The Goddess Isis - Case Study Example

THE GODDESS ISIS River Nile plays a crucial part in Egyptian mythology. It is the life-line of Egypt; as it flows through the country it creates a narrow strip of fertile land in the middle of a vast desert. The stark contrast between the fertile land and the desert wasteland became the founding theme of Egyptian mythology. The creatures that lived in the Nile or along its banks came to be connected with many gods and goddesses. Isis was a goddess who was most popular in ancient Egyptian mythology, who has the unique distinction of being the object of revered worship over a period longer than any other goddess. She was widely worshipped by people in Egypt as well as other countries of the Mediterranean Region during ancient times. I) The Legend of Isis The Legend of Isis is one of the oldest myths in Egyptian history. It was the foundation of the old Egyptian state religion. The first written records about her appeared in the hieroglyphics in the Pyramid Texts during the period 2350 – 2100 BC (Goddess.ws). Birth of Isis In the beginning there existed the Sun god named Ra and his wife called Nut. Nut fell in love with another God named Geb. When Ra discovered his wife’s infidelity, he became very angry and punished Nut by cursing her that she could not give birth on any child during any of the then 360 days that comprised a calendar year. In her sadness and desperation to have children, Nut turned to Thoth, the god of knowledge, for help. Thoth, who knew that there was no way to evade Ra’s curse, formulated a plan. The plan involved the Moon goddess Silene primarily because at that time the intensity of her moonlight was equal to the sunlight of Ra. Thoth challenged Silene to a wager whereby she would surrender one seventh of her moonlight if she lost. Thoth won the wager and won one seventh of Silene’s light {this is the reason why the moon wanes every month}. Thoth used his part of moonlight to add 5 days to the calendar year, thereby increasing the number of days in a year from 360 to 365. The success of Thoth’s plan provided Nut with a span of 5 days during which she could give birth to five children fathered by Geb while at the same time not evading Ra’s curse on her. Nut gave birth to Osiris on the first day. Horus was born on the second day followed by Seth, Isis and Nephthys on the third, fourth and fifth days respectively (Crystalinks.com). Isis and Osiris Osiris grew up and became Pharaoh of Egypt. He married his sister Isis. Osiris was a good and conscientious ruler who devoted all his time and energy towards civilizing his people (Crystalinks.com). He was greatly helped in this task by his wife. Isis was responsible for teaching people the secrets of law, weaving, animal husbandry and agriculture (Kiriakov) {it is recorded that under Isis’ influence, the fruit-bearing trees in the land rejoiced in their fertility (Witt, 20)}. She also taught priestesses the methods to heal people and prepare medicines for women-related problems such as contraception and fertility (Kiriakov). On his part, Osiris established a set of laws to properly govern the lives of the people. He also taught them the correct way to worship the gods. Egypt grew into a powerful and prosperous land under Osiris’ rule (Crystalinks.com). The people’s perfect happiness was assured by their just and good king (Witt, 18). Having achieved his goal of civilizing his people, Osiris decided to travel to other lands and do likewise. He left Egypt in the care of his wife and embarked on his travels. Isis ruled the country ably and effectively in her husband’s absence. Her ruling methods were no different from Osiris, so the people were as happy under her rule as they had been under the rule of her husband (Crystalinks.com). Death of Osiris The happy state of affairs involving Osiris and Isis was ended by their evil brother Seth. Seth had always coveted the throne and longed to be Pharaoh. He schemed with Aso the queen of Ethiopia and 72 other people to do away with Osiris. The conspirators constructed a beautifully decorated casket that was secretly made to exactly accommodate Osiris’ body measurements. When the Pharaoh returned from his travels, Seth threw a lavish party to which Osiris and the 72 secret plotters were invited. After the festivities, Seth produced the decorated casket with a flourish, promising to gift it to any guest who fitted into it exactly. Many of the 72 plotters tried their luck but predictably failed to fit exactly into the casket. When Osiris’ turn came, he got into the casket and lay down without any suspicion. The waiting plotters immediately closed the box, nailed down its lid and poured steaming melted lead through the edges to kill the occupant. The murderers then cast the casket into River Nile (Crystalinks.com). Isis resurrects Osiris When Isis came to know about her husband’s murder, she did not display any fear of Seth. Distraught with grief, she frantically searched the River Nile for the casket that contained Osiris’ body. She at last found it in Phoenicia wedged in a fragrant tamarisk bush (Kiriakov) that had miraculously grown into a large tree on account of the power of Osiris which still inhabited his lifeless body. Isis ripped open the lid of the casket and lamented long and loud over the dead body of her beloved husband. She took the casket with Osiris’ lifeless body back to Egypt. Laying it inside the house of the gods, Isis transformed herself into a bird and flew around Osiris’ body, warbling a song of sadness. She then sat on his lifeless body and wove a spell that made the spirit of her dead husband enter her and make her conceive a son who was preordained to grown up and avenge his father’s murder. Isis named the boy Horus and had him concealed in a distant island to escape any evil designs of her wicked brother Seth (Crystalinks.com). Isis then approach Thoth for help, pleading with him to provide a suitable magic that would resuscitate Osiris to life. Knowing that Osiris’ spirit had already left his lifeless body and was lost, Thoth decided to remake him so that the lost spirit would identify the body and re-enter it thereby giving rebirth to Osiris. Although Thoth and Isis managed to remake the body by conducting the Ritual of Life {that gives a person everlasting life after death}, the wicked Seth suddenly turned up before Thoth could completely work his magic. Seth grabbed Osiris’ body and fled, going on to rip it into 14 parts and strew them all over Egypt, certain that his action would negate any chance of Osiris being resuscitated (Crystalinks.com). Isis however did not lose hope. Enlisting the help of her gentle sister Nephthys, she searched the length and breadth of Egypt until all the 14 pieces of her husband’s body were located {actually only 13 parts were discovered; Osiris’ penis could not be found due to which Isis replaced it with an imitation made of gold (Kariakov)}. The sisters brought the body parts to Thoth who enlisted the help of the dog-headed (Witt, 43) god of the dead, Anubis in the resuscitation of Osiris by stitching the body parts back together and conducting the Ritual of Life. The Ritual was successfully completed upon which Osiris’ lost spirit recognized his body and re-entered it the moment Osiris’ mouth opened. Osiris was thus resuscitated due to the monumental efforts and steely determination of Isis. However, because of the unchangeable rule that no mortal or even a god who has died can live in the land of the living, Osiris had to go to the land of the dead called Duat. Anubis the god of Duat honored Osiris by handing over his throne to him. Osiris thus became god of the dead and ruled Duat, handing down judgment to the souls of the dead whereby good souls were sent to the Blessed Land, and wicked souls were sentenced to be eaten by Ammit the Devourer (Crystalinks.com). Isis and Horus When Seth learned about Osiris’ new position as god of the dead, he was initially furious but then realized Osiris could not enter the land of the living and therefore he {Seth} was safe and could continue occupying the Pharaoh’s throne which he had done as soon as Isis and Horus had gone into exile on their island. As Horus grew in age and strength, Seth, who had cunningly found out where his sister and nephew lived, sent evil serpents and demons to kill him. Horus was brave and powerful enough to overcome his uncle’s wicket emissaries. When Isis was sure that her son was strong and mature enough to face his evil uncle, she provided him with strong magic and sent him on his journey of vengeance. Horus was further fortified by Thoth who provided him with a magic knife (Crystalinks.com). Horus finally confronted Seth and challenged him for the throne. They engaged in a bitter fight that lasted for many days at the end of which Horus emerged victorious. However, not wanting to stoop to the same murderous level as Seth, Horus preferred to inflict punishment on his uncle by castrating him. When both uncle and nephew lay claim to the throne, the gods decided to intervene and deliver judgment. This proved problematic as some of them favored Seth while others were in favor of Horus. Banebdjetet solved the impasse by asking both groups to accept the decision of Neith. Both groups agreed. The wise Neith deliberated for long time before finally deciding that Horus was the legal inheritor to the throne. When the triumphant Horus took his long awaited place on the throne as Pharaoh of Egypt, his first action was to complete avenging his father’s murder by banishing Seth into the darkness forever (Crystalinks.com). Death of Isis The Legend of Isis states that during the long fight between Horus and Seth, the tender-hearted Isis saw that her son was slowly but surely gaining ground and she felt pity for Seth because after all he was her brother. She tried to intervene to stop the fighting and was accidently beheaded by Horus in the process (Goddess.ws) The Legend of Isis ends with the assurance that Horus not only monitors people while we live, but also imparts guidance and advice to the ruling Pharaohs while they live. Osiris monitors people in the life after death. The gods are at peace and all is well except for the wicked Seth who lurks in the darkness, constantly trying to take revenge on Horus for defeating and casting him into the darkness (Crystalinks.com). As for Isis, she emerged from the Legend as the central figure of a new cult with her rapidly increasing worshippers believing she was a human queen who passed away and was rewarded with divinity (Witt, 65). As a result, after her death she became the most popular goddess not only in ancient Egypt but also in other parts of the world. The new cult was her religion that involved her being revered as the Queen of Heaven, Earth and the Underworld (Kiriakov). II) The Cult of Isis The Cult of Isis had its cradle in north-east Africa, particularly Egypt and Ethiopia (Witt, 23). Although Isis originated as a local goddess in Egypt, her popularity and worship soon spread rapidly not only throughout Egypt and Ethiopia, but also in other places like Iraq, Rome, Greece and even the British Isles (Crystalinks.com). Temples and obelisks dedicated to Isis were constructed in all these lands (Witt, 21), the most famous being the Isis Temple in Sais which holds the famous inscription: “I, Isis, am all that has been, that is or shall be; no mortal man hath ever me unveiled” (Goddess.ws), and the Isis Temple on the Nile Island of Philae (Crystalinks.com) where she was known as ‘Isis of the Innumerable Names’ (Witt, 20). The main sanctuaries of the Cult of Isis were at Giza and Behbeit El-Hagar in the Nile delta in Egypt, at Delos in Greece and at Pompeii in Rome. Unlike in Egypt where the priests were both male and female, Rome and Greece had only female Isis priestesses who were reputed to possess extraordinary powers such as ascribing meaning to dreams, and being able to exert control over climate changes by plaiting or combing their hair {hair knots were believed to possess magic power} (Crystalinks.com). It is mainly the Egyptians and Ethiopians who worshipped her with a liturgy that was her own who called her by her true name which is Queen Isis (Apuleius, 221). Isis assimilated the qualities of the ancient goddesses like Nekhebet, Bast, Net, Hathor and Uatchet (Crystalinks.com). Isis was worshipped as the mother of the world of nature, governess of all the elements, loftiest of all deities, queen of departed spirits, foremost of heavenly dwellers and the single embodiment of all gods and goddesses (Apuleius, 220). The Greeks called her by the name of Demeter. Some Romans called her Ceres while others identified her with the Phrygian Cybele whose famous frenzied sexual rituals were naturalized in Rome since long (Crystalinks.com). Isis was called ‘divine mother’ by different names: some people called her Juno, others called her Bellona of the Battle, some called her Hecate while others called her Rhamnusia (Apuleius, 221). Because of the way she protected Horus during his childhood, Isis was also widely considered to be the goddess of protection. She was a particular favorite of sailors who hailed her as their patroness and sought her blessings of protection (Goddess.ws). It was common for ships to have her name inscribed on them {such as the ship ‘Isis of Geminius’ at Ostia (Witt, 71)}. Due to her attributes of kindness, sympathy, love and dedication, Isis was greatly revered as a patroness of women. Women enduring childbirth prayed to her for courage while women mourning the death of loved ones prayed to her for solace (Kiriakov). In Rome, the Cult of Isis was initially opposed by the Roman ruling classes, many of whom looked upon her rituals as pornographic and damaging to Roman morals. One prominent critic was the Roman Emperor Augustus who, in the aftermath of Julius Caesar’s killing, suspended the order to construct a temple dedicated to Isis, and urged Romans not to follow the Cult of Isis but return to worshipping Roman gods (Crystalinks.com). However, Augustus’ successors Caligula and Otho encouraged worship of Isis (Witt, 51). Caligula even saw to it that the festival of Isis was celebrated regularly in Rome (Crystalinks.com). It is recorded that on the night before the death of Caligula, a show was arranged where Egyptian and Ethiopian actors delivered a commanding quasi-Isiac representation of the underworld (Witt, 162). As a result of encouragement by Roman rulers, Isis acquired “a new rank as the leading goddess of the Mediterranean world” during their rule (Crystalinks.com). III) Isis the Magician Magic is the foundation of the entire mythology of Isis, perhaps more pronounced than any other Egyptian deity. Isis was undoubtedly a powerful magician. While it was apparent that Thoth taught her magic, some legends claim she had access to other powerful magical powers obtained from Ra himself. She is reported to have done this by duping the Sun god into revealing his ‘secret name’ {the trick involved sending a poisonous snake to bite Ra, thereby forcing him to utter his ‘secret name’ to recover from the deadly bite}. The knowledge of Ra’s ‘secret name’ enabled Isis to learn his entire magical knowledge. She used it effectively to cast a spell on the lifeless body of Osiris so that his spirit entered her body and enabled her to conceive Horus (Crystalinks.com). With the magical knowledge acquired from Thoth and Ra, Isis became such a prominent and powerful magical deity of the Egyptian set of gods that she was called the goddess of magic. She held the principal role in Egyptian magic spells and rites, particularly in those involving protection and healing (Crystalinks.com). IV) Symbols associated with Isis It was common for divinities to hold or wear objects that symbolize their power. The worshippers of Isis associated the goddess with several symbols. One of them was the sustrum or rattle (Crystalinks.com) {Isis was reportedly held a bronze rattle in her right hand that emitted a pleasant sound (Apuleius, 220)}. The second was the moon (Crystalinks.com) {she reportedly wore a crown on top of which was a flat disk shaped like the orb of a moon that gave out a glittering light (Apuleius, 219)}. The third was the star Sirius whose appearance was eagerly awaited as it not only announced the start of a new year, but also denoted the flooding of River Nile which signaled the onset of fertility, prosperity and riches in Egypt. The fourth was the buckle that, like the hair knot, was believed to possess magical powers (Crystalinks.com). The fifth was the Ankh {symbol of eternal life} that was frequently pictured being held by Isis (Kiriakov). V) Isis as depicted in Art and Prose Artists tend to portray Isis in human form. As ‘Isis’ literally means ‘Queen of the Throne,’ her most famous portrait depicts her in a standing posture with an empty throne belonging to her killed husband Osiris. The portrait is seen as portraying her as a vital source of the Pharaoh’s power (Crystalinks.com). Goddess Isis (Crystalinks.com) The second important portrait shows Isis and Osiris in standing positions (Crystalinks.com) Isis and Osiris (Crystalinks.com) The third important portrait is a family picture showing Isis with her husband Osiris and son Horus (Crystalinks.com) Isis, Osiris and Horus (Crystalinks.com) The fourth important portrait shows Isis cradling and breast-feeding her son Horus. This portrait has a strong resemblance to the portrait of the Christian Jesus and his mother Mary (Crystalinks.com) Isis nursing Horus (Crystalinks.com) Perhaps the most impressive description of Isis comes from the Libyan-born Latin scholar Lucius Apuleius (Witt, 19) to who Isis appears in a dream. Like the artists, Apuleius too described her in human form. Writing about her in wonderful detail in his book “The Golden Ass,” he describes her as a beautiful woman wearing a multicolored robe made of the finest linen with a great mane of curly hair that cascaded over her lovely neck, her lofty head crowned by a garland of colored interlaced flowers in the middle of which was a flat disk. Her garland crown was held in place by bunches of rearing snakes on the right and left while it was decorated above with waving ears of corn (Apuleius, 219). Her alabaster white feet were encased in sandals interlaced with palms. In her right hand she held a rattle made of a narrow metal strip curved like a belt (Apuleius, 220), while in her left hand she held a golden cup (Apuleius, 223). VI) Extinction of the Cult of Isis The Cult of Isis was so popular and widespread that Isis developed into the most outstanding divinity of the Mediterranean region during the first 5 centuries BC. Its downfall began when a new religion called Christianity emerged and started rapidly gaining in popularity. The new religion found that the Cult of Isis presented formidable competition. This caused the Church and Christian missionaries to instigate the ruling classes to ban the Cult of Isis. The continuous and relentless Christian persecution finally succeeded in its goal of forcing the Cult of Isis into extinction during the 6th century AD (Goddess.ws). References used: Apuleius, Lucius. “The Golden Ass – Translated by P. G. Walsh.” USA: Oxford University Press. 1999. “Isis.” Crystalinks.com. 2008. 5 November 2008. “Isis.” Goddess.ws. (N.d). 5 November 2008. Kiriakov, Andrei. “Goddess Isis.” Newsfinder.org. 2008. 5 November 2008. Witt, Reginald Elred. “Isis in the Ancient World.” USA: The John Hopkins University Press. 1997. Read More