, saying, "What hath come to pass, O' Holy Father? What hath happened? Is it that a serpent hath bitten Thee, and that a thing which thou hast created hath lifted up its head against Thee? Verily it shall be cast down by My effective Words of Power, and I will drive it away from before the sight of Thy sunbeams."
“The Holy God opened His mouth and said, "I was passing along my path, and I was going through the two regions of My lands according to My heart's desire, to see that which I had created, when lo! I was bitten by a serpent which I saw not. Is it fire? Is it water? I am colder than water, I am hotter then fire. All My flesh sweateth, I quake, My Eye hath no strength, I cannot see the sky, and the sweat rusheth to My Face even as in the time of summer."
“Then said Isis unto Re, "Oh tell Me Thy Name, Holy Father, for whosoever shall be delivered by Thy Name shall live." And Re said, "I have made the Heavens and the Earth, I have knit together the mountains, I have created all that is above them, I have made the water, I have made to come into being the Goddess Meht-urt, and I have made the 'Bull of His Mother', from whom spring the delights of love. I have made the heavens, I have stretched out the two horizons like a curtain, and I have placed the soul of the Gods within them. I am He who, if He openeth His eyes, doth make the Light, and, if He closeth them, Darkness cometh into being. At His command the Nile riseth, and the Gods know not His Name. I have made the hours, I have created the days, I bring forward the festivals of the year, I create the Nile-flood. I make the Fire of Life, and I provide food in the houses. I am Khephera in the morning, I am Re at noon, and I am Temu at even."
“Meanwhile, the poison was not taken away from His body, but it pierced deeper, and the Great God could no longer walk. Then said Isis unto Re, "What Thou hast said is not Thy Name. O tell it unto Me, and the poison shall depart; for He shall live whose Name shall be revealed." Now the poison burned like fire, and it was fiercer than the flame and the furnace, and the majesty of the Great God said, "I consent that Isis shall search into Me, and that My Name shall pass from me into Her." Then the God hid himself from the Gods, and His place in the Boat of Millions of Years was empty. And when the time had arrived for the heart of Re to come forth, Isis spake wnto Her son Horus, saying, "The God hath bound Himself by Oath to deliver up His Two Eyes."
“Thus was the Name of the Great God taken from Him, and Isis, the Lady of Words of Magickal Power, said, "Depart, poison, go forth from Re. O, Eye of Horus, go forth from the God, and shine outside His mouth. It is I who work, it is I who make to fall down upon the earth the vanquished poison, for the Name of the Great God hath been taken away from Him. Let Re live, and let the poison die! Let the poison die, and let Re live!" These are the words of Isis, the Mighty Lady, the mistress of the Gods, who knew Re by His own Name.”
Spread of Isis From Egypt to Greece
The Isis cult first began to spread around the Mediterranean following the establishment of Hellenist rule in Egypt in the fourth century B.C. Jamie Alvar wrote in National Geographic History: When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 B.C., the worship of Isis would flourish and expand beyond Egypt. Rather than censor Egyptians’ local religion, Alexander embraced it. While visiting the city of Memphis, Alexander made sacrifices to Apis, an Egyptian bull god also associated with Osiris, and connected the deity’s power to his own reign. [Source: Jamie Alvar, National Geographic History, March 20, 2020]
Following Alexander’s death in 323 B.C., one of his generals, Ptolemy I Soter, took control of Egypt and continued the practice of religious tolerance. This dynasty, the so-called Ptolemies, would continue to unite the new Macedon elite with the local Egyptian population through faith.Located in Upper Egypt near the border of modern Sudan, the island of Philae was sacred to Isis. Temples had been built to her there since the sixth century B.C. Construction on an impressive new temple for Isis began shortly before Alexander’s conquest and was finished by Ptolemy II Philadelphus and his successor, Ptolemy III Euergetes, in the third century B.C.
Under Ptolemaic rule, aspects of Osiris and Apis were combined with traits of Greek gods, including Zeus and Hades, to create a syncretic deity, Serapis. His association with the underworld, and therefore with Osiris, helped the framers of the new Ptolemaic cult settle on Isis as Serapis’s consort. Their center of worship was in Alexandria, a major commercial center under the Ptolemies. To Alexandrian merchants, Isis and Serapis became associated with prosperity in addition to the afterlife, healing, and fertility.
Kiki Karoglou of the Metropolitan Museum of Art wrote: “Similar to Demeter, Isis was considered a law giver and protector of the crops, while ritual purification and secret rites were performed in her honor. In the Greek world, the earliest temple dedicated to Isis was founded in Athens in the fourth century B.C. The cult spread rapidly during the third century B.C. and was linked closely to the political and military activities of the Ptolemies. By this time the consort of Isis was Sarapis or Serapis, a syncretic god created in Egypt, who represented the boundary between life and death and was identified with Hades and Asklepios. Harpokrates, their son, is often portrayed with his finger touching the lips in a gesture intended to ensure secrecy. Numerous miniature bronzes and terracotta statuettes of Harpokrates survive and they probably derive from a Hellenistic prototype made in Alexandria. [Source: Kiki Karoglou, Department of Greek and Roman Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 2013, metmuseum.org \^/]
Art and Images of Isis
Isis was typically depicted as a slim woman wearing a sheath dress, often with a throne on her head. In Some images show her with her son Horus, whom she appears suckling. An Egyptian panel depicts from the sixth century B.C. Isis spreading her protective wings around a pharaoh. [Source: Jamie Alvar, National Geographic History, March 20, 2020]
As Isis’s divine roles diversified, her appearance would change. Hathor, an early Egyptian goddess of motherhood, was often shown with a solar disk and cow horns. As Isis became closely linked to maternity, her headdress morphed and became like Hathor’s.
This first-century B.C. statue from Crete depicts Isis as Persephone, queen of the underworld in Greek myth. The crescent moon on her forehead and the sistrum, a rattle linked to Isis worship, blend traits of the two goddesses.
In a statue of Isis dated to A.D. 150, her nudity links her with Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and childbirth. She wears the”calathos” — a headdress often worn by Greco-Egyptian divinities, emblazoned with a solar disk and horns. In marble statue from the second century A.D. she carries a jug in one hand, and in the other are sheaves of grain, associated with Ceres, Roman goddess of the harvest. This figure is also associated with Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck.
Isis Cult
According to Archaeology magazine: Though Isis was the most powerful magician and healer among the gods, she did not have her own dedicated temples until late in ancient Egyptian history. Nectanebo II (r. 360–343 B.C.), the last native Egyptian pharaoh, was the first king to commission a temple dedicated to Isis, choosing to build her sanctuary at the site of Behbeit el-Hagar in the Nile Delta. The Macedonian pharaohs of the Ptolemaic Dynasty (305–30 B.C.) dedicated many more to Isis throughout Egypt, including those on the island of Philae. [Source: Archaeology magazine, November 2021]
The worship of Isis at temples in the seaside Ptolemaic capital of Alexandria drew the attention of seafarers from across the Mediterranean. They adopted her as a patron goddess and spread her cult throughout the Greco-Roman world, where she was assimilated with goddesses of fertility such as Demeter and Venus. Outside of Egypt and Nubia, where she retained her queenly status, she eventually lost her association with royal authority. From Britain to Afghanistan, the cult of Isis may have especially appealed to women and slaves.
Temples to Isis were also built across the classical world. One of the best preserved is the Temple of Isis at Pompeii (see “Digging Deeper into Pompeii’s Past”), whose vivid murals depicting the goddess were widely celebrated when they were first unearthed in the eighteenth century. Some scholars believe the temple so impressed Mozart, who visited in 1769, that it heavily influenced the composition of his most mystical opera, The Magic Flute.
As Christianity began to displace the worship of traditional gods throughout the Roman Empire, the cult of Isis also withered, enduring at Philae thanks to the patronage of Nubian royalty. As late as A.D. 452, the Nubian Blemmye people demanded in a treaty with Rome that they continue to be allowed to worship the goddess at the temples of Philae and retain the right to take a sacred statue of Isis to Nubia once a year.
Traditionally, the death knell of the worship of Isis — and ancient Egyptian religion at large — is dated to A.D. 536, when the Byzantine emperor Justinian I (r. A.D. 527–565) sent a military contingent to Philae to arrest the priests of Isis, stamp out pagan worship, and take the island’s treasures back to Constantinople. But the goddess’ presence endured long after the temples at Philae were closed. Indeed, many scholars believe that early images of the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus were heavily influenced by depictions of Isis nursing the baby Horus.
See Separate Article: ISIS CULT: TEMPLES, WORSHIP AND THE SPREAD TO EUROPE africame.factsanddetails.com
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, escholarship.org ; Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Egypt sourcebooks.fordham.edu ; Tour Egypt, Minnesota State University, Mankato, ethanholman.com; Mark Millmore, discoveringegypt.com discoveringegypt.com; Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Discover magazine, Times of London, Natural History magazine, Archaeology magazine, The New Yorker, BBC, Encyclopædia Britannica, Time, Newsweek, Wikipedia, Reuters, Associated Press, The Guardian, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, “World Religions” edited by Geoffrey Parrinder (Facts on File Publications, New York); “History of Warfare” by John Keegan (Vintage Books); “History of Art” by H.W. Janson Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.), Compton’s Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.
Last updated July 2024