Love Stories
Welcome to love stories!
Osiris, Isis and Set
The story of Osiris, Isis and Set is one of ancient Egypt’s most important myths. Osiris is a just king, Isis is his clever and devoted wife, and Set is the powerful brother who kills him. Their struggle explains why Osiris rules the dead and why Isis protects kingship and family. It also leads to the birth of Horus, who fights Set for Egypt’s throne. There is no single ancient scroll containing every familiar scene, so modern retellings combine evidence from different periods. I find the heart of the story easy to recognise: love and persistence answer a terrible act of betrayal.
Fun fact: Isis and Nephthys were often shown as kites, birds whose cries may have reminded Egyptians of mourners.
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The Eye of Ra
The Eye of Ra is not simply one eyeball in one fixed story. In Egyptian religion it is a powerful goddess and an extension of the Sun god’s force. Different texts identify the Eye with Hathor, Sekhmet, Tefnut, Bastet, Wadjet and other goddesses. She can protect Ra, burn his enemies and shine as the Sun’s blazing disc. She can also become angry, leave Egypt and need to be persuaded home. I think the Eye is fascinating because the same power can be protective or dangerously fierce depending on how it is used.
Fun fact: In the story of Sekhmet’s fury, the red drink is beer rather than blood. Some retellings call it pomegranate juice, but the ancient text describes beer coloured with red ochre.
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The Tale of Two Brothers
The Tale of Two Brothers is one of the most complete stories to survive from ancient Egypt. It follows Anpu and his younger brother Bata through farm work, false accusation, exile, magic, death, transformations and kingship. The plot is so packed that it feels like an ancient adventure series squeezed into one papyrus. It was copied during the reign of Seti II, near the end of the nineteenth dynasty, by a scribe named Ennana. The manuscript is called Papyrus D’Orbiney and is kept in the British Museum.
Fun fact: Under all that magic, the tale keeps returning to one question: when lies divide a family, can truth and loyalty ever put it together again?
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The Death of Baldr
Baldr is the shining, much-loved son of Odin and Frigg. When he begins having frightening dreams about his death, his mother tries to make him completely safe. Nearly everything in the world promises not to harm him. The gods turn his new invulnerability into a game, throwing weapons that bounce harmlessly away. Only Loki searches for the weakness. He discovers that mistletoe was considered too young to swear the promise and uses it to bring about Baldr’s death. I think this story is especially sad because everybody’s attempt to defeat fate helps it come true.
Fun fact: Almost the entire universe weeps for Baldr. Even stones and metal join in, but one refusal is enough to keep him in Hel.
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Meet Jocelyn
The curious mind behind Mythfits Society
Hi! I’m Jocelyn, and I created Mythfits Society to make discovering ancient myths easier, more interesting and much more fun.
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