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OSIRIS

OSIRIS

ally

Death, rebirth, vegetation

SpiritÉgypte antiqueAfrique du NordÉgypteElder
Gender: MasculineSign: Couronne Atef / sceptre

Osiris is the god of the dead and of regeneration in ancient Egypt, the African civilisation of the Nile valley. Attested from the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom, he stands at the heart of Egypt's most famous myth: a civilising king, he is murdered and dismembered by his brother Seth, then reconstituted by his wife Isis, assisted by Nephthys, Thoth and Anubis, who invents mummification for him. Revived long enough to conceive Horus, he becomes the sovereign of the afterlife, while his son wins back the earthly throne. Every deceased pharaoh is assimilated to Osiris. Represented as a mummy with green or black flesh — the colours of vegetation and of the fertile silt — crowned with the atef crown and holding the heqa sceptre and the flail, he also embodies the fertility bound to the Nile flood and the cycle of crops. He presides over the tribunal of the dead where the deceased's heart is weighed against the feather of Maat. From the Middle Kingdom onward his cult opened to all the faithful: his great sanctuary at Abydos drew pilgrims for two millennia, before his figure inspired the Graeco-Egyptian god Serapis in the Ptolemaic period.

Powers & Attributes

deathrebirthvegetation

Role in the ROHO universe

A fragment of Onionkupón's Breath, bound to one of the five elements of the cosmic balance.

Sacred Mask

A mask carved of ancient energy — a symbol of the cosmic force proper to its pantheon.

Era

3,000–1,000 BCE — Cycle of Elemental Powers

Spiritual Lesson

To understand the nature of one's own balance and the wisdom hidden behind every trial.

Words of the Spirit

Between the worlds, the border is a breath.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Osiris?

Osiris is the god of the dead, of resurrection and of fertility in ancient Egypt. A mythic king murdered by his brother Seth and brought back to life by the magic of Isis, he reigns over the world of the dead, where he presides over the tribunal that judges souls. He is represented as a mummy with green or black flesh, crowned with the atef crown.

How did Osiris die according to the myth?

According to the Osirian myth, Seth, jealous of his brother, murders him, then dismembers his body and scatters the pieces across Egypt. Isis, helped by her sister Nephthys, gathers them, and Anubis embalms the body, creating the first mummy. Revived by Isis's magic long enough to conceive Horus, Osiris does not return among the living: he becomes the sovereign of the afterlife.

What role does Osiris play in the judgement of the dead?

Osiris presides over the tribunal of the afterlife described in chapter 125 of the Book of the Dead. Before him, the deceased's heart is weighed against the feather of Maat, symbol of justice, under the watch of Anubis, while Thoth records the verdict. The dead person found true of voice joins the kingdom of Osiris and shares, like the god, in the eternal cycle of regeneration.

Related spirits

Sources and references

  • Richard H. Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt (2003)
  • Jan Assmann, Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt (2005)
  • Erik Hornung, Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt: The One and the Many (1982)