The Myth of Osiris and Isis

"Isis, Osiris and Horus." Gods of Ancient Egypt:. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.

According to the Helipolitan tradition, Osiris was granted the throne of Egypt rather than his elder brother Set. Set was none to pleased about this, but became enraged when Osiris left Egypt to travel the world and left Isis in charge of the Kingdom instead of him. Set decided to get rid of his brother and take the throne for himself. Although the myth of the origins of Anubis is a later development it was also cited as one of the reasons why Set was jealous of his brother Osiris and conspired to kill him. Set tricked Osiris into climbing into a wooden chest cut to fit him and then sealed the box and threw it into the Nile. Isis searched everywhere for her husband's body and found it lodged in a tamarisk bush which had grown into a huge tree on contact with the body of the god. She broke open the chest and carried his body back to Egypt.

She placed the body in the temple and transformed herself into a kite (a small bird) and flew over the body singing a song of mourning. She then used her prodigious magical talent to conceive Heru-sa-aset (Horus, son of Isis), whose destiny was to avenge his father and defeat Set. Isis then implored Thoth for his help in resurrecting Osiris. The two deities composed the "Ritual of Life", the spell which granted eternal life after death.

This is the first time in history we start to get a sense of faith and the belief's of humans. The Egyptians believed so strongly in the afterlife that the Myth of Osiris and Isis was an attempt to gain the support of all Egyptian's faith

2. Novel

Houston, Jean . A Gateway to Transcendent Love. Time Classics, 2005

Well-known psychologist and author Houston begins this highly adventurous book with a poetic retelling of the Egyptian myth of nature goddess Isis and her brother and husband, Osiris, the legendary ruler and god of the underworld. She then chronicles the cult of worship of Isis and Osiris, a chief religion of the Roman Empire until around A.D. 400. Mining archetypal spirituality in the manner of Joseph Campbell, Houston sifts ancient Egyptian myths for their contemporary relevance as keys to personal transformation. Finding love amid sorrow, accepting loss and death, reconciling body and soul are among the lessons she gleans from the Isis/Osiris legend, to be achieved by ``entering an Egyptian state of mind, allowing for the simultaneous existence and experience of all things in motion.''

We can still see and feel the impact the Myth of Osiris and Isis had on society today. We have all dealt with loss, death , sorrow and love. In many religions we feel as though we can still connect with someone's soul via prayer and beliefs much like Isis. Much like Isis we see still will see out loved ones in the afterlife.

3. Song

Xandria. "Kill the Sun." Isis Osiris. Calyx Records, 2003. CD.

"i am birth - i am death
i'm an elusive symbol
for eternal come and go
for come and go

i have come - i have gone
i have shown you moira
and her restless re-creation
your own re-creation"

"never, no never the day will go down on me
within knowing him by my side
sothis, o sothis, don't pass me again
before i know how to heal
who is shattered by the forces of the night"

Xandria writes and sings about birth and death. Life comes and goes. I have come and gone, but I'm a restless re-creation. Never will the day go down. Osiris was the god of the underworld/afterlife. His soul will always live on. Never forgotten by Isis because she has faith that she will see her husband again in the afterlife. She ensured his life would carry on by giving him a son.

4. Film

Ghost. Dir. Jerry Zucker. Paramount Pictures 1990.

Much like Osiris and Isis, Sam and Molly are a very happy married couple until Sam is murdered much like Osiris. Sam's realizes his death was no accident so with the help of Oda Mae Brown, she is able to make contact with Sam in the afterlife. Still very much with the loss, sorrow and death of Sam, Molly like Isis must have faith when she is contacted by Sam from the afterlife. She is only able to feel his spirit and soul because she believes that an afterlife exist. This is very much like the relationship that Osiris and Isis had and because of their strong faith, and power are they able to reconnect. This movie reminds us that we can still reconnect with our loved ones via the power of belief and that our souls continue to live on.

5. Work of Visual Art

Osiris und Isis (Osiris and Isis) Anselm Kiefer German (Donaueschingen, Germany, 1945)

Source: http://www.sfmoma.org/explore/collection/artwork/171#ixzz3oNYp3sy9
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Though metaphysics and spirituality have always interested Kiefer, it was the processes of memory that most influenced his first three decades of art making. In Osiris und Isis, an ancient Egyptian myth becomes a potent allegory for Germany's struggle with the legacy of World War II.
Osiris, the god of the underworld, was murdered by his jealous brother, Set, who dispersed his body parts across the land. Osiris's grieving widow, Isis, searched for his remains, literally "re-membering" and resurrecting him. The parable's theme of destruction and renewal speaks directly to Kiefer's interest in reassembling and reclaiming elements of Germany's history and identity at a time when so many of his compatriots seemed intent on forgetting.
Kiefer illustrates humanity's quest for heaven through an immense, stepped temple that dominates the scene. A television circuit board connects copper wires and shards of a porcelain plumbing fixture, which, scattered across the vast canvas, allude to Osiris's strewn body parts. By conflating contemporary elements with a mythological story, Kiefer connects the modern and ancient worlds, forging a new, universal image of reunification and synthesis (with scars still intact).

Kiefer wanted his audience to remember Germany's history that was lost or forgotten much like Isis want the Egyptians to remember her husband. Kiefer also illustrates the quest for heaven much like Isis was on a quest to display the power of belief and the afterlife. Isis much like Kiefer was not content with forgetting her husband and she used her faith and determination to reassemble her husband figuratively. The Egyptians belief in the afterlife allowed her to seek revenge against her husbands killer.

6. Psychosocial Connections

"Dying and Resurrected Gods: Archetypal Manifestation of Psychological Need." Dying and Resurrected Gods: Archetypal Manifestation of Psychological Need. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.

Ralph Monday's article shows a connection between Osiris and our belief in God, for example dying/reborn god was transformed into a psychological interpretation of the need for an eternal spiritual life. Osiris was the god who had been metaphorically crucified, died, journeyed to the underworld, and then triumphantly rose again much like Jesus Christ. The development of the Jesus Christ myth, is the need for many Christian to have a understanding of a greater power. In order for many people to accept the reality of death we must believe in an afterlife such as heaven and hell. When one person dies, the soul remains in order to continue an existence. This myth has been around many years and will like to continue.

Harry Potter
Jesus Christ (Real World Hero)
Ghost ( Movie)
Wonder Women
Moses