Origin Story
Osiris was a king, called Usir, until one day he was murdered by his brother Set. Osiris went to a party with set and all the gods. When they had all arrived, set announced that it was time for a game. It was who could fit into a chest, could keep it. One by one, every guest tried to fit into the chest, but none could. Then, it was Osiris’s turn. Without any struggle, Osiris climbed into the chest. Then, Set scrambled over to the chest and shut the lid. Osiris was trapped in a coffin. Set then ran out of his palace, and threw the coffin into the Nile. The coffin then sailed down the river to the castle of Byblos.
It then washed ashore, and when no one noticed it, a tree started to grow around it. Because of Osiris’s great will, the tree started to grow a shining gold. The king of Byblos then ordered his guards to cut the tree down and bring it to his palace. Then, Isis, Osiris’s Sister/Wife, set out with her younger sister Nephthys to retrieve the coffin. Nephthys was Set’s wife, so she knew where it was. They then transformed into falcons, and flew to the king of Byblos’s castle. Isis then transformed again to an old lady, and went into the castle. The king’s wife was so trusting of this old lady, that she let her look after her baby. Isis then bathed the baby in flames, to make him immortal, and when the queen came back, Isis revealed herself.
She ordered the queen to fetch the tree, and then she cut the tree open and found her husband. Unfortunately, Osiris was dead. Isis mourned for her loss, then went to go look for ways to revive him. While she searched, she hid the body in some bushes. Set then came across the body, and cut it into 14 pieces. People have disputed why Usir was cut into 14 pieces. The main theory is that 14 is the number of stars there are in the constellation Orion. Every January to December, Orion ‘rises in the sky. This is probably symbolized to Osiris’s rising to power.
Set then hid these pieces all over Egypt. Isis was devastated when she came back, and saw the missing body. She went to Nephthys, and sure enough, Set had told Nephthys all about it. Isis and Nephthys then went looking for the pieces, and found them. Isis had a funeral and then she Isis sew Osiris’s body back together, then wrapped the body in linen pieces to create a mummy. One bit of Osiris was missing: his phallus. When Osiris was floating down the Nile, he had already died, and so his phallus fell out of the coffin, and a fish had eaten it. Without his phallus, Osiris couldn’t be returned to the living world. He had to go be the god of the Duat, or the underworld in Egyptian. Osiris accepted, because if he didn’t he would be dead, and would have nothing else to do.
Before Osiris left for the Underworld, he impregnated Isis with the boy who would kill and then rule Egypt: Horus. Some may wonder how Osiris impregnated Isis if he didn’t have a phallus. In some tales, Isis is struck by lightning as soon as Osiris leaves for the Duat, and then this impregnated her.
Osiris is now the god of the afterlife, God of the underworld, judge of dead souls to see is they go to the afterlife or the underworld and God of fertility. Osiris is not to be confused with Anubis, who is the God of mummification, God of death, protector of the dead and their souls, and is a guide for the souls of the underworld. Anubis is in some accounts Osiris’s child, along with Horus. Though in others, he is Set’s child with Nephthys, and in some, he is Osiris’s brother.
Origins of the name ‘Osiris’
Osiris means God of life an ‘mighty eye’, while Usir means powerful and mighty. Osiris has green skin, which the Egyptians thought to be the color of fertility. wears the Pharaoh’s beard and crown and is pictured holding the flail and crook in hands. Osiris is also known as Usir, Wesir, Ausar, Lord of the Duat and King of the Afterlife.
This is Osiris’ name in hieroglyphics:
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