Osiris

Murder; Dismemberment; Last Judgement; Resurrection; Cults; Mummies -- the myth of Osiris, the ancient Egyptian ruler of the Underworld and judge of the dead was central to ancient Egyptian religion. Murdered by his brother Seth, who scattered his dismembered body all over Egypt, Osiris was saved by his loyal sister-wife Isis, who found all the pieces and miraculously conceived Horus, his son and avenger. Horus slew Seth and restored Osiris to kingship in the Underworld.This cycle of death and rebirth formed one of the basic precepts of ancient Egyptian religion. It gave rise to the cult of the dead and the custom of mummification. As ruler of the Underworld, Osiris inspired magnificent tombs, statues, paintings and literary compositions that granted magical protection and guidance in the world beyond. The myth of Osiris played a central part in the religious life of pharaohs and people of all classes in ancient Egypt. The power of his image as shepherd to immortality made him the most prominent and enduring of all the gods of ancient Egypt and perhaps of the entire ancient world. His cult grew in popularity through the ages and his saviour-figure resonated in all the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean.Yet the origins of this god and his arrival in history remain obscure. This book draws together the numerous records about Osiris from the third millenium BC to the Roman conquest of Egypt. It explores his pivotal role as the primeval ruler of Egypt and as lord of resurrection, describing the ways in which he was worshipped and exploring the innermost mysteries of his cult.The book outlines the development of the cult through three thousand years of Egyptian history. It collects records from all epochs of Egyptian history, including most recent Predynastic and Old Kingdom finds from Abydos. Tombs of the first Egyptian kings and the mysterious 'tomb of Osiris' are discussed here in the light of new discoveries. Middle Kingdom texts are analyzed in the context of the arcane nature of the cult. The Books of the Afterlife illustrate the growing complexity of religious thought in the New Kingdom and the emerging need to create a single, unified system of beliefs. The writings of classical authors show the Greek and Roman perspective, representing Osiris as a human king.